Meet Desola Awofeso
It’s hard not to be impressed when you read Desola’s bio – attended some of Texas’ best schools, worked for some of the world’s best companies, and has a slew of technical and non-technical skill sets. So, when I sat down with her to share her HOUnique story, I thought I’d ask her how she became so driven and how she viewed success.
“No shade, but I’d probably be a cashier at a grocery store right now if it wasn’t for my parent’s knee-jerk reaction to their hardships emigrating to America in the early 70s. So, let me just start with this – Nigerians are extremely hardworking and driven people who drill it into their kids at a very early age that ambition is the key to success (whatever that is). So, growing up as a first-generation Nigerian-American, all I knew was that I had to get straight A’s (and the occasional B) in school, go to college, and get a “good job.” I didn’t really know why at the time, just that every time I did well in school, my parents were beaming with joy. I pretty much just ran with that. Finish middle school (check). Finish high school (check). Success!
I had a little bit of a fight with my mom about where to go to college – go to Texas A&M (mom’s choice) or to Prairie View (my choice). I was honestly tired of arguing with her about it, so off to Texas A&M I went (ended up having an amazing experience by the way… thanks Mom). I had no idea what I wanted to major in when I got there, so I just figured doing Sports Management might open up a career at least doing something fun (sports) and that paid well (management), HA! That was literally my only determining factor at the time. Finish college (check). Success!
“At one point I had an epiphany that I needed to get more strategic about my career and life or else I’d be just like her – Living a mediocre life and crying at my desk.”
But when I got in the working world, I realized that that pipe dream wasn’t going to work. I started working for the Houston Astros and it wasn’t long before I knew I had zero desire to work in that line of business – the hours and commute from Cypress sucked and I felt like it would take a lifetime to make money. And that didn’t interest me at all. So, I went to a job fair where I met a lady who said it’d be smart to start a career in supply chain operations, and so I went – got a job working in supply chain for a technology company and ran with it. Good job (check). Success!
Soooo, I’m thinking I made it right? But after like the second year of my boring ass job (but getting a steady paycheck), the lady who sat next to me would come in (literally) crying every day about how much she hated the job and hated her life. I’d try to console her most of the time (even though she was twice my age and probably should’ve been giving ME advice), but then at one point I had an epiphany that I needed to get more strategic about my career and life or else I’d be just like her – Living a mediocre life and crying at my desk. So, not long after that I left that job. I’m not about to be out here hating my life – looking homely and depressed as **** in this cubicle.
I started to get more selective about what kind of work I wanted to do. Not just a better job per se, but one that would be more exciting for my life and that would allow me to learn a lot. So that started to be my rubric for success. I landed at a Big 4 consulting firm and started traveling the world working to tackle the problems of some of the best companies on earth. That job had me move out of Houston for a few years, but forever a “southern girl at heart”, I asked for a transfer back to Houston (to the Heights) when my travel schedule calmed down.
From that point to the point I am now, I decided to never be a “box checker” in life again. Yeah sure, be ambitious and driven (true to the Nigerian way instilled in me by my parents), but know your why and be extremely intentional about what you’re doing in life. I’m not saying I’m always certain about what life will bring me, but I’ll be damned if I’m just going to float from thing to thing anymore without being in the driver’s seat. Ya, know?”
