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Considering my background, how well do you think I would fit in this company and/or profession? What obstacles can I expect to encounter along the way?

I am a 17 year old African American female living in Texas aspiring to be a business continuity planner in D.C.

#business
#businesscontinuity
#riskmanagement #business-management #management

business management business-management riskmanagement businesscontinuity
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Adam’s Answer

Business Continuity as you understand is about planning for contingencies and keeping the organisation functioning whilst the issue/s are being addressed. I dont believe your background has anything to do with the potential to move into this profession. What is going to be needed is the understanding of how to help businesses be aware of the potential risks and to prepare to mitigate BEFORE they are ever realized. For many businesses considering to invest in you, they will be looking to see what skills you have that can assist with this process of risk mitigation.

Adam recommends the following next steps:

Research what legislated BCP compliance is needed in your state/region to focus what you will need to have as mandatory and optional components of study. Amongst other things consider studies in business management, business continuity, risk management, compliance certification, audit and project management. No single track is going to deliver everything you need but each of these will be helpful to developing a knowledgge base that will be valuable in the BCP field.
Find current Business Continuity, Auditors, Risk Management firms or related government agencies in your state or nearby to see what you can find on line. They may have online information about what opportunities are available to work for them - as well as any prerequisite studies and experience.
If you cant find any local Business Continuity or Risk Management firms or government agencies nearby, consider approaching any large nearby firms or multi-nationals as they will certainly have to comply with relevant risk and BCP regulations in your state as well as making good sense for their shareholders. If you are lucky, you may be able to organize a meeting with one of their managers, compliance team, or BCP officers to guide you on potentials next steps.
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Lauren’s Answer

Hi Laniya - Great question, and I'm always excited to see budding business continuity professionals. The industry is making a turn from a male-dominated one, to one that has a more diverse makeup. Business continuity professionals in general understand that the more diverse perspectives and approaches available, the better your planning will be!

While not necessarily an 'obstacle', it's important to know that with each role you need to know how to analyze the organization you're working for. What are the products, services that are the lifeblood of the organization? In other words, how do they make the money that sustains their operations? What are their core values? How does the organization break down into various business units and who are the people I need to develop a relationship with in each of them? Gaining the context of the organization will be the first task no matter what, so you'll want to have a strategy that works for you.

As I reflect on your question and the current environment, one of the obstacles commonly experienced by business continuity planners is leadership buy-in for the program. Business leaders are often so focused on driving revenue and removing unnecessary spend, that they may want to deprioritize contingency planning. This may be more difficult during periods of relative stability, when a disruption to operations feels unlikely. For example - an organization may have had a high level of support for business continuity during and immediately after COVID, but now that COVID is a few years behind us, that support could wane. It's important that you know how to articulate the value of what you do so that business leaders understand it, and support it.

In summary, having general business acumen and the ability to clearly articulate the value of a business continuity program are going to be keys to success for you. But this shouldn't give you pause - after all, you're a planner and you can plan and create a strategy to overcome any obstacle.

We look forward to welcoming you into the business continuity industry! Good luck on your journey!
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Stacey’s Answer

There are but two things that determine what can do in life: your attitude and level of effort. The only obstacle I can think of is the number of jobs available versus the number of applicants. If you are truly interested, start getting involved in your local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). This is more of a response group, but you will learn a lot you can apply toward Business Continuity. There are schools that, now, offer a Masters in Business Continuity Planning. Disaster Recovery Institute International also offers a course and a different levels of professional certificates. Most companies will look for a college degree as well as the professional certifications,  This can be a very rewarding line of work. Best of luck!

Stacey recommends the following next steps:

Get involved with local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
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Meagan’s Answer

Remember, it's okay to give yourself some wiggle room. What kind of sectors spark your interest? You might consider beginning with your Lean Six Sigma project management yellow belt. This universal certification can be useful in a wide range of industries. And don't forget, it's perfectly fine to shift your goals as you evolve and mature.

Meagan recommends the following next steps:

Talk to your guidance counselor at school to see if there are any local internships you could participate in.
Look for people you could shadow or intern with.
Look at linked in, create a profile so you can network with others in roles like the ones you are looking for.
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