Milestones

My road in life has taken me all over.
Started U of Arizona as an Ecology / Evolutionary Biology major. Got intimidated by Calculus II and Organic Chemistry.
Changed major to Economics. Dropped first Econ class before mid-term.
Unofficially changed major to International Relations and considered transferring to another university. Changed major (officially) to Journalism at end of sophomore year.
Got REALLY involved in school activities -- honor society, Student Union Activities Board, student ambassador, Orientation. THESE ARE MY BEST EXPERIENCES!
Did a semester in Washington, DC, at ABCNews as an intern. HATED it. Graduated in December, went to work, and then went to Europe. "Found myself" and realized I wanted to work on a campus.
Researched Higher Education Admin programs and chose Northwestern. Moved to Chicago knowing one person, but knew it was right.
Worked in Higher Ed for 20 years, left it temporarily to train adults, and am now back at it!
I'm also pursuing a real estate license in my "free time," so there's that...
Keep following my journey

Career

Special Projects Coordinator

Produce / review content for Texas OnCourse parent / higher education platforms.

Career Roadmap

Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Education
Non-Profit Organizations
Communicating / Sharing Stories

Day to Day

I'm still new, so I'm still learning what my days will look like... right now, I'm learning all about Texas OnCourse, how it came to be, what products are being developed / refined, and what the different interactions and relationships are. Once I get my feet on the ground, I will be researching / reviewing and developing content for portions of the OnCourse resource library that aren't built out yet, primarily for families and higher education advisers.

Advice for Getting Started

Here's the first step for college students

Do an internship. Hands-down the best way to learn. If you're interested in working for a college / university, depending on what you want to do, you will likely need at least a Bachelor's degree if not a Master's. If you want to teach at the college level, you'll need a PhD. Many Master's programs require an internship as part of your coursework, but if not, find a way to work with a professor / adviser / coach / staff person whom you admire.

Recommended Education

My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:

undergrad
Bachelor
Journalism
certification
Certification/License
Journalism Internship

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Parents:

"It doesn't matter what major you choose -- just graduate already!"

Challenges I Overcame

Financial