Sheree encountered the paper ceiling many times across her career. She went to college to get an education degree but when her mother fell ill, she had to leave school to work full-time. She took a job as a claims assistant in an insurance company believing it would offer her a chance to climb a corporate ladder. Yet, despite working nights and weekends to demonstrate her commitment, she was passed over for promotions. When an internal role opened up, she applied and aced the interviews but saw the role go to a less experienced internal candidate who had a bachelor’s degree.

Discouraged, Sheree took night classes and applied for jobs with her local county government. As she had hoped, the public sector provided Sheree professional development and upward mobility. She earned five promotions over 14 years. She managed large caseloads and learned the ins and outs of complex systems. Still, she faced the paper ceiling. She wanted to become a social worker, but the bachelor’s degree requirement, with its cost and time commitment, put this role out of reach. When the pandemic resulted in layoffs, Sheree took a five-month Salesforce Administration training program and landed a role at a legal services nonprofit with responsibilities in Salesforce administration, customer success, and IT support. She soon returned to counseling, working as a College and Career Specialist at the local high school, but she plans to use her newly developed tech skill to return to the IT field when school lets out in the summer.

Sheree is proud of her achievement, noting the many barriers she cleared along the way — degree discrimination, financial strain, childcare challenges, long hours, and irregular work schedules. She often prioritized family needs over her own dreams but always found ways to keep learning.  Still, she questions why it had to be this hard. She credits her relationships with helping her see it through. “Having a strong community and network has helped me. Understanding how to build community and find people. We’re celebrating together, we’re crying together.”