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Carlos Granados Podcast
Welcome to the Carlos Granados Podcast. In this podcast, I will discuss my health journey, news, updates, and educational content surrounding my life, and anything and everything that I enjoy. This is my introduction to my new podcast through "Youtube Podcast". I decided to expand my horizons and let you into my life outside my health journey. You can watch clips and full videos in 4k on my YouTube channel "Carlos Granados".
Carlos Granados Podcast
Carlos Granados' Tale of Resilience, Dragon Ball Z Inspiration, and Academic Triumphs
Embarking on a transformative journey, I'll take you from the vibrant streets of El Salvador to the bustling campus of Georgia State University. This episode is a tapestry of perseverance, with every thread revealing the academic and emotional challenges surmounted on the path to graduation. Through my story, you'll feel the power of empathy and support that have lit my way, and I extend a special thanks to you, my subscribers, for joining me on this voyage of personal growth.
The heart of this narrative beats with the rhythm of Dragon Ball Z, a childhood sanctuary that Akira Toriyama unknowingly provided. As I recount the ways in which Goku and his comrades have inspired my academic quest, you'll see how fiction can fortify reality, especially when grappling with the rigors of a master's degree in the cutthroat world of economics. This episode isn't just about the struggles—it's a homage to the resilience that propels us beyond our limits.
Wrapping up, the episode crescendos with tales of forgiveness, resilience, and the triumphant moments that come with overcoming life's hurdles. Journey with me, Carlos Granados, as I share a story that's about far more than textbooks and theses; it's about transformation in the face of adversity, the spiritual solace that turns anger into peace, and the profound lessons that guide us to success. Together, we’ll explore how the echoes of our past shape the triumphs of our future, celebrating the milestones that define our shared human experience.
And you know what's my biggest frustration? I just mentioned that I've been going to school for so many years, since I was, you know, five, six starting from El Salvador, coming over here starting fifth grade, graduating high school, going through six years of undergrad because, I would see, school was harder for me than most people. And on top of that, I'm going to grad school and it's still hard for me, but I'm getting through and I'm getting it done. I'm in the last step of graduating and I need this class to pass. And you're the director. You can make a difference in my life right now or in what becomes of my life after this. I've gone through all of that and your ass doesn't even want to try to help me, like you don't want to. You know what? And I'm literally telling him this? I was like I can't believe it.
Speaker 1:What is going on my YouTube familiar? Welcome back to my channel and welcome back into another episode of the Carlos Granados podcast. And today, as you can see, I have no guests, it's just me. It's you and I together. But I figured that, even though I don't have a guest today, I still wanted to release an episode, because I figured I would take this time to at least with the podcast, to have story time so you guys can listen to a lot of stories that I have, things that I go through or things that have shaped me into what I am today, and now we'll discuss a couple things today. Actually that you guys, so you can kind of see what has made me and some of the things that I've become, and I'll explain that in a little bit, but before that I want to thank everybody who has subscribed to my YouTube channel to watch this content. You can always subscribe to my YouTube channel and watch it in 4K. Thank you for subscribing to my podcast on Apple Music, amazon Music and, I'm sorry, apple Music, apple Podcast, Amazon Music and Spotify. I always get those mixed up. I don't know why. I need to just actually practice that line, because I always get those confused. Regardless, I still want to say thank you to everybody who has shown love. Appreciate it. If you haven't subscribed, make sure you subscribe. Hit the notification so you can always get notified whenever I post videos, whenever I go live.
Speaker 1:So, alright, so I did want to touch on a couple things and also I wanted to make sure that when I made podcasts like these by myself. I wanted to touch on recent events, on news or things that I feel like are important in my life, just to talk about and discuss, and maybe you guys can hear my opinion on things right, because outside of my health issues, from my YouTube channel, I do have a life. Believe it or not, I do have a life, but recently I've been posting a lot of content, so hopefully you guys are enjoying it, because I've been grinding it for real. But today I wanted to discuss a couple things. First of all, I wanted to share with you my journey on grad school and something that happened to me, something that, to be honest, again, in some shape or form shaped me into what I am today and who I am today, and the story that I'm about to tell you is kind of wild. You can see it so many different ways, but I have my really strong opinion on this. I was talking to a friend about this situation and I was like you know what I'm going to share, that in my podcast and things like this I will be releasing on my podcast, because I figure it will be a time for just for me to talk, and that is something that I can do a lot of. But before we get right into it, I do want to pay my respects to someone who passed away over the past weekend and actually he passed away about two weeks ago, but the news was released several days after he passed and that is Akira Toriyama, and, as you can see, I'm wearing the Dragon Ball Z shirt to just show my respect, because he was someone who was valuable to me. He was the creator of Dragon Ball series, the anime.
Speaker 1:Now, before you even start rolling your eyes or shaking your head, just hear me out. All I ask is that you hear me out, and we're talking about shaping people right. We're talking about the things that made you, and the Dragon Ball series is something that has been part of my life since I can remember. Since I have a memory, the show, I think, was created in like the early 80s, if I'm not mistaken, going into the 90s, and eventually, you know, movies were released. I came back out in the around 2014-15, I think, with Dragon Ball Super.
Speaker 1:But why am I mentioning this? Why am I having time to think about this? For those of you guys that have watched Dragon Ball, by any chance or maybe where you were a kid or so, you will understand what I'm saying to some sense, but the reason I wanted to show my respect to Akira was because, I mean, dragon Ball plays such a big part in my life, from watching Goku when he was a kid and then becoming a young adult and then becoming, you know, the strongest warrior ever seen, of course, in the anime. The character development, by the way, in Dragon Ball it's crazy. I mean, the character development is amazing, man. The things that these warriors have gone through is just unbelievable. That in itself, it's like a beautiful show to watch regardless. But let me tell you why it means a lot to me.
Speaker 1:So when you were a kid, right, and I grew up, unfortunately, without a father, so I had father figures in my life, unfortunately, one of my uncles he passed away when I was 12. So he wasn't around very long and I have very few memories of him. So when you're a child, when you're a kid, and you watch TV and you know your mind is so vulnerable and you watch someone like Goku and to show what kind of father he was, to Gohan, right to Trunks and these are Goku songs, by the way Like he, it was an inspiration to what you wanted to become one day, right the savior of the world, like the protector that you should become as a man, right the warrior you should be, and when everything is going against you, the fighter you should be. And I sound passionate when I talk about this, but that's because, again, when you're a kid and you see the things, a lot of things can shape you in a different route. And when you just believe in some things, when you're a kid and you're watching things, you know you want it to become a super saying, you want it to become strong, you want it to be this, you want it to be that. It's a kid's mentality. But eventually, as you grow older, you start, you know, growing a little bit out of it. Well, some of those emotions and sentiments kind of never leave you because they either helped you go through a tough time, you know they either help you go through an emotional moment.
Speaker 1:Again, I didn't grow up without a father, so when I was watching Dragon Ball Z, goku was a father figure that I kind of looked up to, right. That showed me what a father figure should be like. And that's the reason, like the show hits a little bit deeper than it should and you guys are wondering oh, it's a show, dude. You know, this is real life. I get it, 100% get it, and I'm not trying to make this. You know character or you know Akira, something that you know more than they should be.
Speaker 1:But there's a lot of things in life that shape you, there's a lot of things that help you go through certain things and tough times in life, and this was just one of them. So I've always, you know, watched the show, even in now, in my late 20s and my early 30s. To me, it has a special place in my heart and when I got the news that he had passed away, it really hurt me and I I never cried for celebrities, celebrities or like famous people. It's rare that I do, if I ever do. I don't remember the last time I ever did, to be honest, but this one hit home, this one hit hard because it had way too much sentimental value and what it did as a kid and carrying on into life is just you know, it just hits me a little bit different and I won't lie to you, I legit cried and I felt really, really bad because someone important that created a show that was important to my life had passed, and I mean even you guys must have seen, you know the news. Everybody. I mean soccer teams to ABC News, I believe, and celebrities all over the world. This is how big this show was. This is how big, not did it not only shape myself, but people that now you look up to. They watched this show, right, they saw you know Dragon Ball and they acknowledge how important this was for their upbringing, just like myself, right.
Speaker 1:And one of the things I can, I can, always think of that helps me get through things. When Goku's going through struggles, right, when he's losing a battle or you know he's about to die, and then I compare myself in a similar aspect, when I'm going through my health struggles, when I'm going through a lot of issues and I'm going through episodes where I feel like I'm about to die, what is it that you think about? Family, your friends, what gives you strength? Family, strength, hope. Literally, that's in the show. It shows so many times what Goku was always fighting for Family, friends, hope, just being fighting evil, right, and as a human, you can relate a little bit to that because you're also fighting fights.
Speaker 1:Obviously, that it's real life, but it holds weight and sometimes there's not a lot of things that you can grasp onto. Of course, I'm a believer, right, and I believe in God and he's he's my Lord and Savior and you hold on to that. But then there's other things that can still help you, like your family, your friends, hope. I go back into times. I watched the show and I'm like nah Goku. He got out of it, he did something that and I'm like I gotta have a warrior mentality, right. Obviously, I'm not a warrior in the show, but I'm a warrior in life, right. I'm God's warrior now and I'm a fighter and I'm a continue fighting until whatever takes me down takes me down. But the just the hope that it gives you is very meaningful. If you grasp the right things from any show, right, and this can apply to anything. I mean, maybe some of you guys watch shows, movies. Whatever the case may be, you know when it turns to reality.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of things that you can grasp from certain, things that can keep you fighting, that can motivate you. When I work out, I listen to the music that played in the Dragon Ball series, right, and that itself keeps me healthier, because I'm working out or I'm walking or I'm running just motivates you. It motivates you a little bit, even though it's an anime. I mean it comes from an anime but little things like that throughout my life played a big role, just to give you some examples. You know, and it was just very sentimental because my cousins watched it, my friends watched it. We could always relate to it. I was always buying shirts. I was always I mean the background, my computer screen. You have guys have seen this on my YouTube videos.
Speaker 1:It's Trunks, which is part of the Dragon Ball Z anime. It's literally the screensaver is Trunks. When you open up it's Trunks turning to Super Saiyan, and it's just beautiful, you know, like the image is so fire. So I mean you name it right, and I fell in love with the show again, even after the Dragon Ball Super was released. Well, I tell you all of that just to show respects to someone that again, they played a lot of big factor in my life Over the weekend.
Speaker 1:I feel very emotional and I guess I will let you guys in into some of the things that you know I watch or I see or things that motivate me in my life, because I am going through a lot of things in my life, right, that I'm battling outside of just living life, just like many of you guys are right, whether it's physical, whether it's mental, whether it's spiritual, there's other things that can help you go through a lot of things and in this situation, this is something that just affected me differently. And, you know, I just thank him for the memories that I was able to build as a kid, that you don't forget, you know, and the things that, because of the show, throughout my life, just gave me hope, right, that just made me want to fight a little bit harder, that made me want to push a little bit more. So I'm thankful for Akira and everything he did. So rest in peace, akira Toriyama, for everything you did, and there's not enough, I can say, for what you did to a lot of people and out of community, you know, you helped build a lot of men, you know, to become fighters, to become providers, to become just a better man through your show. Believe it or not, whether you think it's ridiculous or not, it did, it just did, and that's all I can say. So rest in peace. So now let's get a little bit less emotional, but still just as emotional, because I wanted to share something that I had experienced, and I experienced going through grad school and this story is very it holds a lot of sentimental value because of a person that you know didn't give me a chance when I was in grad school and I was I think I believe it was a director of, I think the economics department.
Speaker 1:So, as some of you guys know, I graduated from Georgia State University with my master's degree in economics. And look, listen, I'm gonna be honest with you, school has never been my strong suit. School has always been tough for me. I mean, I didn't learn how to really study until I was at the end of my undergrad, like literally my last year. I had to literally learn how to study because typically, when I was in high school, I was smart enough to pass the classes with A, b's and some C's, I was good, you know, I didn't need to study. I didn't learn how to study right, I was concentrating on other things like sports or something you know, and that bit me in the butt later on in the future. Well, when I got, when I got, when I was in undergrad and I graduated with my degree in economics, I remember that it was really hard to find a job just with a degree in economics and, plus, I didn't have a lot of experience on my field, so it was just really hard.
Speaker 1:So what I decided to do was apply to get my master's degree, and let me tell you my whole story, because this whole story is a build up. It's a build up to, you know, applying to my master's degree and graduated, so I decided that I would take a shot to apply into my master's degree in economics, and I did, but at the time when I was applying, I think you needed the GRE. In order for you to get into a master's degree, you need to get into a master's program. What I didn't know, though, was that, if it was that, since I'm an alumni at Georgia State and I decided to go to grad school at Georgia State, I don't need to take the GRE, and I didn't know that until later. I took the GRE twice, and one time I literally left the GRE. I was like I'm not going to be able to do this. This is not for me, so let's look at another route in life. That's not grad school. So I had already started my application to grad school, and I submitted all my documents, and I was missing one letter of recommendation, and that letter I never got because my professor went out of the country, I believe over the summer. So I wasn't over the summer or over some time, I don't remember exactly when. But she didn't give me the recommendation later on time.
Speaker 1:So Georgia State calls me. He's like hey, Carlos Sal, you're interested in applying to the program? Are you still interested? Because we're accepting applicants. And I'm like listen, I am, but let me be honest with you.
Speaker 1:I took the GRE and it was just not for me. The first one I didn't do too well, and then the second one, I just couldn't take a four or five hour exam. It was just too much for me. And on top of that, I don't have the third letter that I need. Well, the first thing they said was you don't need the GRE because you are a Georgia State alumni. So we I think they looked past that and I'm like wait, are you serious? I'm like are you for real? They're like yeah, we don't. We don't need that. You know you can still get accepted into the program. And I'm like okay, cool. Well, what about the letter? And she's like well, we can take two. If you submit two and not three, that's still okay, you can take two. So I'm like, oh my God. I was like, okay, here we go, here we go. You know, I was like, okay, let's submit the letter.
Speaker 1:So I ended up submitting the letters and I think it was around maybe September, october, and I got the news on Thanksgiving of 2017. And the news that I got accepted into my master's program and I was really, really excited because the master's program, the economics master's program, was ranked in the nation, right. So I figured I had a second chance at making up what I didn't do well in my undergrad, right. The undergrad was for my family, especially for my mom. I wanted to give her that diploma and just make her proud that you know, your son went to school when he graduated. To us, that was just important to her. That was important.
Speaker 1:But for me now, the grad school, the master's, was for me, right, and I'm going to ball out. I'm going to go into the master's program and try to do my best to get good grades and get a great job. Well, this is where the story begins and this is where it starts, right. So, luckily for me, I found really great friends and shout out to everybody who had played a major part in my master's degree program because we stuck together. So the program is two years, two years. I told you, like I mentioned earlier, it was a ranked program, so you know it's a pretty difficult program. I wanted to get different concentrations, so right now I have a master's degree in economics, with concentrations in quantitative methods, international economics and public finance. So there's, you know, three of them, but the main one that I focused on was, you know, quantitative methods, because I wanted to become an analyst. So the program was two years and I literally have.
Speaker 1:We made a plan with the friends that I met through grad school that we could graduate in a year and a half, and it's not even a year and a half, it's not even 18 months. It would have been 16 months because we would have taken, you know, three classes, which, by the way, I had no idea that full-time in grad school are three classes and not four. From my experience, full-time has always been four, not three, but in grad school it was three. So we took three, one semester, two over the summer, three, the other semester, and then you know, the other three, the other semester. So it would have been 16 months, and that is something that I would have been so proud of myself, like you know, from barely graduating undergrad to now focusing on graduating with my master's in 16 months. So I'm on my way.
Speaker 1:You know, the first year passes. You know, the first semester I did well, I did, actually, I did average. And then my second semester, I did I mean, over the summer semester, I did well and then after that I did even better. So my GP at this point is like a 3.3, 3.0 something. So I'm on, you know, not the greatest. Again, school is not my thing, man, but I'm making it through.
Speaker 1:And my last semester I get the internship with the CDC. So you know, like you know, this is pre-pandemic. So I'm like excited to have a great internship, you know, working for the government, making my network and connections, and I'm like bro, it's adding up, it's lining up, and unfortunately, my health issues hit me really bad in the spring semester of 2019. So from January to like May, I mean I was literally the niece of an application was killing me, like I was not able to sleep more than four hours, I was not able to eat anything. I was going through such a struggle that it was so hard for me to walk from the parking lot to my class, which was like two blocks away, because if I were to walk from the parking lot to my class, my heart rate will reach like 120, 130, and it will stay like that for about an hour. Reasons I still don't know why I the conclusion that I come was be, come up, came up with was that my niece of a application, which is a surgery that I had for for for my stomach was failing and it was failing really bad and it was affecting my heart rate, which was, you know, crazy.
Speaker 1:So at this point in life, it just it gets worse, it gets worse and it gets worse, you know, and, like I said, to the point where I couldn't even walk to class. There was a time where, for two blocks, I had to take an Uber from the parking to my classroom. And you're wondering, bro, what that's crazy. Everything is just as crazy as it sounds. I was not able to walk from my parking lot to class. It was not anxiety, it was not me over thinking, it was my actual. I was not able to walk a couple blocks with my backpack on because that's the weight right my back, but it was, you know, had a little bit of weight. My body would feel that and then my heart will start raising and everything was just hurting me to to its core, like it was just affecting me. And naturally it affected me in class.
Speaker 1:One of the classes that I was taking was econometrics, and I was the second semester econometrics that I needed to finish to get my, my concentration in quantitative methods. So throughout the semester sometimes I would miss class, sometimes I would, I would literally go to class and I would be there in time, but because my heart was like 130 140, I was outside waiting for it to go down, because then I got anxious. I'm like what if I'm in class and I have to leave? I can't be in class right now, with my heart rate this high, I mean I won't be able to concentrate when I'm concentrating is on my heart rate. So I'm going through it, man Like, at this point I'm thinking I've worked so hard to make myself proud, to make my family proud, to graduating in, you know, 16 months with a in the rank master's degree program.
Speaker 1:You know, with the help of my friends, because they know that I had to work extra hard and they had to help me a little bit more, which I'm always thankful for I had to do. I had to go through all of that. And now this class, I'm bombing it. You know, if I, if I don't get above a 3.0, you don't graduate with a in grad school I already had that, you know, I was good If I just get a B in this class, I'm chilling, I'm graduating.
Speaker 1:Move on to the next step and at the time I had met someone at the CDC that you know it's really near and dear to my heart, who helped me, you know, get connected, helped me apply to get a job now at the CDC, which I work now, which is, you know, I'm giving you the run down things. So I I'm like I basically had almost, I wouldn't say a job secure, but I had really good connections that I, once I got my master's degree, I would have been helped getting into the government, right with the process and everything. So I basically have it made. You know this is what I worked for. This is again the stars are lining up, the universe is just lining up and because of that, you know, I don't do well in one of my classes. So this is where the thing where this is where things get really emotional and to this day I still don't understand what happened.
Speaker 1:I end up going to my professor, so who at the time, I believe, was the head of the economics department? He was. He was somebody above, like you know, who was just I don't know what to call him, but I believe he was a director of, like the. He was overseeing the economics department. So I go to him and of course I noticed that I think I have a D in the class or something like that, and that's not good enough for me to graduate. Like I won't be able to pass this class. I passed my class, which was my internship, which it was considered a class and the second class that I had. I did pretty well on it. So I'm literally set to graduate, you know, accomplish all my goals.
Speaker 1:And I go up to him and I'm like look, I came to talk to you because I came to be honest with you, I'm not doing well in this class and I know that I need this class to pass because I can't get another C. I couldn't pass it with a C. I had already gotten one C my first semester. So you can't get two C's in grad school, right? They will not accept that. At least where I went. They were not accepting that. So I'm like I'm going to need a B.
Speaker 1:I was like, is there anything that I can do to to take another test, to do extra assignments, extra homework, I mean anything so I can pass this class? And he was just like nope, you can't, there's nothing you can do. Keep in mind I don't know if the like this plays a factor, but it was hard to even communication, because I don't think he spoke like his English was good but it was not like Americanized English. I know my English is not perfect either, but you can tell that he had, you know, a deep, deep accent. I don't know where he's from and I really don't care, but you know, even communication, I feel like, was a little bit hard. So I'm like I was like, why not? I mean I can, I have proof that I have gone to hospitals and at the time I was going through hospitals, in and out through hospitals, I mean I think I had gone to the doctor and maybe urgent cares, about 10 times in a span of, I don't know, three, three, four months, maybe even more than that, to be honest with you.
Speaker 1:So I'm going through it, literally going through it, and I tell him, like I have proof, like I have proof that I'm not lying to you, like this is me being honest and I want to show you that. Like, can we work out anything? Right? I'm not asking for you to just raise my grade, I want to work for my grade. And this is my last step. And he says no, he can't do it.
Speaker 1:So at this point, frustration kicks in. I know what's at stake. I start getting emotional, I start crying, but I was crying not for him to feel sorry for me, but I was crying out of frustration, anger. Why is he not understanding? And this just hurt me.
Speaker 1:So I said to him I was like I was like man, I was like Professor, I was like we go through school, you know, since we're kids and I'm in a master's program and this is literally the end. Like I'm not going to get my PhD, this is the end of my educational career. Right, if in the future, I decide to go back to school, so be it. But right now, at this moment, this is the end, this is the start of, this is the end of one chapter that I've been. You know, that has been years, decades, and now I'm trying to move on to my career and I've worked so hard to get to this point and I can show you proof that I'm sick and that I haven't been going in and out of fucking hospitals and urgent care and freaking doctors, and that's not.
Speaker 1:It's so frustrating because I don't have control over this and I'm being honest with you. I need you to work, I need you to work with me, I need you to be, I need you to help me out. I'm not asking for a pass, but I'm giving. I'm justifying everything that I'm saying. I'm coming to you and letting you know what's going on. Maybe my mistake was not coming to you earlier and showing you what I've been going through, but at this point in time, what it would have made a difference. You know when he's not even considering the option of can I do anything else for this kid right.
Speaker 1:And you know what's my biggest frustration. I just mentioned that I've been going to school for so many years, since I was, you know, five, six starting from El Salvador, coming over here, starting fifth grade, graduating high school, going through six years of undergrad because I was in school was harder for me than most people. And on top of that, I'm going to grad school and it's still hard for me, but I'm getting through and I'm getting it done. I'm in the last step of graduating and I need this class of pass and you're the director. You can make a difference in my life right now or in what becomes in my life after this. I've gone through all of that and your ass doesn't even want to try to help me, like you don't want to. You don't want to and I'm so I'm literally telling him this. I was like I can't believe it. I yours. You promote edgy, edgy, fucking Cation, and I'm frustrated right now because I'm. My emotions are coming back. I apologize. You promote education and you're telling me, you're telling us, that you want us to succeed. This is a rank master's program and the moment that a student needs help for you to help him succeed, you don't do shit about that. No, family.
Speaker 1:I could not understand why this man was being so negligent on trying to help me or at least do anything for me. I don't know if he believed that I was just lying, but I told them. I have proof. If he would just to take a step and said I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt, right, if everything you're saying to me is true, I would give you a chance. Why not? Why not take that step? Why not say, or try, like I mentioned, you're, you're a school, you're a university, your goal is to help us out. I'm literally I also even told them I have a job lined up coming after this. If I graduate, everything that I've worked for is accomplished right, like I start working for the federal government, I'm going to have a, you know, a really good career and I literally went to school to get to this point and you're telling me that just a no, there's no help, there's nothing you can do about it, so I can graduate and start my career. Bro, that was so hurtful, that hurt. There's a few things that have hurt me so bad, like this conversation that I had with this professor hurt me and I just couldn't understand and at the end of the day, I made all my points and he still decided not to give me a chance.
Speaker 1:To be honest, for some time this was before I got saved I had a lot of. I had a lot of hatred, or at least a lot of, I would say I had some hate for the guy I I, because I didn't understand, because you know I was suffering from something that I couldn't control. You're, you're not giving me a second chance at anything and you know all this bullshit that you're talking about education, you know for a school and for you not to do anything about it. When I have everything lined up, it just hurt me a lot, but eventually I, I forgave them in my heart. You know, I got saved and I started understanding that I needed to have grace and I needed to be forgiven and I asked the Lord. I said Lord, remove this, these feelings that I have for this man. Remove whatever anger, hate or feeling of just not understanding. Remove that from my heart and replace that with peace. Because whatever you did or let happen or did not let happen, I mean this man, just he affected me in a type of way that is just, you know, very hurtful and I need to forgive him, whether he was wrong or right. I just need to forgive him and I did and my emotions are there, but I do not, you know, hate this man. I, I have no hard feelings. I hope he's doing well, you know. I hope you know he's still alive, because he was an older gentleman. And this is not even the irony of all this, it gets better. Oh wait, there is more.
Speaker 1:So Graduation time comes up. Remember, for graduation, you have to apply early, probably around like February or March. So my name is in the graduations list. I'm literally due to walk on in May of 2019 and I go through the motion. Right, because, regardless of whatever I did, I was walking because I thought that I could have graduated in the summer or Going into the fall. So everything come, you know, the day comes of graduation. I'm meeting with my friends. Of course, I have that a huge uncertainty. And when I'm due, when I hear my name, you know Carlos Granados, and I'm walking on the stage.
Speaker 1:Guess, who is putting the, the toss on me? What's that called? The little? I don't know what the hell it is that you wear? The cat, the gown, I'm assuming, the gown or something like that, that you wear for masters. You know, the masters degree has a certain type of gown, and then PhD have a certain like a separate one, and stuff Guess who's it?
Speaker 1:Shake hand, I have to shake when you walk down For to get your degree, the same professor. And this is how. This is what I'm telling you. This is like the head of the department typically does that right. Whoever is in charge, he's the one that's gonna, you know, congratulate you. So they, he puts that on me and I look right into his face and he just sees me and and, to be honest, I don't know what to believe.
Speaker 1:Like at this point, I'm going through the motion, I shake his hand. You know, at the moment you can't help but feel some type of happiness, but in the back of my mind I'm like I just can't believe it. Like I can't believe it's so fake. You're shaking my hand. You know I'm not graduating and I'm walking down and I'm just like I can't believe this, I cannot believe this. So I walk down, shake who's ever hand I had to shake, and you know I'm happy at that point I am happy Because, even though I'm I will not be getting my diploma, I did accomplish something, you know, up to that point, and Regardless I will still be able to graduate in time because, remember, I'm graduating quote-unquote early up to this point, and he took that away from me, you know. So After the ceremony I go to the restroom and guess who's in the restroom? This, the same professor, right? I see him again and I do, and at that point. I'm just like you know how's it going, how you doing, and he's like good, how are you? I'm like I'm good. Now, that's all. We had that small talk we had. I didn't know what else to say because I have spoken my heart out to him and it was just very unfortunate. So I Never saw him again. I never saw that guy again. Afterwards, of course, I graduated.
Speaker 1:I still continue to take my classes. Things got complicated and I guess I'll get into that a little bit, but Over the summer my health issues got even worse. I mean, it was just bad. I felt, like you know the needs of a location at this point, that GERD surgery was killing me. So I Started taking a class that would replace the class that I was taking over the spring and then I would be able to graduate by by July or August, right, and Unfortunately my health was not good enough. So now I have to drop that class because again, remember, I'm going through the summer and I'm still paying for Ubers to walk down you know, to go down, what's it called? Because I can't walk right. So I'm having to pay an uber to take me two blocks down to my class and and during class I'm anxious because now my anxiety is now my anxiety has kicked in. My health issues are bad, I'm not able to sleep. Well, I'm taking this class that is a replacement class and I don't know what's going on, because I needed prerequisites but I'm not, you know, even taking them because I'm trying to graduate. So I have my links procedure over the summer and then I end up getting.
Speaker 1:I had to take my another class Over the fall of 2019. So Because I didn't do well on my Over the summer, now I had to take two more classes to replace the class for the kind of Mextures class. It was a second class. That class is only given during the spring. The first one is on the fall and the second one is in the spring. So, because I didn't do past the second one, if I needed to retake that class and for me to graduate I would have to wait a whole year. So it would have taken me two years and a half to graduate.
Speaker 1:And I Did all the talking. I went and talked to everybody that I could. What's the best way? So I had I can avoid the one-year Timeline that I have left. I was now, you know, I went from graduating in the year and a half to now, graduating in two years and a half like homie, what? And now the job you know at the federal government now could probably be faded away at this point. It's probably gonna walk, you know it. It's, it's gone and I'm just like I can't believe this, you know.
Speaker 1:So I throw a Hail Mary at my professor because they told me that the only way that I can take a second course To replace the other class was For your professor to let me in the class. And I'm like what? I didn't know that professors had that type of power to that point where they all they can allow To a kid or a student into their classroom. If they believe that, you know they can be eligible. Or you know that he's trying to replace a class, but for this class, since it was a math class, not any kind of metrics class anymore, it was a math class I would have to replace it and then I will have to take prerequisites. But I See I didn't have those. So I Sound I send the biggest Hail Mary to this professor. I mean, this was my last option, my last option, guys.
Speaker 1:I Sent the biggest Hail Mary and I typed this email. Hey, I give her the rundown. You know this is, you know, the only class that I need. I would, I'm gonna do whatever it takes for me to do well in this class, to get A B in this class. You know whatever it takes to do and and because of the other class, with my GPA one below our 3.0, so I have no choice but to get a good grade in this class so my GPA can go above a 3.0 Even if I finish this class. It doesn't matter if I don't have above a 3.0. So I'm in, you know, I'm just in in the mix, man, and I tell her what happened and I tell her what's going on and I'm thinking she's gonna be like no another, no, you know. But I get a email afterwards and she's like sure you can go in. So I'm like, oh my god, like she let me into the class. So now, instead of waiting a year to graduate, I would just have to wait.
Speaker 1:Take this and you know, the the fall semester, and technically I could still graduate on time because it will be. It would have completed the two years of my master's program, which is the program was two years anyways, but it extended, you know, obviously like eight more months because of it, because of everything that I'm telling you now. So she agrees to let me in her course and you know, eventually, that you know, long story short, I ended up passing her course with like a B, b plus or something like that. And then I took another course just in case that I knew would be from like a easier professor that I knew that I'll be getting an A in and that was gonna help me average my GPA to to to a higher average. And it played exactly how I thought it would. I got the B in the class or B plus, which was not enough for me to get above a 3.0, but the A that I got in the second class made it like above a 3.0 1, 3.0, 2, 3.0, something like that. And I ended up graduating with my master's degree In economics.
Speaker 1:And luckily for me, I still had the connections Throughout this whole time, these eight months, from the CDC, because I did work hard when I was there. I showed that I could be a good employee. Right, I was doing sometimes a better job than some of the guys that were hired there. To be honest, because you know, as someone whose first-generation Graduating has gone to college. Bro, anything you throw at me, anything you give me, I'm gonna succeed and even do better than anyone who's probably there. That's just my mentality, man, I Don't care who it is. I will outwork you because that's something that I can control. I will bust my ass to make sure that I get noticed, that I I'm given a chance. You know what I mean. And that's exactly what happened. I showed my worth, I showed my work, I made my connections and Thank God that eventually, four months later, I ended up working, started working for the federal government, and to this day I'm still here, you know, working, and I'm blessed.
Speaker 1:You know what the biggest blessing was? I don't know, I can't, I don't know how this worked out, but I think this was God's plan for sure. And the reason I say that is because the pandemic started when I started working for the federal government and we. They stayed, they decided to keep us from home. I was like really anxious about going to meet my coworkers, going to the, to the workforce, and you know, having this job, I had just gotten out of my surgery couple months, like several months ago. I'm still like recovering and going through a lot of stuff Just to build my health a little bit better for me to be able to even work and perform right, because I did want to perform. And at this point they told us that we're gonna work from home and I'm like, oh my god, like for someone who's been so sick and it was going through all these anxious issues and depression and whatever, bro, I work from home. I'm like, are you kidding me? This is how crazy. Working from home is probably one of the biggest blessings I've ever received, but not just because you to work from home. But Listen to me, I worked when I was in college.
Speaker 1:I and I was healthy. I used to work my stepdad's over the summers. I used to put in 70 80 hours in a Week, a week. I Working in the painting industry working, and I was making 10 bucks an hour. Ten I used to wake up at five thirty in the morning, meet at the shop which everybody gets together and they send us out to the job sites. We probably leave there about seven o'clock, start work at eight. By the way, you don't start getting paid until you get to the job site, right? So after I woke up two and a hours later, then I started getting paid at. You know I started eight and then I will get out whenever the job was finished or whenever we advanced on the job. That was big. Typically that would be like twelve o'clock, eleven o'clock.
Speaker 1:There was some points where we got back to the shop around three, four am and I was like what's the point of going home If I'm going to sleep an hour. I'm just going to stay away in the shop and I would stay in the shop, sleep for an hour and start the next work day. That's the shit I had to go through when I was in college. That's why I'm motivated to do things in life now that are much easier. So you're telling me I was working seventy, eighty hour weeks and now I'm waking up and rolling over and making, you know, three times.
Speaker 1:At that point I started making I think fifty, five thousand dollars an hour when I started working for the federal government, right, and you're telling me I have to roll over my bed fifteen minutes before and I just log in and start working. And as soon as I start logging in is when I start making money. You know, I don't even log in. By the way, we don't log in. We don't do clock in, clock out. That's not how it works. We're professionals, right, you got to take accountability for what you do. You're professional. So we don't do the clock in, clock out. You know BS, but you know you got to complete your work, you got to do what you have to do. And you're telling me I'm working from home. Now, what I can work I can eat at home. I don't have to spend money, I don't have to spend gas money, I don't have to wake up an hour earlier so I can shower, change and, you know, drive to my job, spend money on gas, spend money on food. You kidding me Like that was such a big bl-, especially for my health.
Speaker 1:You know what about when, nights, when I didn't sleep too well, could I still do my job working from home? Hell, yeah, come on. You know, praise God man, praise the Lord. So that was one of the biggest blessings and the way that played out. It just seems like, you know, God had control over a lot of things over that time, even graduating. You know, eight months later, after I had this conversation with this guy you know the head of the economics department, regardless. You know, even then afterwards, everything seemed to play it out pretty well.
Speaker 1:And now I sit here talking to you guys and, just like I started my story with the Goku and the Dragon Ball Z and the, you know freaking just the motivation, the hope, right, the work ethic itself. You know the good things that you get from shows like that and combining it with what I'm telling you now. It's just part of the process, you know what I mean. It just played out in a great way and I feel like talking about just what made you. This is part of it, right, my childhood, coming back into you know, real life and facing other things that I needed to face and what made me and this is one of them. And now I sit here talking to you guys, having a podcast, being able to buy podcast things, work on my channel, work from home, being able to provide for myself. And now I sit here with you guys making over six figures working from home. You know making five times, almost six times an hour. What I was making as a painter when I was, you know, working 70 hours.
Speaker 1:And this is not to show off or to try to make my hide myself up for no reason, but part of this podcast is just trying to share with you guys what made me. Why am I the way I am now? The things that I told you today play a big role in my life, right, regardless of which way you see it, and the reason why I'm able to produce content to you guys, right, was because of all of it combined. I let you in into my life on things that I had to go through with my sickness. A lot of you guys wonder, carlos man, like how do you go through this? How do you have all this motivation? How do you keep fighting in life?
Speaker 1:When I was a kid, there was things implanted through a kid's show that still drives me to this day and it built on into my adulthood and into my life. And now I carry that, and I carry sentiments like that of a fighter, of a warrior, but now I'm God's warrior, you know. I don't forget that. I don't ever forget that I'm fighting for my family, my friends, right? I've always said this Do not let your circumstances define the rest of your life, and it's just part of the process and it's part of something that I'm letting you in.
Speaker 1:So if you stuck around up to this point today, you found out a little bit more of what makes me, what drives me, the things that I had to go through to get to this point, why I'm so grateful to be at this point and just blessed to be able to share my story. And I continue to suffer from a lot of things, guys, and things, to be honest, seem to be getting even worse if you've been updating with my videos. But all I can do is taking a day to time and control the controllables and you know I can't control the uncontrollables, but I can let God control those and what I continue to do is try to work on my health as much as I can in my life and Leave it up to him, you know. But today I hope you guys found a little bit more of what made me and why I am the way I am the way I am Right, everybody has a little bit of that. I'm lucky enough to have a platform to be able to share, and it's not easy, right, it's not easy to go through all of this, but I did want to share that experience with you guys.
Speaker 1:Again, to this day, I still don't understand why, you know, this professor or the head of the department never gave me that second chance and you know, I'm a point in the life where, regardless of it, I'm still blessed because it helped me become what I am today. Right, it helped me to remember that I can my second chances and third chances and fourth chances that I take I'm blessed to have, and because of that I fight even harder to become a better person in life, to become even better in my career, to keep hustling and busting my ass, because I don't want that to ever get taken away from again. You know, and it's something that again that has shaped me. So I might name the pocket and the nameless podcast, something along the lines of what made me, or story time or something, but I felt like it was just an important message and let you guys in again.
Speaker 1:When I don't have anybody, I'm hosting anybody. I would love to discuss recent events or recent news that have happened, to stay relevant, of course, with the content, but also to let you more into my life. I think that's also important, especially for the people that have been following me. A lot of you guys have been wanting to know more about me because a lot of things seem so superficial. Right, all my health issues, but you look great. You know all my health issues, but you look like you're doing good, like how do you are able to afford all of this? You know how did you the work school, all this life? But it's because you know this.
Speaker 1:What I just shared with you guys today was part of my story and a lot of you guys probably have never heard of this. How close I was not to being who I am and I'm not saying school made me or, you know, my career defines me. That's not the case. But I am allowed to do a lot of things today and share with you guys a lot because of the income that that produces in my life right Of, because of what I'm able to do economically, because of what that job that I have now and I'm blessed to have. So how ended up that to be if I got into it even more?
Speaker 1:It's a longer story, but hopefully you guys are able to appreciate this podcast today and I thank you guys for watching. Thank you guys for all the love. Thank you guys for always showing me a lot of love and I hope that my vulnerability, that my story, can help motivate a lot of you guys, because I'm telling you, man, you guys are going through a lot of things and I get it, Whatever it is in life, family, health, physical, mental, spiritual, you name it. We all have a story, we all do, and a lot of things might seem superficial to a lot of you guys, but you know it's a whole process. It's a whole process and hopefully you guys learn something new today from me and I will keep making the podcast episodes and, especially when I don't host anybody, to share more stories with you guys.
Speaker 1:This one was a little bit more sentimental and more deep, but eventually I want to share funny stories that I've had in my past. I have so many stories to tell you guys, but definitely I want to save those so I can, you know, just keep creating content for you guys and then stay on top of, like the news and what's going on, stay relevant in my content. So thank you guys for watching my episode today or listening in and all the platforms. I appreciate it. Don't forget to like, comment, subscribe to the channel and thank you guys for the love. I'll see you guys next time. As always, take it easy. Peace and love, amelia.