My Story: Pamela Johnson

I was training with world-renowned track coach Bob Kersee and his wife Jackie Joyner-Kersee, so that was a great experience. I trained all my life to make the Olympic team, and I didn’t make it by two spots. I went from a huge high and then all of a sudden,  I became one of those athletes who was thinking, OK, now what do I do?

I met a young lady who was in the military also and she introduced me to the Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP). At that point I said, this is great, I can still serve — because I love serving people — so I get that component while still getting to do what I love which is track and field.

I was stationed in Fort Carson, CO (that’s where the hub of WCAP is) and then from that point they sent me over to Houston, TX. I decided to discharge out of the military in September 2010, and was trying to figure out what to do. I was in California at a time with a high unemployment rate, so I decided to try and look for a job.

I had just finished my MBA while I was in military, so I was thinking that I was marketable. I thought I had it all together, that I’d checked the right boxes. The reality hit that I had these credentials but I didn’t have any experience that the civilian sector would consider as experience.

I was unemployed for a year and half. Between  transitioning out of the military, facing unemployment, being newly married, trying to figure out the wife position and trying to figure out who I am— there was a lot going on during that time. It was probably the lowest point of my life.

The first place I went to was the Texas Workforce Commission and saw a veterans’ representative.  He introduced me to couple of jobs. I kept telling him that when I was in the military that I was supervisor, that I could do this and that, and he kept telling me “no, no, no.”

I just couldn’t understand that. He told me that Goodwill had an opening at one of their job connection centers and that he wanted me to go to interview. He knew I hadn’t been interviewing a lot, so he told me to just go and see, and try it out.

I saw the job title — employment specialist — and thought , ‘Is this a made-up title?’ But I said I would try that out. So I went to the interview. And the person who was interviewing me at that time was another veteran.

After getting hired, at first I said I am just going to be here for a little bit because I didn’t know if it was truly me. I fell in love with it, and a year later I worked hard, and I ended up being promoted as a program manager.

Sometimes your vision is not clear, and that’s when you have to make adjustments. I tell others to continue to dream. Don’t stop dreaming, no matter what your situation is, because once you stop dreaming, you stop living.