If I had to give a word for the journey in corporate Brazil for the past 3 years it would be GRIT. Which can be defined as courage and determination through difficulty. Joining the corporate world in Brazil was a dimension of courage I never imagined nor did I prepare for. The fact that I started unable to comprehend Portuguese but was given a chance to prove or show my skills showed me businesses can take the risk to invest in potential talents.

Not only have I learned Brazilian Portuguese, but I have developed amazing relationships that I will cherish in my lifetime. Resilience, determination and courage came handy on the days life threw punches at me. Working in the corporate space has taught me self-development skills I never knew I needed, moving forward,I have embraced the continuous learning lifestyle as I realised that the learning never ends.

If I would give an advice to anyone who is starting off regardless of where you are starting from. It would be:

1. Understand that learning is a core component to seeing success in your career in general. Open up to learning concepts and objectives of the projects you are handling.
2. There is no secret to the knowledge you wish to have all you need do is to pay the price of using your time to learn and then apply. The resources are endless, so to avoid being overwhelmed with information, follow the concept and objective strategy i mentioned earlier.
3. Build relationships, it helps you build trust overtime.
4. When in doubt ask, ask, ask, and ask. Trust me. I ask even after 3 years of working with the company.
5. One thing i didn’t take quite well in the workplace is CHANGE. So adaptability is an important skill you need to have.I have come to realize that change occurs sometimes to realign us. So when you experience it, readjust and bounce back!

Honestly the past 3 years, has been a transformative one.

I have achieved:

1. Being promoted to being a Project Assistant
2. Developed technical and soft skills.
3. Being a certified cloud practitioner.
4. Learned accountability and integrity with the people I work with.
5. Gained amazing professional friends.

Finally, I must not fail to acknowledge the foundation of where I am today if it were not for my mother who gave me the gift of education. I am immensely grateful for the privilege and hope to put a smile on her face. Along my professional path, I appreciate the lady who out of nowhere on the train took a chance to extend the offer to work in her company. To this day I call her my angel, as she had no idea how my life changed after that meeting. I appreciate the Brazilian Bosses who have been mentors to guide me through as I navigate corporate Brazil. To commemorate my workiversary, I am launching my blog where I would express my creative self and I look forward to making memories and embracing new opportunities that help in refining my skills.