Marguerite Stocker
Director, College Store
Brookdale Community College
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
When I graduated college, there were no local journalism jobs available.
Decided to become a stock broker (my dad was a money manager).
Became a full-service broker selling stocks, bonds, mutual funds, life and health insurance.
Saw an ad in the newspaper for Barnes & Noble and thought it would be better for my soul to sell books.
Went from store to store eventually becoming assistant manger and opening a new store.
Saw an ad in the newspaper (still reading newspapers :) for a textbook manager at a community college.
Took the job and was eventually promoted to Director.
Decided to stay here for a while (now 15 years)...
Keep following my journey
Education
Career
Director, College Store
I run a college bookstore.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Business
Numbers
Helping People
Day to Day
Running a bookstore does not allow for a "typical day". While I do sales numbers on a daily basis, we service so many customers (students, faculty, staff, community) and each of those customers is unique so each day poses unique problems and solutions. I really enjoy both the numbers aspect of my job as well as the customer service end of it. It feels good to get up from my desk and help people!
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
Many people coming out of college don't necessarily set a goal to be a store manager. However many may want to start their own business. I am very much like a small business owner. The first step to being a successful small business owner is to be an organized planner.
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Society in General:
"I didn't know enough about investing so they would rather hear from my father than me. Silly, because I knew a lot more than my peers since I grew up in the business."
