Jane Oates
WorkingNation
San Diego, CA USA
"Don’t be afraid to do something different because different is how we got here. And ‘here’ is a pretty good place, but the future is going to be even better if we have risk takers."
Career Roadmap
Jane's work combines: Business, Non-Profit Organizations, and Working with Others
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Teacher Education and Professional Development
Boston College
Graduate Degree
Reading
Arcadia University
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a President:
Bachelor's Degree: Teacher Education and Professional Development
Graduate Degree: Reading
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
I earned my bachelor’s degree in education and started my career as a special education teacher.
2.
After spending some time teaching, I realized that I didn’t know how to teach reading as well as I should, so I went back to school to earn a master’s degree as a reading specialist.
3.
I later moved on to work as a research professor at Temple University.
4.
The opportunity to go to Washington, DC, and work in policy eventually presented itself, so I followed that path.
5.
I served as a senior policy advisor for Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts for almost a decade and then spent three years as a senior advisor to Governor Jon S. Corzine.
6.
In 2009, I was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as Assistant Secretary for the Employment and Training Administration under Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis.
7.
I moved on to work as vice president of external affairs for the Apollo Group before joining WorkingNation, a nonprofit media entity that shares stories to promote solutions for the U.S. workforce.
8.
I started at WorkingNation as an executive committee member and now serve as president of the organization.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
I don't know what anyone is talking about. I need to fix myself so that I can keep up.
How I responded:
When I first started working in a university and then in government, people would speak in acronyms that I didn't understand. I initially saw that as my own problem that I needed to fix. I eventually realized that I didn't need to fix myself—I just needed to know that it's okay to admit I don't understand. Sometimes people will use their experience to intimidate others. It's important that you ask for clarification rather than be intimidated. It's okay to not know. You learn by asking questions.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I'm a three-time cancer survivor. Watching my family suffer through that with me was my biggest personal challenge.