Duwan Bogert
Passaic County Workforce Development Board
Paterson, NJ USA
"Just because you take [an alternative] route or just because you take a break or just because you make a mistake doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be afforded an opportunity."
Career Roadmap
Duwan's work combines: Business, Non-Profit Organizations, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Political Science, Sociology
William Paterson University of New Jersey
Associate's Degree
Passaic County Community College
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be an Executive Director:
Bachelor's Degree: Political Science, Sociology
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
I graduated from the graphic design program at Passaic County Technical Institute, a vocational public high school in New Jersey.
2.
I decided to go straight to work after high school—I worked for three years in a print shop before deciding to go to community college and earn my associate’s degree.
3.
I got the opportunity to work as a general manager for a call center where I was eventually able to buy in as a minority stakeholder.
4.
While working at the call center, I was introduced to the Passaic County One Stop Career Center because I had helped some of my employees find resources to better their career.
5.
We eventually concluded and sold the business, and I decided to go back to school for my bachelor’s degree.
6.
I then got the opportunity to actually work for the Passaic County One Stop Career Center as a program monitor.
7.
Shortly after joining, I advanced to become a re-entry coordinator, through which I helped people coming from correctional institutions navigate the transition and find career success.
8.
I’ve since become the executive director of the Passaic County Workforce Development Board—I still coordinate the re-entry program, but I also get to lend guidance to other arms of the organization.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
Not everyone deserves an opportunity.
How I responded:
I personally don't let myself experience too much doubt or discouragement in what I'm doing because that's not how I am. But there are some people out there who would believe that some people aren't deserving of opportunity because they didn't take the standard path. I don't believe that. Just because someone takes an alternative path or takes a break or makes a mistake does not mean that they shouldn't be afforded an opportunity for success.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I went through a tough time when my cousin was murdered. He'd gone through the One Stop Career Center and turned his life around—it didn't seem fair to me. But the more I saw all the lives he had touched, the more motivated I became to do this work.