Shake it Off by Jennifer Poole
Written by Jennifer Poole, published on February 2, 2021
Let me tell you my story. Since I was a young girl, I have heard the words “just shake it off.” It’s a phrase I used quite frequently while raising my now 12 year old daughter. For every fall, scrape or bump I would quickly pick her up and say “its ok, let’s just shake it off.” She quickly learned this concept and kept running and playing all the while “shaking off every bump and bruise” along the way. One day, while brushing her fine baby hair as she sat on the bathroom counter, I had the most epic mom fail, as us moms call it. I accidently brushed her eye! So, before you start laughing, guess what she did next… she started trying to shake her eye and head! I did not say anything, honestly, I tried everything I could to avoid laughing at my small, sweet baby girl trying to quickly shake off the pain that I had just caused.
At that moment, I was approximately nine years into my career as a 911 telecommunicator for the county that I was raised in and my father worked for as well for over 16 years. This was my “career.” I started working at the center at the ripe old age of 21 years old and after the first year it became my passion and calling in life. Anyone that says in the first year of becoming a dispatcher they love their job is full of BS! Sorry guys… a rookie dispatcher does not love anything; they are trying to figure out sleep because they are on the worst shift, they are trying to cope with the way they are being treated and being there during the worst moments in peoples’ lives. We all have been there, and we know how it is. However, I am able to remember the exact moment I knew I would be in involved in the 911 world for the rest of my life, the day I took one of the “first” worst calls of my career, the three year old who had a very large TV fall on him. I can still hear the father pleading for CPR instructions 17 years later. At 21 years old, I was able to do a job that I was trained to do and do it well. That was the moment I also started to use my trained “shake it off” technique. Believe me it was not easy, but you don’t need me to tell you that. I shook it off and took the next call.
This became a pattern in the next 13 years of my 14-year career at the center. I shook off the calls, I shook off the misconduct of fellow dispatchers, I shook off the lack of sleep, and I shook off the PTSD (which we all have by the way). It was not until about four years ago that I realized what I was doing to myself in that dark center behind the position that I held. I was shift supervisor and the second most senior supervisor. I had witnessed ten dispatch manager changes in 14 years! YES, I said ten! (I just needed to make sure you heard that.) I took something away from all of them as they came and went rather quickly. One manager impactfully reminded us that we could be Walmart greeters if we didn’t like our jobs. Another manager was put into the position from another division and knew nothing about the dispatch profession (how many times have you guys seen that?). Finally, my last manager broke me. Breaking me turned out to be the best thing to happen to me. This manager is the one who made me see that “just shaking it off” was a bad idea. Prior to this new manager’s arrival, the manager position had opened for all to apply. There I sat as a floor supervisor doing manager’s role while the position I strived for sat vacant. I made the decision to do it. I would apply. After all, I wanted to change things for the better, come up in the ranks, it was my career! I applied and interviewed…. and they hired someone else. Someone who had never worked within the center. The new manager had a college degree and I did not. I had spent my time thinking this was it, this was my career as most of us do that don’t have a degree. Although I loved being a dispatcher and supervisor my, heart wanted to lead me to a position in which I could change the previous ten managers’ culture; make the center better. Not having a college degree does not mean we are not qualified to do this job. After not getting the position, I decided to have an open mind. This time would be different. Our new manager would make our center better. The APCO National Conference just happened to be taking place during my new manager’s first week of work. Because of this, I was able to attend the National Conference for the first time in my career. This was not the norm that we’re all used to, RIGHT?
Attending this conference changed my mindset. I met people just like me. People who were going through what I have in my career. From poor managers, to understaffing, you name it. I was able to talk and network with so many amazing individuals in this industry. (FYI that is my plug… go to conferences and events! Even virtual ones.) I returned to the center after the conference with a new light, passion, and outlook for my 911 career. I was excited about my career and this new boss that seemed to be “for the dispatchers.” Months went by and soon I realized I wanted to further my career in 911 even if it was not as a manager in my own center. Maybe I could be a manager at another center.
During that conference, I learned of a local NENA Bootcamp class that I so very much wanted to attend because I wanted to sit for the NENA ENP Certification. I was told by some of my amazing new 911 friends that this would help me learn and be able to pass the test. So, I walked into my managers office, sat down and asked if I could attend this training. The cost was approx. $600 total including lodging. I bet you all can guess what the manager said. The manager looked right at me and said that I did not need to go to the class to learn about call routing etc. because “you only needed to know who to call when it breaks.” The manager also followed that with something else that I will never forget, “If you want my job, you will have to get your degree.” Ladies and gentlemen, I will tell you this almost broke me. I tried to “shake it off” because I was knocked flat over. Not only did the manager tell me, no I could not go, I was told I would never manage a center without a college degree. Again, this resonated with me. Telling me this made feel so very small. I went home and cried. I went home and tried so hard to “shake it off.” Nothing was working. Then it dawned on me. I did not need the manager’s permission, nor did I need the center’s budget money to go! I went to the center a few days later, put in my PTO and paid for the class, hotel and all costs out of my own pocket. Yep, I invested $600 that would change my path in 911 forever. $600 on my salary at the time was everything. NENA Bootcamp lead me to so much more opportunity. We are more than that one position we fill for an 8-18hrs shift. We are men and women capable of doing anything we want! I always said if you can be a 911 dispatcher you can do anything. Now, here I sit three years later in an amazing 911 private sector career. I didn’t let a manager or the “shake it off” mindset deter me from doing what I dreamed of.
Now, I did not tell you all this about this manager so you would hate this manager. I don’t hate this person at all. In fact, I am utterly grateful for the “NO” they gave me. If it had not been for this manager, I might still be wondering what I was capable of instead of where and what I have become today -proud of where I am and who I am.
My hope for all of you is that you understand how amazing you are and how powerful you are! From telecommunicator to manager to private sector, everything you do is so important and never lose sight of that. Never let the “shake it off” concept keep you from succeeding in any path you chose. You truly are heroes, 911Wonder MEN and WOMEN! Never give up and never shake it off when it comes to being who you are meant to be. Lift each other always!
PS. I passed my ENP exam on January 27th!