After working for 10 years in the sales department, Talise Geer finally decided to switch careers and start from the basics. What pushed her was the unpleasantness of the job as well as the unhappiness of not growing and advancing in her profession.
She disclosed that her employers did give her a promotion but it was more of a title with more responsibilities than a raise or a reward for her performance and hard work.
This was the final nail in the coffin for her said a dissatisfied Miss Geer. She added, “It broke me. It felt like I was carrying out the duties of three people.”
She spent a decade in her previous organization before deciding to leave, devoting her time and energy to excel and obtain success which she did manage to do but something was missing. Apart from that the stress and pressure of having to meet quotas were taking a toll, both mentally and physically.
Talise who is happily married and has a 6-year-old kid would often question herself thinking why am I torturing myself or why am I going through this monotonous routine day in and day out.
She needed an escape so she finally chose to adopt a new skill and find her true calling which she eventually did in cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity turned out to be the best option as it fulfilled all her requirements such as stability, security, opportunities to enhance one’s abilities, and of course good health benefits.
Talise then made up her mind and enrolled herself in a networks class at the Suffolk County Community College in Selden and had attended the Sunday morning session in the fall of 2019.
She went on to take more subjects in her 2nd semester and learned about software, hardware, reconfiguring switches and routers, etc.
Juggling between spending time on books, taking care of the household and her little daughter, and making presentations on products, Talise would get less time to fully concentrate and focus on school work.
Despite the odds, Talise completed her education this December and was notified for a very prestigious award, the Vanguard Student Recognition Award. It recognizes scholars pursuing programs that are not traditional for their gender and honors them for their confidence.
One of her professors praised her saying that Talise always came prepared, handed her assignments on time, and showed great interest in every topic.
Talise plans to further increase her knowledge by obtaining a master’s degree. She mentioned that while it did take her a while to get here, she is glad that she trusted her instincts and stood her ground.