Driving success: Reinventing yourself amid today's challenging job market
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS (CBSDFW.COM) - More than ever during the coronavirus pandemic, many adopted the philosophy when one door closes, another opens.
Case in point, UPS package car driver Joey Rodriguez. Just a couple years ago, he was forced to find a new way to provide for his large family.
"I've been furloughed twice from the railroad and I was making a six figure salary there. When that was taken away from me twice. You start looking for job security," said Rodriguez.
A tip from a buddy told Rodriguez about UPS, where even without a degree, he could drive his own success.
With medical benefits from the start, and now just around a year and a half away from reaching the top pay scale for his position, which as he explains is really good money.
"You're working five days a week, 40-45 hours a week. You'll make around $100,000 a year."
That doesn't include overtime. Package delivery was always considered an essential service. Thus, even during the height of COVID, Rodriguez never had to worry about losing his job.
"It was challenging and difficult, but we were working. That's something that changed my perspective."
A former athletic trainer from North Richland Hills, Rodriguez warns you have to be prepared for the physical demands and the misconceptions. Rodriguez knows "that's mostly what they see. Poor guy working in the heat. Carrying a heavy box up three flights of stairs, and there's some truth to that. But, you can only say 'woe is me so much,' when you're making a living for your family."
Over in Haslet, Brandit Campbell sits as the only UPS female Hub Division Manager in Dallas-Fort Worth.
"I came to UPS just to pay a car off. When I found out you can turn a job Into a career, I dug more deeply into the history of UPS."
That includes the latest chapter. The current CEO of the company, Carol Tome, is the first female CEO in the history of the company.
That let Brandit know the sky's the limit.
"I tell all of our part time supervisors and employees who want to move up that all it takes is hard work, drive, and the willingness to learn."
Brandit is proof of that. Starting off as an entry level package handler, in three and a half years, rising to the Director level. Before, that would've taken more than a decade.
She's now responsible for an 800,000 square foot automated facility with 35,000 feet of conveyors and moving 30 thousand packages an hour.
Brandit is proud to say "Sometimes I get in the load with them to let them know I'm not just the person in the suit. If the ship sinks, I'm sinking with you."
A track coach by trade who coached an Olympian to a bronze medal in Rio, Campbell is also a wife and a mother. And she still found the time to use the company's tuition reimbursement program to secure her doctorate.
"My job is to encourage women as well as men to go back to school. It's my job to educate everyone of my success story."
What Brandit and Joey have in common, is the fact that in this day and age we all may need to re-invent ourselves.
And, it's never too late to do so.
LaShonda Crawford, UPS Talent Aquisition Manager, encourages people to "find out what it is you want to do. Try something you've never done before. From there, just jump."