Bart Doan
Associate Director Youth Initiatives
Indiana Department of Workforce Development
Indianapolis, IN USA
“The end of a chapter is not a dead end.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationBart Doan
Milestones
My road in life has taken me all over.
When I was in high school, I didn’t really have plans for what I wanted to do beyond playing basketball in college.
I did play college basketball and graduated with a degree in communications and theology.
After college, I wanted to be a golf pro and run pro golf courses—I did that for a few years in Indianapolis.
When that opportunity dried up, I stayed in the industry for a while teaching golf lessons and fixing golf clubs.
When the recession hit, I bounced around through a few different industries, including construction, human resources, and journalism.
I started coaching basketball for eighth-graders and realized I really loved helping kids—I decided to stay in the field and build my career helping young people find more focus.
I currently work for the Indiana Department of Workforce Development where my team oversees the workforce development programming for young people in Indiana.
I’ve also been volunteering for JA Jobspark in Indiana for the last six years, helping Indiana eighth-graders explore careers in a variety of different clusters.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Associate Director Youth Initiatives
I oversee the workforce development programming for young people in the state of Indiana.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Government
Non-Profit Organizations
Helping People
Day to Day
I could be in a school talking to students about suicide prevention and how to better their communities. I could be meeting with coworkers across multiple state agencies about how to better connect our Hoosier youth with education and workforce opportunities. I could be meeting with partners regarding how to best implement goals that are outlined in state legislation. It's never a dull day and it's never the same. My job exists to help people, particularly Indiana youth, become successful.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
If you're looking to go into a career in public service, while communication is important, I'd more recommend going into public affairs as a major in college with perhaps a political science minor. I'd recommend some level of graduate school depending on how high you would like to serve. I'd also encourage doing an internship in a public service agency prior to graduation.
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Bachelor
Public Affairs
Public Affairs
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
"You can't do that. You'll never get anywhere."
