I have a job lined up for when I graduate, but I'm one of the few

I have a job lined up for when I graduate, but I'm one of the few.
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Illustration by April Y. Kasulis

This essay is one of 35 selected by a panel of judges for “Ambitions Interrupted,” a series from The GroundTruth Project and YouthVoices, its storytelling platform.

Name: Rodrigo Elías Monge Rivas

Age: 20

Dream Job: Computers and networks engineer

City, Country: Ciudad Merliot, El Salvador

Current job/school: Computer switching and routing college student

Challenge: Financial difficulty

After school, I used to wait for my brother and my parents. We’d meet up and then go home together. To cope with my own boredom, I’d help teachers log their students’ grades for a few months. Eventually, a computing teacher offered to coach me through some basic computer maintenance and taught me computing skills. That’s where my interest for technology was born – a passion that grew so obvious that I was eventually awarded a scholarship to study it in college, where I am now.

The scholarship has changed my life – without it, I would never be able to pursue my dreams. My mother and father weren’t employed at the time and we survived by selling many of our possessions. My father was holding onto his car to pawn off as an emergency fund.

While my college schedule still allowed it, I helped out where I could by working part-time as a taxi driver and as a technical support specialist. I try to help them financially by taking care of myself and, when I can, by paying for our groceries. I also made time to volunteer and teach basic computing skills to kids as a way of giving back.

In Merliot City, where I live now, everybody is looking for a job. For a while, it felt like I was looking everywhere and couldn’t find any opportunities. Now, I have hope; recently, a call center here noticed my computing and English skills and offered me a job for when I graduate. Can you imagine how many computers are there? I’m excited to be a part of their internal tech support and assist so many accounts and employees.

When I work there, I will finally be doing what I love. I want to use my earnings to give back and help my family, stimulate the development of smaller businesses and share computing knowledge with others.

This story was originally submitted to YouthVoices, a platform powered by The GroundTruth Project that encourages young people to share stories about the issues affecting their generation. Submit your own essays and answer new questions here, or learn more about global youth unemployment with this interactive map.

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