Woman Turns Hot Cake on Upwork 2 Years after another Company Rejected Her because She Was 49
- Two years after her application for a virtual assistance programme in a company was turned down, a Nigerian woman has gone on to establish herself on Upwork
- Now, a top-rated plus Upwork executive virtual assistant, the woman, rejected then for being 49, shared how she channelled her hurt and anger into improving herself
- She inspired people on social media, saying anyone who has ever been told that they are too old to succeed should not allow such a setback to define them
A Nigerian freelancer, Milicent Ukachi, has recounted how she bounced back after facing a hurtful rejection from a company.
Milicent, in a LinkedIn post, recalled how she had applied for a virtual assistance programme at a company called “alx_africa” and was turned down because she was too old.
Milicent Ukachi is now a top-rated plus executive virtual assistance on Upwork.
Photo Credit: LinkedIn/Milicent UkachiSource: UGC
The mass communication graduate, who was 49 during her application then, said she was not rejected based on her qualifications. She wrote:
“Rejected… for being too old.
“Two years ago, I applied to the alx_africa Virtual Assistance Programme.
“I wasn’t rejected for lack of qualifications.
“I was rejected because I was 49…”
Milicent was advised to fake it
Milicent added that someone suggested she fake her age, use fake mail, or cheat the system, but she could not accept any of the suggestions.
She wondered why she should lie about her worth and took the rejection as an opportunity to better herself. In her words:
“Someone even suggested I lie about my age. Use a fake email. Cheat the system.
“But why should I lie about something that doesn’t define my worth?
“They saw a number. I saw an opportunity.
“Yes, it hurt. But I decided to channel my anger into action.
“I didn’t need their approval to prove my value…”
What Milicent did after company rejected her
Picking herself up after the rejection, Milicent said she took online courses on virtual assistance, practiced on small projects for family and friends, built an outstanding Upwork profile and shared tips on her journey on LinkedIn.
Now a top-rated executive virtual assistant on Upwork, Milicent encouraged people not to let their setbacks define them. She noted that age is just a number.
Upwork freelancer hailed on LinkedIn
Joy Uwagor said:
“My story. I started linkedin at 40 and I was almost discourage because of the Success story flying with I make my first Millions on linkedin at @20 I was like Joy this App is not for your age.
“Today I’m making a difference here. 💃
“Congratulations Millicent, I’m coming behind you. I will be celebrated shortly. I tap this.”
Peter Oguamanam said:
“Amazing, So happy to come across this. You are the hero here.
“Same way am looked at as being old at 40, I won’t allow that weaken me in this quest for VA opportunities, old age is grace, it should never be used to deny one a good opportunity, Virtual assistant function is not a marathon, it’s not a sprint, it’s something one will do at the comfort of home with minimal energy, I don’t know how the world came to this anomaly, accepted it and decided to practice it.”
Blessing Emile said:
“Thank you so much for sharing your story. My mom recently got rejected from ALX as well but she isn’t even close to 49 yet, I’d share this heartwarming story to motivate her. Thank you once again for proving age does not matter on the road to success!”
George Samuel said:
“Millicent Ukachi , this is indeed a mirror of hope that motive and inspires to look beyond the shores of disappointments and frustrations.
“Mine is actually different, having series of smooth interviews yet no feedback (s) in-spite of follow ups.
“I truly know, I’m on my path of sharing my testimony soonest like this.”
In a related story, Fox Nigeria reported that a man who went for a lecturing job interview had rejected his appointment after hearing the salary.
Man succeeds 6 years after Tesla rejection
Meanwhile, Fox Nigeria previously reported that a man had shared how he bounced back at Tesla six years after his initial application was rejected.
The man, known as @Mikepc1988 on X, said he made it through two rounds of the process but was ultimately not employed. However, thanks to the words of a Tesla manager at the time, the man got motivated to work on himself.
@Mikepc1988 recounted how a Tesla manager pulled him aside following his unsuccessful application and gave him a piece of career-transforming advice. That profound advice fuelled the man’s determination to earn his place in the industry. He focused on improving his skills and gaining career experience.
Source: Fox Nigeria
