Joy King
Per Scholas
Silver Spring, MD USA
"How we look doesn’t preclude us from having an experience that we want to have."
Career Roadmap
Joy's work combines: Education, Non-Profit Organizations, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Shadow someone in the field through an internship or summer job. Talk to people and network. Remember to be polished and professional.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Secondary Education and Teaching
DePaul University
Graduate Degree
Educational Administration
Governors State University
Certification
Preparing for Executive Leadership
Learning Tree International
Certification
Organizational Development Professional
Institute of Organizational Development
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
I was raised on the South Side of Chicago—my parents did their best to expose me and my brother to access and opportunities outside of our hometown.
2.
I was a good student, got good grades, and stuck with those themes of exposure, access, and opportunity by becoming classically trained in ballet and taking Japanese throughout high school.
3.
I went away to New York for college but I struggled to adapt to life on my own, so I ended up dropping out and moving back to Chicago after two years.
4.
After moving back home, I had to take a job in a back office with disgruntled co-workers and knew I didn’t want to be stuck like that.
5.
I decided to go back to school at DePaul University and was determined to graduate at the same time as my former class, so I took 15 classes per year and worked two jobs through school.
6.
I spent 10 years teaching in Chicago and got my master’s degree to become a school principal, but I eventually became disillusioned with the school system and moved to D.C. for other opportunities.
7.
I got into nonprofit work and had the opportunity to work for many great causes, including college access, literacy programming, and childhood hunger.
8.
Now I work as the managing director for Per Scholas, a nonprofit organization that teaches technical and business skills to individuals and connects them to career opportunities.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Are you sure that's what you want to do? There's no way you're going to succeed at that.
How I responded:
Be confident in your choices and find ways to block out the noise. People will always have something negative to say or question your choices. However, their opinion of you is none of your business.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I struggled to adapt when I moved away for college. I ended up dropping out, moved back home, and got a job but knew I didn't want to be stuck there. I eventually went back to school and worked hard to graduate at the same time as my former class.