Jane Oates
President
WorkingNation
San Diego, CA USA
“Don’t be afraid to do something different because different is how we got here. And ‘here’ is a pretty good place, but the future is going to be even better if we have risk takers.”
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By Roadtrip NationJane Oates
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
I earned my bachelor’s degree in education and started my career as a special education teacher.
After spending some time teaching, I realized that I didn’t know how to teach reading as well as I should, so I went back to school to earn a master’s degree as a reading specialist.
I later moved on to work as a research professor at Temple University.
The opportunity to go to Washington, DC, and work in policy eventually presented itself, so I followed that path.
I served as a senior policy advisor for Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts for almost a decade and then spent three years as a senior advisor to Governor Jon S. Corzine.
In 2009, I was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as Assistant Secretary for the Employment and Training Administration under Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis.
I moved on to work as vice president of external affairs for the Apollo Group before joining WorkingNation, a nonprofit media entity that shares stories to promote solutions for the U.S. workforce.
I started at WorkingNation as an executive committee member and now serve as president of the organization.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Bachelor
Teacher Education and Professional Development
Boston College
Teacher Education and Professional Development
Boston College
Graduate
Reading
Arcadia University
Reading
Arcadia University
Career
President
I lead a nonprofit media organization that tells stories about the current and future state of work.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Business
Non-Profit Organizations
Working with Others
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
Build a support group. Family, friends, and mentors are all very important for helping you build your career, navigate challenges, and find success.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Bachelor
Teacher Education and Professional Development
Teacher Education and Professional Development
Graduate
Reading
Reading
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Myself:
"I don't know what anyone is talking about. I need to fix myself so that I can keep up."
Challenges I Overcame
Cancer Survivor
