How I Lost My Dream Job at NASA — and Got It Back 25 Years Later

So I was crying, and when I was crying, I dried my tears, and I looked at the screen, and lo and behold, there was a job at NASA at Goddard Space Flight Center, where I left. And it was the perfect job for me, just like the time when I walked in the gymnasium in the mountains with the skills that I had. And so NASA was looking for someone who qualified as an engineer, Jack, CIO, Chief Information Officer, Jack, a scientific organization, Jack. And the job was made for me. So I applied for it and got it. And so what's the moral to the story? Before I get started, I wanted to speak to the woman who knows she's meant for more. If you've been stuck at the same level for too long, I created a leadership assessment test just for you. And it takes just about three minutes. And if you qualify, you'll unlock my $2,000 leadership advantage, including four weeks of coaching with me, access to our private WhatsApp community, and access to the tools to get you moving again. So start there, take the test, use the link below. When I was an undergraduate student at Howard University, I reluctantly looked for a job. I really didn't want a job because I had a full scholarship to stay and work on my master's and PhD in mathematics, which is what I love. I had a full scholarship. So my future husband at the time this is my first husband he didn want me to do that He wanted me to get a job because my 1970 Dodge Dart needed a new master cylinder and I needed a new car because the master cylinder cost more than the car was worth. So I couldn't really afford a car as a graduate assistant, but I could afford a car as a government employee. So I reluctantly went to the gymnasium where they were recruiting. And I walked in the door and right in the middle are the N's. And the first line I come to is NASA. And I say, oh, wow, NASA, how cool. So I stayed in the line and the recruiter said that they were looking for mathematicians, check, outstanding scholars, check. Who knew IBM Assembler Language, check. And Fortran 77, check. So I was a unicorn. I was a unicorn they were looking for. And they recruited me successfully. And between them and a new master cylinder, I'm going to work for NASA. And I loved it. I loved the job. But the future husband, now accessible, wanted me to quit and move to Seattle because that's where he was from and he was homesick. So I quit my dream job and left and went into a job I really didn't like, not at all. So I was there for a couple of years. I left, we got divorced, I came back to D.C. I had another job in government As a systems programmer still And I got a chance to learn my craft I developed as a pretty good systems programmer I think and I had a specialty in problem determination. My brother-in-law teases me and said I was so good at debugging because I was a terrible programmer. Well, there may be some truth today. We don't know. But at any rate, after that, I went on to have a 25-year, I guess, history in government, going through various jobs. I ended up in an elite group called the Senior Executive Service and went on to that, the different agencies in executive leadership. So I'm 25 years later, and I'm looking for a dream job. I didn't think that it would be a NASA, but I was having a hard time and bad luck at not being a successful candidate in jobs I applied for. So I was crying, and when I was crying, I dried my tears, and I looked at the screen, and lo and behold, there was a job at NASA at Goddard Space Flight Center. where I left. And it was the perfect job for me, just like the time that I walked in the gymnasium in the mountains with the skills that I had. And so NASA was looking for someone who qualified as an engineer, Jack, a CIO, Chief Information Officer, Jack, and a scientific organization, shack And the job was made for me So I applied for it and got it And so what the moral to the story The only reason why I tell this story is that it was a dream. It was a dream job. And just like the song Over the Rainbow, sometimes you have to dare to dream, to dare to dream that the dreams you have will come true. And I often wonder why the word dare. because sometimes we're afraid of our dreams, afraid of the success that we long for. And so as we discuss what it takes to get to that next level paycheck, one of the things that you have to do is dream of the dream and have the courage to dream about it and have the courage to take the steps necessary to get that. Sometimes you have to wait. I had to wait 25 years maybe your wait won't be so long but regardless of how long it takes it does take courage to step out on faith in that dream and daring that dream to come true this is your next level there's an African proverb that says you can go fast alone or far together and let's go far and let's go far together. So take my leadership assessment test and let it show what you haven't been able to say out loud. And if your results qualify you, I'll support you through your next step. And I'll support you with a $2,000 leadership advantage, access to our private WhatsApp community and personal coaching. You deserve to rise. Start with the test. It's your moment.