Some great news skills wise for me. I successfully passed the Tableau Desktop Specialist certification exam. I'm not going to lie, the exam itself definitely had me on edge. Many of the questions required you to choose multiple answers. In particular there were questions with three correct answers where I would know 2 of the correct answers right away but struggle on the third. The total time given for the test was 60 minutes and I wound up using 54 minutes before finally submitting my answers.
I went to a small local testing center 5 miles away from my home. After validating my identification, the proctor placed me in a small room with three desktops. She then assigned me to the desktop on the far right. I was given a notepad where you can quickly write down some formulas or other key facts before starting the exam. Once you start you're not allowed to write anything else down. You're also not allowed to have any personal items like cell phones, keys, or even your wallet. You are on candid camera the entire time to ensure you're not cheating.
I was so glad I was in the room alone. Even though I knew there was a camera, I found myself cursing under my breath at some questions, making faces, and then covering my eyes after submitting my answers, afraid to see the words FAIL after answering pages and pages of survey questions. I can imagine the proctors getting a good laugh from the various antics test takers do. When I saw the word PASS come up, I screamed but covered my mouth. I definitely didn't want to have to retake it again and am glad I don't have to.
I kid you not, after leaving the test center, I sat in my car for about ten minutes just in a daze. Of course I immediately went to my phone to notify Dom and my sisters on my latest achievement. I drove to a nearby grocery store with the intention of getting some items for dinner but couldn't really focus, only buying some Albanese sour gummies.
So now I come to the end of the Pathfinder program. I'm definitely hoping a better paying, skillful job is in my future. I told Dom that if nothing happens, I may have to look for another program. Of course Dom gave me the side eye. *LOL*
It reminded me of Lynn Searcy (played by the lovely Persia White) from the hit UPN show Girlfriends that came out in 2000. She was the perpetual student that had over 8 different degrees but no job. Lynn basically had no real focus and floated through life mooching off her other girlfriends. Of course obviously I'm no mooch. Thank goodness I saved during my working years (that and my severance helped for sure) but I'm definitely reaching the end of my rope and need to boost my income.
With that said, as much as I hate my Amazon job, assuming I finally get that corporate job, I would like to stay at Amazon for at least another two months before dropping it. I would take the extra small income to rebuild a portion of my savings. Also there's always that three week gap before you get your first paycheck since at minimum companies want you to have one week's pay once you leave. It's a pain in the butt waiting for that first check. Still getting the small check from Amazon would help.
So graduation from the Pathfinder program will be a virtual event on November 17th. It's definitely a bittersweet moment. I can say I feel like I connected more with some of the students via Pathfinder than I did in the cybersecurity boot camp I took in August 2020. As cliché as it sounds, I was able to bring my authentic self in the program and that went a long way in helping me learn and feeling accepted.
Here's to that next chapter. What's it gonna be?
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