James Ruby
California State University, Fullerton
Fullerton, CA USA
"No experience or time spent in a job is ever wasted time. We can learn from everything and every experience contributes to the next phase of life."
Career Roadmap
James's work combines: Education, Non-Profit Organizations, and Teaching / Mentoring
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Fern Creek High School
Bachelor's Degree
Religion/Religious Studies
Western Kentucky University
Graduate Degree
Counseling Psychology
Northeastern Illinois University
Doctorate
Research Methodology & Human Development
Loyola University Chicago
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be an University Professor:
Bachelor's Degree: Religion/Religious Studies
Graduate Degree: Counseling Psychology
Doctorate: Research Methodology & Human Development
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
Graduated with my BA from Western KY University
2.
Got married to my wonderful wife
3.
My wife and I had our first son
4.
Completed my MA in Counseling from Northeastern IL University
5.
My wife and I had our second son
6.
Accepted my first university teaching position
7.
Completed my PhD in Research Methodology & Human Development from Loyola University, Chicago
8.
Moved my family to Southern California to begin my work at California State University, Fullerton
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
There was a philosophy that a person was supposed to know everything about their future when they were young and that was definitely not my situation. I felt like I was somehow missing something because I didn't know everything about my own future.
How I responded:
I came to believe that a person has more time than they think and it is completely normal to change one's mind about their career a few times. In fact, no experience or time spent in a job is ever wasted time. We can learn from everything and every experience contributes to the next phase of life. My time in the profession I had after graduating from college is very different from the one I am in today, but it informed me as a person and my career today.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I had to work my way through school - from my undergraduate degree all the way through my doctorate. I gave myself permission to go a bit more slowly and enjoy life along the way. I embraced the truth that life is not a race!