what made you choose this career?

I've always had interest in looking at Data. Math has been my favorite subject since I was able to learn formulas and equations. When it came to working in Information Technology the opportunity to continue assessing various forms of data sets was always intriguing to me! Having the opportunity to work as a Operations Data Analyst has been both rewarding and satisfying at the same time for me over the last nine years!

For me it took doing a few different jobs before i figured out what I wanted to do. Look for jobs that give you opportunities to grow and try out different things. Each job I've had, whether I liked it or not, offered me the chance to try something different that I never would have thought to try. That's how I got the job I am doing now.

The start to my career was now how I planned but I am very glad it worked out the way it did. I started out with a job more closely tied to my major and a friend suggested applying to where I currently am working. Even though it was a little out of my area of study I felt that it was such a great place to work and I would enjoy it much more. I am very glad I made the transition and I would suggest to not limit yourself to the area of study that you chose to pursue and when the time comes, entertain the possibility of finding a career you will enjoy and it could take you much further.

I became interested in this career path when I was in 8th grade thanks to the main character on a sitcom in the late 80s, early 90s. She ran an advertising agency and it interested me a lot. Through high school and looking into college I realized that there was so much more to advertising, especially in this digital world we live in. I went to college for marketing and went to work for the largest agency in Pittsburgh at the time. From there I went down the B2B marketing path and haven't looked back.

Talk with professionals in areas that interest you in your city. Network. Research. The important part is that you want to find something that makes you happy.

Good luck!

Hi Shamar,

I work in Marketing and communications, which I really like. In high school and college I didn't know much what career I wanted, all I knew was that I wanted to get some skills and knowledge to become my own boss at some point.

I started studying business management, and did an internship in a company, in their Marketing department. As I was discovering hands-on about what marketing was and the different aspects of it, I really started enjoying everything I was learning. I think that's when I decided that I would choose marketing and communications as a career. Marketing & Communications are very broad, and go from advertising campaigns, to social media, web design, event management, etc. That versatility is what I really like.

After my internship I ended up gearing my studies towards Marketing strategy to get an academic knowledge and degree in what I started to learn through my internship.

Sometimes an internship can be very revealing, and discovering the daily tasks of a job can determine what you actually like or not like from a job/career point of view.

If you are trying to figure out what career path to choose, think about things you really enjoy doing, and what is the corresponding job.

I hope this answered your question!

Alice

I really like this question, Shamar. Thanks for asking!

My career was not a straight trajectory. I began as a radiochemist working in a chemistrty lab and am now working as a project / program manager in the networking industry. I found that in every position that I've held, I've learned new things, been challenged in many ways, made mistakes and recovered from them, and built some great relationships. All of this led to other, different roles. My recommendation is do what's right for you, for your customers, and company. Do your best, what makes you happy, and utilize your strengths...and the right career will find you.

I knew I was interested in Business Management, but wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to pursue within it. While I was encouraged to take a variety of business courses (electives) (Marketing, Advertising, Operations, etc.) to help me narrow down what I wanted to major in, I felt I needed more . I took advantage of alumni meet and greets, internships and a variety of other resources which were available (within and outside of school). I realized that whatever I decided to do, I wanted to make sure that I liked it, that it utilized my strengths and made me happy. Like others have commented, think about what you like to do, what drives you, interests you and explore. Just be true to yourself.

Hello Shamar,

I´ve always loved technology, to built, to fix, to discover, all thing related with innovation, so that was the reason why I studied Telecommunication engineering, I have had the opportunity to work for companies related with my career like Cisco and Alcatel so it makes it even more interesting, but my advice here is that you can identify the kind of things that you really love to do because consider that you´ll be doing it for a long period of time during your life, of course you´ll have the oppportunity to explore different things. Other really important thing to consider is that to become really sucesful you need to work really hard and put a lot of effort, it worth it.

Alex