KC Wagner
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."
Career Roadmap
KC's work combines: Business, Technology, and Working with Others
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
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.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Business Administration and Management, General
University of Phoenix
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
After high school, I was working at a print shop when my girlfriend at the time urged me to get a college degree.
2.
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.
3.
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.
4.
I was learning a bunch of valuable skills from my various positions at the call center but I didn’t feel fulfilled.
5.
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.
6.
While helping hourly employees find more fulfilling careers within the organization, I realized that I needed to do something similar for myself.
7.
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!
8.
Now, as the operations lead for the Immersive Design Center at Raytheon, I absolutely love coming to work everyday!
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
You have to figure out what you want to do right away.
How I responded:
It's actually never too late to find a career that fulfills you. I only found what I wanted to do a few years ago! And I didn't even realize what I was chasing during the journey. Just never stop learning and gaining value from different positions and experiences—you'll eventually find what you're meant to be doing.