Sometimes in life we have to make tough decisions. What do you do when your family depends on the income of 2 solid careers in order to support the family? Mom and dad both work hard to put food on the table, take care of the kids and maintain a home. But when is enough enough? When do we have to respect ourselves more than our employer respects us? Please join me as Trevor Alexander shares stories of the strength of his mother and full support of his father when it came time to walk away from a bad situation.
Trevor Alexander is a UI/UX tech designer and the kind of son that just wants to share inspirational stories of his mother. He's not looking for personal gain, but solely out of respect and admiration for his mom, Constance or better known as Connie, Trevor wants her story told.
The second son of four children, two boys and two girls, Trevor, so he says was "accident prone" as a child which kind of came in handy when his mother became a x-ray technologist. An active child, sometimes stumbling over his own feet and/or injuries related to sports allowed he and his mom to spend some 'one on one' time together having x-rays taken after a fall.
Connie was a nurse. She had worked in the ER and then transitioned into becoming a x-ray tech. It's a challenging career shift, lots to learn and the information is complicated regarding the machines and constant technical updates. Connie really gravitated to her new career, she was constantly studying and staying current with all aspect of this new field . Her experience as a nurse reenforced Connie's ability to be very nurturing. She truly cared about her patient's wellbeing and wanted to see them through their difficulties. Trevor's believes that this "truly resinated with his mother, the fact that she was there to help them. She was able to connect with each and everyone of them."
Though stressful, in time, she was able to segment or compartmentalize the work/stressors and come home and be mom. She was very good at leaving her work out of the home.
Over time, Trevor's mother made a very difficult decision, which would effect the entire family. Trevor wrote me initially to say "our family went through some terrible difficulties because of this decision, with her picking up work at a bakery to try and make ends meet. Her courage left a lasting impression on me. To stand up and refuse to be taken advantage of and mistreated knowing the road ahead would not be easy, always inspired me in my own career to aspire to such courage. I'm a UI (User Interface) designer, who's been in the industry for over 16 years and I can think of many times my career was inspired by my mother's bravery".
When Trevor was in high school his mother quit her well paying job as the x-ray technologist because "of the abhorrent conditions of the work place," says Trevor. His mother wasn't being respected and Connie and Jim, Trevor's dad, mutually agreed that it wasn't a healthy situation and time to walk away. " My mother had tremendous drive to stay in her job, she was highly qualified, but there was a breaking point. She couldn't in good faith keep this going." Trevor continues, my mom said, 'I'm worth more than this.' "And more importantly, she wanted to make a statement to her kids that you stand up for yourself, you don't get pushed around and get taken advantage of," says a proud Alexander.
We never know what life is going to throw our way, but it's important to believe in ourselves and realize that there is always a solution for a better future and no one/no employer should ever take advantage of anyone, ever.
Connie took a job in a bakery at a supermarket with crazy hours. She had to work 12 hour shifts on her feet, but she loved it. She made new friends and would come home laughing and smiling with wonderful stories to share. She also came home with fresh baked goodies for the family.
Trevor's book is entitled " An Ugly Design Career". https://uglydesigncareer.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/alexandertrevor