KC Wagner
Operations Lead, Immersive Design Center
Raytheon
Tucson, AZ USA
“You can take away something from every job you have. Even if it’s not the job that you want, if it’s something on the path to getting there, you can take that with you.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationKC Wagner
Milestones
My road in life has taken me all over.
After high school, I was working at a print shop when my girlfriend at the time urged me to get a college degree.
Not really knowing what I wanted to do, I decided to get my degree in business because I figured it was broad enough to lead to some sort of stable job.
I moved to Phoenix, Arizona, to work at a call center—I started by answering calls and eventually got promoted to supervisor and then project manager.
I was learning a bunch of valuable skills from my various positions at the call center but I didn’t feel fulfilled.
I moved back to Tucson and got a job with Raytheon working in operations before moving into a lead position for our Career Enrichment Program.
While helping hourly employees find more fulfilling careers within the organization, I realized that I needed to do something similar for myself.
After touring the Immersive Design Center, I decided that’s exactly where I wanted to be—I applied for an operations role, didn’t get it, took some time to recalibrate, tried again, and got it!
Now, as the operations lead for the Immersive Design Center at Raytheon, I absolutely love coming to work everyday!
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Operations Lead, Immersive Design Center
I manage operations for a team that drives innovation through advanced visualization technology.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Business
Technology
Working with Others
Day to Day
I come into work and get ready for any events or engagements that we have going on that day. Most of my time is spent running events and meetings for clients at the center. I make sure the center keeps running smoothly. That can mean talking to vendors to get gear or making sure the gear we have is being installed. In general, I do anything that's related to keeping the center running functionally.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
Seek out mentors. Don't be afraid to reach out to anybody that you think you can gain some value from. People love helping others, so it's virtually guaranteed that they'll say yes if you reach out for guidance. All of the value that you can gain from others in various positions will ultimately help you get to where you're wanting to be in your career.
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Society in General:
"You have to figure out what you want to do right away."
Interviewed By
All Paths Arizona
Young Arizonans explore opportunity in their home state
