BridgeTech • ISSUE 003
At 19 I think I was a little delusional.
I was interviewing for a LinkedIn & Google contracts with a high school diploma and experience I was still learning how to piece together. I knew other applicants probably had degrees, internships, and résumés that made more sense on paper.
But I still knew that I was the one to bet on.
“Put me in the any room and I’m golden.”
That was the mantra. My delusion was forward-thinking, but I knew belief alone wasn’t enough. I had to give them a reason to believe in me too.
I wasn’t casually looking for work. I was trying to change my life.
Confidence gave me a reason to prepare.
Before interviews, I researched the team, the department, and the work. I asked what success looked like in the role and what made somebody stand out.
I followed up with recruiters because I wanted context. Anything that helped me understand what the company needed and how I could contribute.
When they compared candidates, I wanted them to remember what I could bring.
Then LinkedIn gave me a project—and 72 hours.
I can’t share the specifics, but I had to work through information from different sources, analyze performance, form an opinion, and explain how I would present it to a client.
No answer key.
That stressed me out badly. I wanted the opportunity, and I had never done anything quite like this.
For those 72 hours, my actual life felt paused while I tried to build a different one.
Eventually, I had to stop searching for the answer I imagined they wanted and give them my best reasoning.
I got called back to present to a hiring manager, a director, and a senior analyst.
I was nervous. I did it anyway.
I got the job.
The opportunity gave me more than a company name.
LinkedIn was my first analyst role.
It gave me experience, but it also changed what I thought was possible. If this could be my first analyst job, what else could I work toward?
Once I got inside, I started paying attention to what I could learn.
LinkedIn didn’t require Tableau when I joined, but I learned it because I kept thinking about the opportunities that might come next.
I was building a toolbelt.
Then my contract got cut.
For a while, it felt like I was right back at zero.
Careers look much cleaner when we tell the story backward. “LinkedIn to Google” sounds beautiful now. Living through the uncertainty between them felt very different.
But I hadn’t lost everything I gained.
I had worked in an analyst environment. I had more tools, more experience, and better language for explaining what I could do.
Eventually, another contract opportunity came along.
Google.
This time, the name didn’t intimidate me the same way.
I wasn’t suddenly an expert at everything. I remember sitting in an Ace Hardware parking lot answering technical questions and explaining how I would approach different problems.
Three and a half weeks later, I got the call.
They wanted me.
LinkedIn showed me it could happen once. Google gave me more reason to trust what I was building.
An imperfect route can still move your career forward.
Contracts were part of my route.
I was working W-2 contracts, earning money, and gaining experience that helped me compete for future roles.
The uncertainty was real too. Having my LinkedIn contract cut taught me that firsthand.
I wouldn’t tell you to accept every contract. I would tell you to evaluate what one actually offers.
If you’re looking at an opportunity now, ask:
What will I actually do? Look beyond the company name and understand the work.
What will I leave with? Consider the skills, relationships, and results you could build.
Can the terms work for my life? Understand the pay, benefits, expected duration, and what happens when the assignment ends.
A recognizable employer can get your attention. The details should help you make the decision.
Here’s what I would do differently.
I spent a lot of time thinking about the next move.
The next skill. The next pay jump. The next opportunity.
That ambition helped me move forward, but sometimes I was so focused on getting somewhere else that I didn’t give enough attention to becoming great where I already was.
I would spend more time learning from the people around me. Understanding why things worked. Building relationships I cared enough to maintain after the job ended.
Getting into the room matters.
So does what you learn, contribute, and build once you’re there.
Make your belief useful.
If you’re waiting for your next opportunity, give that belief something concrete to work with.
Pick a role you want. Understand the work. Identify experience you can honestly connect to it. Practice explaining one example that shows how you think or solve a problem.
And when there’s a real gap, start working on it.
You can say, “I’m learning this.” You can explain what you’ve practiced and where you still need experience. You don’t have to pretend you’ve mastered something to show that you’re taking it seriously.
I still believe in “put me in the room and I’m golden.”
But when I look back, I see the preparation behind that confidence: the research, the project, the tools I learned, and the conversations I was nervous enough to remember years later.
Believing I could change my life gave me a reason to do the work.
The work gave somebody else a reason to take a chance on me.
What are you being intentionally delusional about right now?
A role. A dream company. A new career move.
Hit reply and tell me in one sentence.
I want to know what you’re betting on yourself for.
peace ✌🏾—
Teshawn
Founder, BridgeTech