My inaugural Make More Monie interviewee is none other than my life partner and best friend, Susana, and her story is one of those that demonstrates tenacity at its finest.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, she was a precocious one, that challenged – and was challenged – by her parents. From the moment she realized there were boundaries in the world, she decided that although they were likely there for a reason, in her mind, they should at least be pushed. After all, doesn’t everyone want to know what’s on the other side of ‘em?
Being curious by nature, she had many investigations to carry out, such as how some of her doll’s arms and legs moved, how their eyes opened and closed and why the skin on her porcelain baby was so cold. It was also while coloring, cutting and combing their hair, that a passion for hair design was ignited.
Unfortunately, unlike Canada, Buenos Aires in the 70’s and 80’s was not the place to be able to “make more monie” by owning a hair salon. Fortunately, her mother knew this and discouraged that idea, preferring and advising her daughter to get a university education “in anything”, as a way forward. Susana, with that natural curiosity and family-instilled love of learning, was always a good student. As such, the only question remaining was what subject matter and degree designation to pursue.
A budding interest in the IT realm of logical programming and workflows – that saw her reading textbooks borrowed from the Air Force-employed father of a classmate around this time for fun – and with this new industry growing exponentially and seemingly everywhere, mom, dad and daughter found their answer.
Six years later, Susana found herself employed by the Central Bank of Argentina as an IT Systems Analyst and Project Management Lead, which from most perspectives, was an ideal career. From her vantage point within the monetary system though, and knowing the Argentinian government’s questionable practices and policies, she knew her beloved homeland was not the place to plan a future.
She also knew that any move to a completely different country, especially one that spoke a different language, was not going to be easy. For someone who loved everything about her roots, especially the friend-and-family ties that bind, it was an especially daunting undertaking.
Acknowledging and accepting her mother’s concern, but buoyed by her father’s unwavering support and her own will to find a way, she answered the call from Canada in an ad looking for IT talent needed here. After completing the paperwork and passing the interviews, she gained her immigrant status, and booked her month’s worth of accumulated vacation time for an initial foray into all things Canada.
She spent her stay in full-time English classes daily, boarding with a family that spoke no Spanish – a conscious choice made to ensure she would practice daily. Leaving her belongings with her new-found family as a precommitment strategy, she flew back home to tie up loose ends, vowing to return soon.
Ever the pragmatist, upon her arrival back at the Bank, she quietly campaigned for a year-long leave of absence as a fail-safe measure should she not find work and a future in Canada. Eventually, she secured one – by going over the head of her immediate supervisor, who resented her ambition. The last words spoken between them were “See you Monday morning”, as only the few closest to her knew the truth.
The following day, one-way plane ticket in hand, the boundary pusher shared a heartfelt, tearful goodbye with family and friends and in doing so, pushed those boundaries all the way out to another hemisphere.
Disclaimer: The information contained herein should not be construed or considered professional advice. Nonetheless, thanks for reading! If it resonates, there’s “plenty more where that came from” on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube ‘n’ Twitter.