Career Roadmap
Sokhom's work combines: Education, Non-Profit Organizations, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Long Beach Polytechnic High School
Bachelor's Degree
Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling
California State University-Long Beach
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Social and Human Service Assistants:
High School
Bachelor's Degree: Community Health and Preventive Medicine
Graduate Degree: Public Administration
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
First, I attended college to complete a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing because I enjoy helping others.
2.
Then, I realized I was not driven to work with patients in a hospital setting.
3.
I pursued an alternative route of helping others through program services and health education.
4.
I graduated from CSULB in 2010 and was hired at my job as a Prevention Specialist.
5.
An opportunity was presented to me and I was promoted to Program Coordinator.
6.
I decided to return to school to obtain my Master of Public of Administration Degree to learn more.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
People questioned me about shifting my career choice towards a different path. I realized it was not a personal dream of mine so I had to make the bold choice to move toward what I truly wanted to do.
How I responded:
As I was slightly shifting my career path, my goal of graduating from college with a Bachelor's Degree did not change. I think that it is important to meet our goals but also be realistic about the passion and desires that drive us to set those goals. Is it helping others? Is it using our creativity? Is it leading others? I think it's very important to understand ourselves and strive to be better no matter what we decide to do.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I was blessed to receive financial aid grants. However, in my last semester (summer) before graduating I had to pay out of pocket for fees and books. I was able to pay it with money I saved up from working to finish that last stretch.
My parents immigrated from Cambodia in the late 1980s to Long Beach, CA. I was an ESL student, but had the privilege of having one parent understand and speak some English.
I became deaf in my right ear and lost my hearing in 2009. The doctors called it a sensorineural hearing loss. I experienced episodes of vertigo and imbalance but adapted to the hearing loss to continue learning.