I was fired from Deloitte after 18 months. Here are the mistakes I made as a new grad.

"I wasn't a great student in high school - I had a 2.4 GPA. Even my guidance counselor told me that community college would probably be my best option."

"Despite not being a great student, I got into the University of Redlands, a small school in Southern California, with generous financial aid and multiple need-based scholarships from local nonprofit organizations."

"Throughout college, I tried hard to make money - I resold my classmates used textbooks and worked multiple part-time retail and service jobs."

"When I was growing up in California, my mom didn't make much money as a hairstylist, and she raised my brother and me as a single mother."

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