My Dream Career!

By Regina Cordero

Photos by Antone Photography

If I knew what I know now, I would have started this career a lot sooner. Call me lazy, but ever since I got out of the service I was always looking for a job that was lucrative yet allotted enough free time to enjoy life. I'm sure everyone wants that. Getting out of the Navy was an adjustment. I was set financially because the G.I. Bill paid me to go to school and I got out with some VA benefits.

Living in downtown San Diego got expensive. So while going to school full time, I decided to work part time for The Free Ride San Diego. It was such a chill job and I had friends driving for them. It was funded by advertisements on the side of golf carts. We gave locals and tourists rides throughout Downtown and Little Italy. At the time, 2016, $15 an hour wasn't bad. I worked two days a week and I loved it. Not long into working, the chill side of the job disappeared and like many companies, they went corporate and began imposing quotas and micromanagement onto us. It was now my senior year and I had a stressful work load in school, so I decided to take a break from work.

The following year COVID hit. This put much into perspective. San Diego was no longer the fun, carefree place to be and I was getting homesick. I decided it was time to make the move back home to Florida so I could be with family, own property, and settle down.

I had graduated with a BA in Graphic Design from SDSU, and as as soon as I moved back home I landed a gig doing graphic design for a digital marketing agency in Daytona Beach. This was short lived. I lacked the experience they needed, being a fresh graduate, and training me wasn't in their budget anymore. I was crushed and didn't know what to do anymore. I felt lost.

A friend suggested I do what his friend did, notary work within the real estate industry. I asked her and she said she loved what she did. So I got my license as a notary and started out doing real estate closings. This was lucrative until it came to a dead stand still. There were no longer lucrative offers coming in. The interest rate hike had ruined my side of the industry.

I had just found out I was pregnant and thought to myself, "I have to do something!"

This is when it came to mind that as a notary, I could officiate weddings. So I did some research and made some cold calls to wedding planners. I attended my first wedding expo and signed up for an app that got me leads. Business started coming in steady. I met great people within networking groups and chambers I had joined.

I can honestly say I enjoy what I do. I have time to raise my son and still make decent money during my appointments. Now, it's not my main source of income yet, but I manifest that changing in the near future, since I'm done with maternity leave and ready to roll! I love being my own boss and not answering to anyone. Working for $15 an hour to make someone else rich isn't ideal. People are happy in my work environment. I get to solidify love and unity for couples who love each other and I, myself, am a hopeless romantic. I'm excited for what's to come.