Hey, just a short introduction. My name is David, and I'm 28 years old. I have known what I've wanted to be since Christmas morning of 1996. I saw Mario 64 for the first time on the new Nintendo 64 my brother and I had just unwrapped. I saw Mario in 3D for the first time ever... and it blew my mind. I asked my mom the following. "How did they do that? And, how can I do it, too?" The following year, my mom and dad put me in art school. The rest is history.

Fast forward to 3 weeks ago. 28 years old, graduated at 19 with a B.A. in Computer Animation.. 3 Triple A game titles under my belt, and a resume that could conquer Mt. Everest. BUT....

All I have ever wanted to do, was work for Booz Allen Hamilton... The name alone is house hold... Especially in my field, Booz Allen Hamilton on your resume means you can work anywhere. I've applied there 4 times and despite my impressive credentials for someone my age from NASA, to EA, to SAIC-- I've NEVER gotten a response... Until 3 weeks ago. I applied for a 3D Modeling position and about 2 to 3 weeks later... I get a response. I get the phone interview.. goes great... Then, I get an art test in my email... A test meant to test your creativity, knowledge and method of execution. I immediately feel intimidated. I start making excuses to myself as to why I couldn't do it.."Not enough time" "I'm not good enough" "Too many other applicants, why even try?"-- you name it, I tried it. I had only 5 days to complete it, all the while working my current 3D modeling job. Get this... I made excuses for THREE DAYS... Telling myself I shouldn't even try... Although I was still doing my current projects for my current job which were very time consuming). But then... the night of the 3rd day.. I couldn't stomach it anymore. The thought of... "What if????"... "What if I got it...?" occupied my mind more than any other thought. SO I got up at 5:50 AM.. Sat down at my computer, and spent 19 hours working on this 3D game model... start to finish, and turned it in..

I waited... The same day I turn in the art test, I get an email at 10:35 PM. "David, I just heard back from the Animation team, can you come in next week for an interview?" I have never slept with a smile on my face... But that night, I did. So, I go to the interview, aced it... and 3 days later they called with an offer $10k higher than my asking salary, as a Senior Consultant (Title: 3D Modeler). I start my dream job on 9/11/2017 with the most creative team of people I could ever imagine working with.

I'm posting this because I see a lot of VERY helpful info, but I rarely see "thank you" posts. I have been reading posts from this community for a LONG time... I have learned a lot here, and I swear to you all, the interview tips I got from this board helped me along the way more than I could put into words. Even the people who just comment... The tips, and wisdom I have gotten from Jobcase had a direct impact on my interviewing process with my last two jobs, including this one.

I thought it was only right to come back and say thank you. To all of you.

Sincerely, David M.

P.S. NEVER... EVER.. doubt yourself. No matter how high that climb may look-- you are stronger than you think, more talented than you can imagine. You'd be surprised how often you can prove yourself wrong in the face of doubt. Much love. Peace.