Bill Hansen

President & CEO

Strada Education Network

San Diego, CA USA

“In some ways, the disruptions in your life actually help you. Sometimes you have to be forced with a disruptive action to really do some soul searching into who you are and what you want to do.”

Videos

By Roadtrip Nation

Bill Hansen

Milestones

My road in life has taken me all over.

I grew up moving between Idaho, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., because my dad worked in the government—I loved it because I got to experience both rural and inner-city living.

In college, I started out in accounting, but I didn’t enjoy the more advanced accounting classes, so I switched my major—first to political science and then finally to economics.

I got married and had a child early on, so it took me a while to graduate college—I had to start working right away while taking a lot of night classes in order to finish my degree.

My first job was working for the U.S. Secretary of Education, who was a great early mentor to me.

I worked at the Department of Education from my early 20s to my early 30s, working my way up into positions including the assistant secretary for management and budget, and CFO of the department.

After the 1992 presidential election, the department switched parties and I had to find a new job—I did consulting work for a school district, but really wanted something stable and full-time.

Eventually, I found a job as president of a trade association involved with student loans, which gave me experience in higher education.

From there, I held various positions in education, and now work as the president and CEO of Strada Education Network, which helps to connect students with educational and career paths.

Keep following my journey

Education

High School

Bachelor
Economics, General
George Mason University

Career

President & CEO

I oversee a social impact organization that helps students build pathways to education and careers.

Career Roadmap

My work combines:

Education

Non-Profit Organizations

Helping People

Advice for Getting Started

Here's the first step for everyone

You don't have to know what each step in your path should be, but it's important to have an idea about where you're going. I think we all have a purpose in life and it's important to figure out what that purpose is in order to figure out where you're going. Then, figuring out the steps and paths you should take gets easier.

Recommended Education

Bachelor
Economics, General

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Society in General:

"It's not okay to pivot."

Challenges I Overcame

Changed Major

Work-Life Balance

Job Loss

Bill Hansen

President & CEO

Videos

Bill Hansen

Milestones

Education

Career

Career Roadmap

My work combines:

My work combines:

Education

Non-Profit Organizations

Helping People

Advice for Getting Started

Recommended Education

My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Society in General:

Challenges I Overcame

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