Career Roadmap
Jean's work combines: Education, Writing, and Being Creative
See more careers and stories that connect to your interests.
Take Roadmap Quiz
Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Loch Raven
Bachelor's Degree
B.S. - Communication Disorders
Old Dominion University
Graduate Degree
Speech-Language Pathology
University of South Carolina
Certification
Teaching English as a Second Language
University of New Jersey
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Communications Manager:
Bachelor's Degree: Journalism
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
Completing undergraduate degree despite personal hurdles.
2.
Finding a way to get through graduate school without debt. I did it all on my own!
3.
Finding a way to feed my desire to live and work overseas. My two year commitment turned into 10 years away.
4.
Finding a new career path without the benefit of the internet or any local allies (I was in Panama).
5.
Being laid off after 10 years with my "new" employer. That was scary, but I found a new job rather quickly.
6.
Finding myself in a job with an employer that was a very bad cultural fit.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Peers:
Don't leave your work for the federal government. It's safe. Also, when I took my job with the federal government (for an opportunity to live and work in Italy), I was told, "This isn't a good time to move. The housing market (to sell my house) is bad."
How I responded:
Go with your gut. Trust your instincts. Take chances. Within the first 10 years of your career, identify what you really like and what you're really good at, and which aspects of your job you find less motivating. And network with people from lots of different job types to see how varied the world of work is and how your skills might be valued.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I was living and working for the U.S. government overseas and wanted to change careers. I had to do a lot of long distance networking and ultimately took a big risk to relocate where I knew no one and begin in a career in which I was untested.