In 2022, I was sitting in my home in Brampton, Ontario, completely overwhelmed. I had just given birth to my fourth child. My toddler was two, and my two older boys needed me just as much. I was exhausted, buried under the weight of solo parenting, and terrified about our future.
The bank had just notified me that my monthly mortgage payment was about to increase. I was $18,000 deep in credit card debt. My monthly expenses were more than my income, and there was no backup plan. The father of my children had left the country, and I was raising four boys entirely on my own. I was stuck in a low-paying job that barely covered groceries, let alone daycare, diapers, or debt.
My life felt as if it were collapsing: emotionally, financially, and professionally.
But the thing about rock bottom is… it forces you to rebuild. And that’s exactly what I did.
From Senior Project Engineer to $20/Hour: Starting Over as a Newcomer in Canada
Before I migrated to Canada in 2018, I was a Senior Project Engineer with the Ministry of Housing in my home country. My career was on the rise. I had spent years managing large-scale infrastructure projects, leading teams, and earning a strong salary. I felt confident in my professional identity and had no problem starting over. I was ready to prove myself again — even if it meant beginning at the bottom.
I expected to work my way up, just like I had before. But I didn’t expect it to be so hard just to get my foot in the door.
Like many immigrant women trying to restart their careers in Canada, my qualifications didn’t seem to matter here. I applied to countless engineering and project management roles… jobs I was more than qualified for… only to be met with silence or the same subtle rejection: “You need Canadian experience.”
The silence chipped away at my confidence.
In 2019, I finally landed a job as a project coordinator with a small construction company, earning $20 an hour. I took it gratefully, not because it matched my experience, but because I needed to start somewhere.
I gave it my all. I stayed late, solved problems others ignored, and showed up with the same energy I brought to multimillion-dollar projects back home. After a year, my boss gave me a raise… one dollar.
I thanked him. But deep down, I knew I was still being seen as less than what I was worth. I had no issue starting from the bottom. I just needed a real chance to climb.
Dreams on Pause: Chasing Goals Without Support
In 2020, I was pregnant with my third child, working a low-paying job, and doing everything I could to keep my home running. I wasn’t parenting solo yet, but I felt deeply alone in my ambitions. I had dreams. Big ones. But I lacked the support to pursue them.
That year, I sat down and wrote a list of five goals I wanted to achieve within two years. At the top were: get my PEng and start my master’s degree. I knew those were the keys to unlocking a better career — and a better life for my children.
I took the first step. I applied to Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO), attended the interview, and was told I needed to pass the Law and Ethics exam and gain one year of Canadian engineering experience under a licensed P.Eng.
At eight months pregnant, I passed the Law and Ethics exam. I was proud. But I also felt stuck. I couldn’t move forward without that one year of Canadian experience — and those opportunities weren’t coming.
I was making just $28,000 a year. And even though I was pushing forward, I felt like I was running in place.
The Turning Point: No More Waiting
In 2021, I landed a new role with a mid-sized construction company as a Junior Project Manager, earning $25 an hour. It felt like a step in the right direction, more responsibility, a better title, a bit more income. I was hopeful.
But shortly after starting, I found out I was pregnant with my fourth child. That news hit differently. My relationship was coming to an end. I chose my peace and my children’s peace, over everything else.
I had always postponed my dreams: “When the kids are older.” “When we have more money.” “When things settle.” But the truth is, things never settle. Especially not for a single mother of four.
In 2022, with everything around me falling apart, I picked up that old list.
It was time.
Making the Leap: Saying Yes to Myself
I remembered the feedback I once received after applying to the City: “You need your PEng.” I knew if I wanted to change my life… for myself and for my boys, I had to invest in me.
I applied for a Master’s in Project Management. I stayed up late researching scholarships, sending applications into the void. Eventually, one came back as a yes: an 88% scholarship. I didn’t even have the remaining 12%, but I took out a small loan and said yes anyway.
I had turned down other opportunities in the past… a Chevening scholarship when my first son was a baby, and another scholarship in 2019. I always told myself, “Now isn’t the time.” But in 2022, I made a different choice. This time, I said yes to me.
The Breakthrough: A $100K Job and a Fresh Start
In 2024, I reapplied to the City, but this time, I had my master’s in progress and achieved my PEng. And this time, I got the job. A real project management role. A six-figure salary. Stability. Momentum. A future that finally felt like mine.
I had gone from making $28,000 a year to $100,000. What amazes me most isn’t that it happened… it’s that I finally believed I deserved it.
This wasn’t just a career change. It was a complete life shift.
I still have debt. I still have hard days. But now, I have something I didn’t before… belief in my own potential.
My children are watching their mother rebuild her life, piece by piece, step by step. They’re learning that it’s okay to start over. That it’s okay to fall apart, as long as you get back up. And that sometimes, saying yes to yourself is the most powerful thing you can do.
To Every Woman Rebuilding
If you’re in a hard season right now… if you’re drowning in bills, baby bottles, job rejections, or exhaustion, please believe me: You are not too late.
Write your list. Take one step. Say yes to yourself. I didn’t do it all at once. I didn’t do it perfectly, but I did it. And so can you.
Mom of Four Boys 
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