Careers Explained

Learn what a Senior Operations Research Scientist at Wayfair does, how Ryo Kimura got into this role, and what career advice he has learned. He received his bachelor's degree from Oberlin College in Mathematics and his master's and Ph.D. in operations research from Carnegie Mellon University. His previous work experience includes being a research Fellow at GE Global Research and a Data Analysis Intern at Compassionate Care Hospice. Timestamps: 0:28: An overview of what a research operations scientist does 1:09: His typical roles and responsibilities 4:59: What the software engineering aspect of his roles entails 6:10: An example of the projects he works on 9:17: The typical timeline of his projects 10:57: What he likes about the role 12:04: Challenges of the role 13:05: The education requirements for his role 22:09: Advice on applying to operations research roles 23:23: General career advice

In this interview, Grant Sheely will share what he does in his current role, how he got this role, and some career advice he has learned. He received his bachelor's degree from Oberlin College in Math and Physics, with a minor in Environmental studies. His work experience includes being a Green House Gas Inventory Intern at Oberlin College, a Sustainability Coordinator at Vornado Realty Trust, and a Project Manager at MaGrann Associates. He is now a Codes and Policy Project Analyst at the New Buildings Institute. We discuss: 1:13: What he does in his current role 2:23: What a typical day is like 4:09: What his general schedule is like 5:02: How many projects he works on at a time 5:51: The type of work his projects entail 7:13: How social his role is 8:01: An example of his projects  9:41: The typical timelines of his projects 11:01: What the job training is like 12:10: Prerequisites needed for the role 13:39: An overview of the required certifications for the role 16:32: Challenges of the role 17:50: What the on the job training is like 19:46: How he got into this field and role  24:27: Advice on career exploration 25:54: How to explore this industry without a formal job 27:20: Advice on networking 28:29: General career advice

Jack Armstrong shares about his career path and current role as a Financial Services Representative at Barnum Financial Group. He received his bachelor's degree from Providence College in Business and Managerial Economics and his previous work experience includes being an Account Manager with Coastline Risk and working at the front desk of the Cape Cod Country Club. We discuss: 0:39 - What he does in his current role as a Financial Services Representative 2:17 - The educational courses required to move up from his role within the company 3:53 - How to take certification courses 5:14 - What a typical day or week is like for him 6:35 - Barnum's company culture 7:10 - Overview of what customer outreach entails 9:01 - How long outreach phone calls last 11:21 - What the on-the-job training is like 12:22 - The long-term trajectory of the role 12:57 - The typical timeline for moving up 1437 - What he likes about the role 15:16 - What the industry is like 15:36 - Challenges of the role 16:27 - Industry drop-out rates 17:24 - How success is measured 17:53 - His company's culture around competition 19:06 - What made him interested in this field, position, and company 20:58 - Prerequisites to apply 22:41 - Most important qualities for the job 24:19 - Advice on how to explore whether this role is a good fit 26:14 - Types of roles that can help you gain experience 27:22 - General career advice

In this episode, Nolan Piatkowski describes his career path and current role as a Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) Analyst at IMAX. He received his bachelor's degree from Northeastern University in Finance and Business Analytics. His work experience includes working as an FP&A Coop at Salsify and as a Corporate Finance Coop at Boston Consulting Group. We discuss: His current role: 0:44 - Overview of his current role 1:36 - His roles and responsibilities  2:33 - The timeline of his tasks  6:27 - How many projects he works on simultaneously 7:03 - What a typical day looks like 7:39 - How social his role is 8:34 - How collaborative his assignments are 9:47 - What he likes about the role  10:40 - Challenges of the role 12:00 - What the training was like 13:12 - Examples of specialties within IMAX Career path: 14:17 - What made him interested in finance 14:54 - Why he wanted to be an FP&A analyst 15:41 - Factors he did and didn't want in a role Advice: 17:12 - Advice on how to explore career options 18:25 - Advice when applying to jobs 19:27 - Networking advice 20:43 - Advice on how to set yourself up for success 22:25 - General career advice

Evan Carter describes his career path and current role as a cinematographer. He received his bachelor's degree from Davidson College in Political Science and after college has held many different filmmaking roles including being the Director of Photography on an Emmy award-winning PBS show and working on a wide variety of projects such as a documentary about feminists in Chile, and commercials for brands like Huggies and Bed, Bath, and Beyond. He is currently a Freelance Filmmaker, working as both a production company and as an individual part of a team in multiple roles. We discuss: 0:56 - An overview of his role  1:51 - The difference between cinematography and other filmmaking roles 5:44 - How he gets his projects 6:07 - The challenges of freelancing 7:15 - Aspects he likes about his role 8:06 - What a typical day and week is like as a cinematographer  9:24 - How much travel the role entails  12:02 - An overview of the film making process 14:23 - How many projects he works on simultaneously 17:07 - Things he loves about the role 18:44 - How he got into his current role 22:14 - How to get into the filmmaking world 23:42 - Advice on how to be proactive in getting into the film industry 25:15 - Advice on how to get film experience  27:14 - The culture of film sets 28:31 - Advice on how to network 31:39 - General career advice

In this episode, Jani-Mikael Kuusisto describes his career path in the corporate world and how he switched over to founding and running his own startup. We discuss: His current role: 0:27: Overview of his current role as CEO  1:26: His schedule balancing being CEO and a Director of another company 2:14: What a typical day or week in his role as CEO entails 3:49: His process of acquiring funding for a startup  5:18: What he does around proof of concept for his product 6:28: How social his role is 7:05: What he likes and finds challenging about his role  8:01: The signs of success for a startup 9:00: His role in recruiting talent  His career path: 10:26: The major steps of his career path 14:08: How he became CEO 15:53: What he learned he did and didn't want in a job 18:15: Opportunities to grow as a CEO Career advice: 19:52: Advice on how to be resilient  21:10: Advice on when to attempt entrepreneurship 23:19: Advice on how to balance practicality with passion in one's career 24:46: Advice on how to develop interpersonal skills 26:06: How to find job opportunities  27:17: Why everyone should think of themselves as an entrepreneur regardless of their career

In this interview, Gabrielle Mauro describes her career path from getting her degree in social work to her current role as a Senior Patient and Customer Experience Specialist for neurosurgery patients and families at Northwell Health. She received his bachelor's degree from Siena College in social work and her Master's degree in social work from Adelphi University. Her previous work experience includes working being a Teacher Aide at Nassau BOCES, a social work case manager at Bethany House of Nassau County Corporation, and a Coordinator of Neurology and Critical Care at Northwell Health. We discuss: 0:50: Overview of her current role 1:44: Examples of the types of programming she creates 3:41: What makes her role unique from patient navigators 4:40: What a typical day and week is like in her role 8:46: An overview of how she supports patients and families 11:25: Her most common roles and responsibilities 13:35: The frequency of the educational programming she runs 14:48: What she likes and finds challenging about her role 17:39: Opportunities for moving up 21:26: How she got into her current role 22:42: The major steps that led to her current role 27:46: Advice on how to ask for what you want 30:01: Advice on networking 33:10: Leadership advice 35:07: General career advice

In this interview, Kellie Bland describes her career path and current role. She is currently a Program Analyst at the U.S. Department of State. She received his bachelor's degree from Elon University in Communications and her Master of Arts in international and intercultural communication from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Her previous work experience includes working as an English Teacher Trainer for the Peace Corps, as a Shriver Peaceworker Fellow for Friends of Patterson Park, and as a Team Development Specialist for AFS Intercultural Programs. We discuss: 0:38: Overview of current role 1:29: Most common roles and responsibilities 3:07: The process and timeline for some of her tasks 4:55: How many projects she works on simultaneously 5:35: What a typical day is like 7:41: Examples of her work outside of on demand tasks  11:04: Additional roles of the job 12:56: The benefit of having diverse and dynamic roles  13:05: Things she likes and finds challenging about her role 14:44: Opportunities for moving up or into different roles 16:12: The process of moving up 18:26: What the training was like for her role 20:51: The prerequisites to getting into her role 22:55: The points of her career path that led her to this role 25:42: The job qualities she learned she did and didn't want along her path 28:03: Advice for reframing the question of "what do you want to do" 28:24: Advice for those who want to follow her path 30:38: Advice on how to explore career options  31:00: Career advice to decrease stress 

In this interview, Erik Schnurstein describes his career path and current role as a Manager of Change Management and Communications for Ford Motor Company, where he has worked for over 20 years. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in French and English and his Master's in Business Administration from Lawrence Technological University. His previous work experience includes working as a Department Manager of Market Research for CX Group, as an Installation Coordinator for General Motors, and as a Project Analyst and Team Leader for Trilogy International. We discuss: 0:48: An overview of his current role  2:30: Examples of tasks in his role  3:46: His typical roles and responsibilities 4:30: What a typical day in his role is like 15:35: How many projects he typically works on at a time and their average timeline 18:43: Opportunities for moving up 23:33 Tips on how to achieve a promotion 25:30: Additional advice on how to move up 28:51: How he got into this career  34:05: The impact jobs that weren't on his resume had on his career path 40:30: Advice on how to figure out what you want to do 43:14: Advice on whether an MBA is helpful 45:54: Advice on how to strategize your professional development  48:29: Questions to ask yourself about what type of company to work for 49:12: Advice on how to effectively manage your time

In this interview, Mimi Schwanda describes her career path as a teacher and her current role as a high school Math Teacher and a Dorm Head at Episcopal High School. She received her bachelor's degree from Davidson College in mathematics and her Master's in Education from the University of Virginia. Her previous work experience includes working as a teaching assistant in Andover Massachusetts. We discuss: 00:38: An overview of what she does as a high school Math Teacher and a Dorm Head 1:27: Her typical roles and responsibilities 4:53: Her typical schedule in a typical week 7:55: Her annual schedule 9:28: When she plans her lessons 11:56: Things she likes and finds challenging about the role 14:05: Opportunities for moving up 19:32: What the training entails for her roles 21:36: Why she wanted to be a teacher and work at an independent school 24:00: Why she chose to work at a boarding school 26:10: Advice for aspiring teachers 27:46: Advice on the interview and application process

In this episode, I interview Meredith Davis about her career path and current role. She received her bachelor's degree from Davidson College in English and her master's in occupational therapy from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Her previous work experience includes working as a Concierge at BF Saul, a Circulation manager for France Magazine at the French Embassy, and an Occupational Therapy Assistant at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. She is currently a Therapy Supervisor at the League Education and Treatment Center. We discuss: 0:46: An overview of her current role 1:57: What a typical day is like 3:20: The types of problems she helps her students with 4:08: The distinction between occupational therapy and speech therapy 5:58: The typical patient timeline 8:22: How students are typically referred to her 9:33: The process of determining a student's needs and goals 11:40: The level of treatment customization for students 15:02: An overview of the collaboration with other professionals in the role 17:10: The highs and challenges of her role 19:34: The training required for her role 22:00: Why she chose this career path 23:00: What she likes more about her current role than to previous jobs 24:47: Advice for narrowing down one's career interest 26:07: Advice for how to prepare for a career in occupational therapy in college 26:58: General career advice

Today we are talking with Charlotte McLaren about her career path and current role. She received her bachelor's degree from Davidson College in biology and economics and her Master's in Business Administration from UNC. Her previous work experience includes working as a Sales Analyst for Sun Life Financial, as a Manager of Corporate Development at Premier Inc., and as a Client Executive for IBM. She is currently a Strategic Account Director at Salesforce. We discuss: 0:41: An overview of her current role 1:37: Her typical roles and responsibilities  3:12: The typical process of her sales deals  4:48: The typical timeline of a sales deal 5:41: Examples of what client meetings are about 7:40: Examples of types of products she sells 8:48: How long people typically stay in this role 10:01: How success is measured 12:02: Benefits of the role 13:17: What a typical day is like  15:16: How social the role is 17:52: Challenges of the role  18:50: How she got into this role 21:16: Why she chose Salesforce 22:34: Prerequisites for going into sales 23:37: Pros and cons of getting an MBA for a sales job 26:28: Advice for how to be successful in a sales role

In this episode, Madelyn Buitendorp describes her first role out of college as a Strategy Associate at Penta Group. She received her bachelor's degree from Davidson College in political science and her previous work experience includes working as an Intern with Rock the Vote, as the director of communications for the college crisis initiative, and as a senior admissions fellow for Davidson College. We discuss: - 0:34: An overview of her current role - 1:35: Examples of projects - 2:26: What a typical day or week is like in the role - 6:29: The typical length of projects - 8:14: How projects are assigned - 10:11: What she likes and finds challenging about the role - 13:31: Why she was interested in this role - 16:56: What the training entailed - 19:23: How long people usually stay in the associate role - 21:46: General career advice - 25:09: Networking advice - 28:03: Final advice

In this episode, Caitlin Ranson describes her career path and current role. She received his bachelor's degree from Davidson College in Studio Art and her Master's in Architecture from Clemson University. Her previous work experience includes working as a Marketing Director for William Rawn Associates, Architects, and as a Designer for McMillan Pazdan Smith. She is currently a Project Architect at Hacker. We discuss: Her Current Role 0:39: Overview of what she does as a Project Architect 2:23: Examples of types of projects she works on 3:59: The typical timeline of her projects 5:00: How many projects she works on at a time 5:39: Her roles and responsibilities 7:35: A typical day/ week in her role 8:56: The most common areas of specialization 10:31: How social her role is 12:30: What she likes and finds challenging about her role Her Career Path: 14:03: Why she wanted to become an architect 15:32: Education and experience required to become an architect 18:15: Opportunities for moving up Advice: 20:18: Advice for choosing your first firm 22:28: General career advice

Today we are talking with Kirsten Allen about her career path and current role. She received his bachelor's degree from Davidson College in psychology and her Master's in Sport and Performance Psychology and her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Denver. Her previous work experience includes working as a Research Assistant for the US Olympic Committee and as a Sport and Performance Psychology Consultant for the Center for Performance Excellence. She is currently a Sports and Rehabilitation Psychologist at the Shepherd Center. We discuss: Her Current Role 1:05: Description of her current role 2:41: Her roles and responsibilities 4:02: How social the role is 5:23: An overview of her patient interactions 7:01: What she likes and finds challenging 8:15: Examples of collaboration between practitioners 9:30: Her process of assessing patients 11:28: Opportunities for moving up Her Career Path 12:30: An overview of how she got into this path 13:43: How she chose her graduate school program 14:21: Why she got a PsyD in addition to her masters 15:05: The difference between a Ph.D. and a PsyD 16:30: Why she chose sports psychology for her master's instead of social work or counseling 17:24: Differences between masters in psychology specialties 18:09: The difference in ability to practice between 
a master's and a doctorate of psychology 19:38: What can you do as a practitioner with a master's in psychology 21:15: Why she chose a PsyD over a Ph.D. 25:26: Financial differences between a master's and a doctorate 26:28: The timing of psychology graduate school options 28:45: An overview of the internship process 29:45: Post-graduate school steps 30:46: Stipends for Ph.D. vs PsyD 31:39: Options for income during graduate school 32:27: Job qualities she learned she did and didn't want 34:21: Her plans for creating her own private practice Her Advice: 36:23: Advice for picking a career track in psychology 38:11: Advice on how to get experience in different roles before internship 39:16: Advice for picking a graduate school 40:58: Advice for how to stand out in graduate school applications 43:55: General career advice

In this episode, Maddie Brodrick describes her career path and current role. She received his bachelor's degree from Colby College in environmental policy and philosophy. She has interned with the Maine Conservation Voters, and in the Environmental Crimes Section of the US Department of Justice and is now a Legal Assistant with the Department of Justice (DOJ), Environmental and Natural Resource Department (ENRD), Environmental Enforcement Section (EES). We discuss: Her current role: 0:40: An overview of the Department of Justice Pathways Program for recent graduates 1:14: Her current role and main responsibilities 3:04: What a typical week is like 4:03: Examples of projects she works on 4:40: What she likes and finds challenging 6:26: Opportunities to learn 9:50: How social the role is 10:58: How many projects she works on simultaneously Her career path: 12:15: Why she was interested in this role 13:36: How she got this role 15:39: Characteristics she has learned she does and doesn't want in a role Advice 18:38: Advice on applying to jobs 18:52: How applying to a federal job was unique for her

Listen to Alex Stoller describe her career path and current role. She received her bachelor's degree from Davidson College in Art History and Studio Art and her master's in Exhibition Design from George Washington University. She has worked as a Lead Designer for the Sweetlife Music Festival, as a Designer and Project Manager for the Royal Danish Embassy in Washington DC, as a Store Designer and Project Associate for Sweetgreen, and as a Director of Art for Swatchroom. She is currently an Art Consultant for LK Art Consultants. We discuss: 0:39: What she does as an Art Consultant 1:41: Her main roles and responsibilities 4:15: How much traveling she does in her role 5:37: The purpose of travel in her role 5:55: The difference between her role and an art broker 7:16: Examples of types of projects she does and the steps they entail 11:56: What she likes and finds challenging about the role 14:00: Opportunities for moving up 14:57: The biggest points in her career path that led her to this role 16:15: Why she went to grad school for design 17:18: Her jobs before her current role 19:27: Career advice 19:47: Other job opportunities within art 21:22: Whether graduate school is necessary to move up 22:01: How she started her own company 23:49: Ways to prepare now for a career in art 25:24: Advice on how to get experience in the art world 26:51: Advice on persistence

In this episode, Mike Jucewicz describes his career path working for the federal government in finance roles and what he currently does. After college, he worked for seven years in the US Army as a Financial Management Analyst, as a Student of the Defense Comptrollership Program, and as a Lead Budget Analyst. He is now a Senior Budget Analyst at the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense Comptroller. We discuss: His Current Role 0:46: An overview of the Office of the Secretary of Defense  1:28: An overview of his role as a Senior Budget Analyst 3:29: His most common roles and responsibilities 6:02: The steps of vetting a budget request 8:10: The timeline of a budget oversight process 8:55: What a typical day/week is like 11:28: What determines his goals on projects 13:18: A breakdown of how social his role is 15:35: What he likes and finds challenging about his role 17:35: An example of a crisis situation that impacts his responsibilities 21:10: An overview of government job pay scales  His Career Path 23:29: Career path steps that led to his current role 26:19: How the Army paid for his graduate school 26:50: What drew him to the Army 27:38: The pay scale on his federal career path 28:39: What he's learned he does and doesn't want in a role 30:07: Clarifying the distinction between his role and accounting roles 32:46: How he chose what qualities to prioritize in a job Advice:  35:40: General career advice 37:53: How he leveraged his network in an unusual way to get on his current career path 40:03: The importance of balance in one's career

In this interview, Tomás Husted describes his career in foreign affairs research and what he does in his current role as an Analyst of African Affairs at the Congressional Research Service. After getting his bachelor's degree from Davidson College, he worked as a Research Associate for the Congressional Research Service and as a Strategy and Development Fellow for the International Rescue Committee. We discuss: His career path 0:34: His original career interests 3:00: Why he chose to be a research associate 4:54: How he got his role at the Congressional Research Service  6:55: An overview of the Princeton in Africa Program 9:35: How his experience living in Africa shaped his career path His current role 12:58: An overview of the Congressional Research Service 19:23: Examples of common tasks in his role 28:53: His biggest roles and responsibilities  31:29: What he likes and finds challenging about the role Advice: 36:57: Advice for careers in foreign affairs  38:41: General career advice 40:36: Tips for how to be a better writer  47:00: Tips for how to be a better presenter

Today we are talking with Anjan Mukherjee about his career path and current role. After getting his bachelor's degree from Davidson College in Music, he worked in a variety of research roles including as a Research Associate for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and as a Research Director for US Senator Chris Coons and for the League of Conservation Voters. He then was a Partner at Hone Strategies, a communications and strategy agency, before founding his own strategic communications firm, Tunlaw Strategies where he is currently a Principal. We discuss: His career path: 0:52: What his original career interests were 3:13: His career path from political research to strategic communications 6:47: Why he switched roles when he did 6:57: What to expect for job duration in politics  7:44: Why he switched industries from research to strategic communications 8:21: What he loved about opposition research  11:34: His role as a Research Director for Senator Chris Coons 13:37: His experience working for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee 15:14: His experience working on a presidential campaign  His current role: 21:03: His pivot into communications 23:42: The factors he looks for in a role 25:11: Keys to success in communications he learned through experience 26:16: What a communications strategy firm does 30:06: Examples of types of projects in his current role 32:46: The typical duration of projects 34:31: What a typical day/ week is like 38:18: How social his role is  40:09: Advice

In this episode, we are talking with Erin Sellman about her career path and current role. She got her bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in Economics and German and her MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management. Her previous experience includes 12 years at Lowe's including roles from an Engagement Manager to the Senior Vice President of Strategy, Insights, and Planning and being the VP of global marketing at Sealed Air Corporation. She is now the Senior Vice President of Marketing and communications at the Carolina Tractor and Equipment Company. We discuss: 0:47: An overview of her original career interests 2:01: What she learned she did and didn't want in a role 4:47: Why she got an MBA 5:43: Her career aspirations after getting an MBA 6:08: Why she left consulting  6:55: The biggest similarities and differences between her previous roles 8:03: Why she switched roles and how she got her current role 11:33: An overview of her current role 13:06: What a typical week is like in her current role 14:41: Her team structure in her current role 16:40: How social her current role is 18:38: The learning curve of her current role 19:27: Opportunities for continued learning in her current role 20:15: Training for her current role 22:09: What she likes and finds challenging  23:58: Examples of her roles and responsibilities 25:48: Opportunities for moving up 26:53: Things she didn't expect about the role 27:57: How consulting can help you figure out what you want to do  29:45: Advice for going into marketing

In this episode, we are talking with Andrew Wilkins about his career path and current role. He got his bachelor's degree from Davidson College in political science. After graduating, he worked as a Staff Assistant in the US Senate, as an Assistant to the Executive Director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and as a Government Relations Representative for the Theodore Roosevelt conservation partnership. He is currently the Director of Land Conservation Policy at the National Wildlife Federation. We discuss: 0:50: His original career interests  1:40: The biggest similarities and differences between his previous roles 2:59: Why he switched from working on campaigns on the hill to advocacy roles 4:54: Qualities he didn't want in a job 5:40: What he did want in a job 7:02: How he got his first role in advocacy and tips for applying to jobs 8:53: An overview of his current role at the Nature Conservancy 9:32: Advice for your first job 10:57: Why he changed roles when he did 11:18: Advice for when to leave a role 12:29: What the training is like in advocacy roles 14:13: Advice on how to stand out in a role 15:28: His biggest roles and responsibilities 16:15: An overview of the National Wildlife Federation 19:18: What a typical week is like 19:39: Advice on how to be effective in any role 22:04: An example of the types of projects he works on 22:59: How collaborative the role is 26:13: Favorite parts of his role  28:26: Challenges of the roles 30:19: Opportunities for moving up 30:58: What he likes about working for the National Wildlife Federation 32:08: Career advice

In this episode, Chieko Phillips talks about her career path and current role. She got her bachelor's degree from Davidson College in History and her master's in museum studies from the University of Washington. Her previous work experience includes working as a curatorial assistant at the Northwest African American Museum, a development consultant at UNCF, and an exhibitions manager at the Northwest African American Museum. She is currently the heritage program director at 4Culture. We discuss: 0:55: What her original career interests were 3:06: The similarities and differences between her previous roles  4:05: What she discovered over the course of her career she did and didn't want in a job 5:53: What type of qualities she wanted in a job 8:57: How she got her current role 10:41: An overview of her current role 17:44: Her roles and responsibilities  20:48: Examples of projects she manages 26:22: An example of a grant program she runs 27:25: Advice 

Today we are talking with Jimmy O'Dea about his career path and current role. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Puget Sound in Chemistry and his Ph.D. in chemistry from UC Santa Barbara. Previously, he worked as a research associate at Cornell University, a science and engineering congressional fellow, a vehicle analyst for the Union of concerned scientists, and was the deputy director of trucks for Calstart. He is now the assistant deputy director of transportation electrification at Caltrans. We discuss: 0:51: Why he wanted a Ph.D. in chemistry and what his original career interests were 2:51: The biggest similarities and differences between his previous roles 3:41: What he learned the most important qualities in a job are for him  5:14: How he got his current role 6:29: The prerequisites to get his current role 7:27: How he found his current role 8:38: Overview of his role 11:23: His roles and responsibilities using examples of projects he works on 12:42: What the team structure looks like 13:55: How social the role is 15:15: Opportunities for moving up 16:59: What the training looks like 18:40: What a typical day is like 19:51: How his goals are set  23:17: A detailed example of the steps of a project proposal  24:15: Advice 

Today we are talking with Arturo Fernandez about his career path and current role. He received his undergraduate degree from The Autonomous University of Aguascalientes in Mexico in Computer Engineering and received his master's degree in computer science from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. Previously, he worked as an iOS senior software engineer for dictionary.com and is now a Senior Software Engineer at Pandora.We discuss: 0:32: What made him interested in computer science 6:56: How he got his current role 9:53: The interview process for software development 11:05: An overview of his role as a Software Engineer 13:59: What the training process was like 15:45: The team structure of projects 17:30: How social the role is 18:36: What a typical day is like 20:54: Opportunities for professional development

In this interview, Matt Petit describes his career path and role as a Foreign Service Officer and the Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council. He joined the foreign service in 2008 and has worked as a vice consul in India, as a desk officer in Somalia and Eritrea, and as the Deputy Chief of Political and Economic Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Zambia. Matt speaks Persian, Spanish, and some Russian, Armenian, Tamil, German, and French. We discuss: 0:40: Why he wanted to become a foreign service officer 3:00: The steps required to become a foreign service officer 6:36: Career options within foreign service  7:29: Why he chose to be on the political side of foreign service out of all of the options 7:53: Misconceptions about diplomacy 10:13: An overview of his role 13:14 What determines the length, location, and job function of different assignments 15:33: Different types of assignments 16:56: What training entails  18:57: What the team hierarchy looks like 24:20: Opportunities for moving up 26:23: Typical roles and responsibilities  30:49: Typical hours 35:24: How long people usually stay in the role  37:58: Advice

In this episode, Chris Tapia describes what he learned from his previous roles at Kearney, The North Highland Company, and Data Ventures and what he does in his current role as a Strategy Principal Director at Accenture. He received his undergraduate degree from Duke University in Mechanical Engineering and his MBA in New Product & Venture Development from MIT Sloan School of Management. We discuss 00:34 - What he learned were the biggest factors he did and didn't want in a job from his previous roles  1:36 - The type of company culture he wanted 2:06 - Why he switched jobs when he did 4:09 - How he got his current role 5:35 - How he chose which consulting firm he wanted to work for 7:22 - An overview of his role 8:25 - What he does more specifically  9:23 - Examples of projects he's worked on 9:48 - What supply chain strategy means 11:02- The typical steps to get a consulting role 13:01 - Why he was interested in supply chain consulting out of the other areas 14:03 - What a typical day looks like 16:12 - The typical length of a client project 17:14 - The standard steps of a project 18:02 - Examples of each step in a project 20:47 - What he likes about the role 22:11 - What he finds challenging about the role 23:33 - His typical hours 24:41 - How social the role is 25:34 - Advice  26:57 - What networking looks like to him

Sam Robinson talks about his career path and current role. He graduated summa cum laude from Furman University with a double major in history and philosophy and received his master's degree and Ph.D. in history from the University of California Berkley and is currently a content design manager at PayPal. We discuss:  0:00 - An overview of the major points along his career path and how he figured out what he wanted to do and handled setbacks  1:05 - Why he got a Ph.D. in History 5:02 - Why he switched career paths 7:25 - His experience with graduate school 8:27 - What a Ph.D. takes mentally 8:46 - His regrets about a Ph.D 9:53 - Why academia wasn't a good fit for him culturally 11:04 - His experience applying for postdoc jobs  13:14 - His jobs between graduate school and his current role  14:37 - How he got his role at PayPal 16:56 - Different names for content design roles 17:36 - An example of a content design project 18:12 - A description of what a UX writer does 21:31 - What he does as a manager 22:08 - What a typical day is like for him  28:18 - what he likes and finds challenging about his role 33:23 - Career advice 

Angelina Darrisaw describes her career path working at ESPN and Viacom and her current role as Founder & CEO of C-Suite Coach including: 0:00: An overview of the major stepping stones on her career path 2:01: Career advice  2:53: Her experience overcoming rejection  6:27: How she learned what she did and didn't want in a job 9:16: Misconceptions around working in media 9:37: Tips for increasing your salary 10:08: An overview of company C-Suite Coach 15:58: What her role entails 17:33: More career advice

Next in our entrepreneurship series, Kendall Scales Glade describes her career path and current role as Chief of Staff at Series Next Solutions. We discuss: 0:24 - The major steps on her career path including working as an auditor at Deloitte and at The Coca-Cola Company in financial roles for 11 years, before co-founding Series Next Solutions 2:15 - Why she chose to work at a large corporation like Coca-Cola for the career exploration support 9:31 - How the professional development opportunities at Coca-Cola led her to her current role 10:41 - An overview of her current company: Series Next Solutions 14:13 - What the transition was like for her switching from roles in large corporations to her roles in a startup  14:50 - How her previous roles prepared her for her entrepreneurship roles 16:01 - The personalities she is exposed to in entrepreneurship 16:35 - An overview of the main roles at her company 16:41 - What it's like working in a startup 17:45 - An overview of her role 20:51 - The challenges of her role and working in a startup 22:02 - What she likes about the role 22:29 - The company culture they have intentionally cultivated 23:37- Advice  23:49 - Career lessons 25:16 - How networking affected her career 26:38 - Things to look for in a role to see if it's a good fit

Dr. Michelle Higgins O.D., owner and optometrist at Insight EyeCare in Yarmouth, Maine describes her career path and her role. We discuss: 0:14 - An overview of the major steps on her way to her current role 1:14 - What interested her in optometry  5:29 - How she picked what type of optometry school she wanted to go to  6:46 - An overview of optometry school 7:58 - What she chose for her external rotations in graduate school 14: 59 - Tips for getting the most out of graduate school 15:49 - Details on her training  16:39 - Her first roles out of optometry school 18:41 - Overview of nursing home optometry 20:21 - How she chose her specialty  21:16 - Lessons she has learned on being a better practitioner  23:04 - Her experience opening her own practice 24:28 - What a typical week is like  25:19 - What an optometrist does 26:43 - What a typical day is like for her  30:07 - The benefits of being a generalist instead of a specialist in Eyecare 34:07 - Advice 

Josh Zipin describes his career path, his experience in entrepreneurship creating Handstand, and his current role as an Account Executive at Stripe including: The major steps on his career path How he started his own business How he pivoted when he was laid off The challenges he faced running his own business and how he tackled them What led him to switch companies when he did Advice on applying to jobs and how to spin your existing experience The roles and responsibilities in his current role   What a typical day can look like for him and how it can vary How his performance is measured What he likes about his role at Stripe How the company's mission is aligned with his interests Advice for anyone unfulfilled in their 9-5

Lauryn Albold describes her role as a Medical Assistant at a Dermatology Practice including: - 0:00: The steps she took to get this role - 1:35: The types of patient care in medicine and why she prefers outpatient care - 2:52: What experiences in college helped her decide what she wanted to do - 3:54: What she does as a medical assistant, including her typical roles and responsibilities - 5:35: Why she was interested in this role and dermatology specifically - 6:31: What a typical day is like - 8:27: What she likes about the role and finds challenging - 11:18: How this role is preparing her for her end goal of becoming a physicians assistant  - 13:14: Advice for those who want a similar role

Bryant Barr describes his career path and current role. He worked at Mercer as an Actuarial Analyst, at Nike as a Financial Analyst and Manager, founded Slyce, was the President of SC 30 Inc, and is now a Managing Partner at Penny Jar Capital.  We discuss: 0:00 His educational and professional background, including his prior jobs and what he learned from each Why he chose to go to business school and what his experience was like at Stanford His experience with entrepreneurship  7:00 How his experience led him to start Penny Jar Capital An overview of Penny Jar Capital 8:00 What he discovered he did and didn't want in a role through experience What he likes about running his own business 12:31 Overview of venture capital 14:22 Description of his main roles and responsibilities as a managing partner 17:39 An in-depth description of what he does and his typical schedule 21:57 Advice on how to set yourself up in college to go into venture capital

This week Ben Simonds, an Executive Recruiter at Spencer Stuart, describes his career path and current role including: The major stepping stones to getting his current role Why he was interested in this role The interview process The training process What his role entails How many projects he is on at a time What the typical timeline and process of each project he works on looks like How social the role is His typical schedule  What he likes and finds challenging Advice for those interested in a similar path and job seekers generally

This week David Farley describes his career path and current role as Principal at William Hough High School.  We discuss: His educational background Why he wanted to go into teaching  The typical steps to becoming a high school principal  His main roles and responsibilities  What a typical day is like for him What he likes about the role and finds challenging Advice for those who want to follow his path

Leo Tinkham, who has degrees from Bowdoin College, the University of Southern Maine - School of Business, and the Wharton School describes his path into and experience with angel investing including: What angel investing is How angel investing clubs operate How angel groups find companies to invest in The key factors he's learned from years of investing of how to pick what companies to invest in How angel investor pitches run The typical questions asked during pitches The typical steps to become an angel investor What the training and learning curve was like for him A backdoor into angel investing before someone has the $1 million required to become one The perks of angel investing clubs outside of the companies you can invest in How the backdoor into angel investing made him his first $1 million The typical schedule of an angel investor What he likes about the role and challenges His experience with luck and how his friend Reed Hastings recognizes his own luck in creating Netflix Characteristics important to be successful as an investor Things he knows now he wishes he knew when he started The most important factors to look at when investing: connections, self-sustainability, and off-ramps Paid job opportunities within angel investing clubs Why he chose to get out of angel investing after years in multiple clubs

This week Pete Benbow describes his career path and current role as a Business Intelligence Developer at Davidson College. We discuss: The major career steps in his career prior to this role How he got into data analysis with no experience Why he decided to demote himself to a lower role as he was climbing the ranks at a previous job The professional, economic, and personal factors that led him to switch jobs during his career including being medically discharged from the army, being laid off, and dropping out of law school The identity crisis he had when his career plans were forced to change Advice for those who are stressed about not knowing what to do for their career What his current role entails The characteristics of his role including technical skills, storytelling, and graphic design His typical day/week in the role How social the role is What he finds challenging in the role and what he enjoys Examples of projects he works on How he trained himself for this job with no prior data analysis experience Advice for those who want to get into a similar role and don't have experience

Carol Quillen, the 18th President of Davidson College, describes her career path and experience in the role. She talks about the important milestones, both educational and professional on her way to becoming president and gives advice to those who want to follow her path. She goes over: How she decided what she wanted to do Why she wanted to be a professor Her career path milestones Why she became president How she became president The typical process for someone to become president of a college What the training process was like Her major roles and responsibilities The typical schedule What she liked about the role and found challenging Advice for those going into leadership roles Advice for those interested in following a similar path

Gabby Delp describes her current role as a paralegal at Morgan & Morgan including: Background on her How she chose her career field Advice for getting work experience as undergraduate student The process to secure her current role as a paralegal The main roles and responsibilities she has What type of law she works in and examples of cases in this area Her process of completing case research tasks What a typical week is like in terms of tasks and hours What the training process was How social the role is What she likes and finds challenging about the role Important characteristics for the role How many cases she handles at a time and how she manages them Advice for those interested in a similar role How to secure a job when there isn't an active post for it

Peter Smith describes his career path including working for Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, EIG Global Energy Partners, and Brookfield Asset Management, and his current role in private equity as a director at EQT Group. He describes: His background and education How he decided what he wanted to do Why he switched from investment banking to private equity An overview of the similarities and differences between venture capital, private equity, and investment banking The typical path into private equity What his role entails The steps of a deal What the training process is like The weekly schedule in private equity compared to investment banking How social the role is What he likes and finds challenging about the role Advice for those who want a role in private equity

Drew Palermo describes her career path and current role as a Talent Acquisition Sourcer at Lithium at Albemarle Corporation. She describes: Her education background How she decided what she wanted to do Her current role and what it entails What she looks for when recruiting Her process in recruiting new hires How she got this job How she learned what wasn't a good fit for her What the training process was like for her What the learning curve was like What it's like working with a globally placed team What her schedule looks like How social the role is What she likes about the role Challenges of the role Opportunities for moving up Characteristics important for the role Advice

Kevin Blossfeld, a Technical Sales Associate at Parker Hannifin, describes how his career path and current role including: How his engineering background led him to this role Why he chose technical sales in engineering over a typical industry role An overview of what technical sales is The process to get his role and his interview process What the training is like An overview of his company and his role How he finds new business His pay structure What a typical day is like What he likes about the role and finds challenging Examples of situations he faces in the role The social aspects of the job Opportunities for moving up How much traveling the role entails Important characteristics of the role Advice

This week Jesse Adams, a Cardiologist at Baptist Health (KY) describes his career path and current role including (in chronological order): Why he got into this specific role His career steps from college to his current role An overview of the process and challenges of medical school and the Match program His biggest roles and responsibilities Areas within cardiology The most common things he does and problems he deals with What a typical day is like in the office and in the hospital His experience in research on biomarkers and why he switched to a more clinical role His typical hours Factors to consider when choosing what size hospital or practice to join to minimize hours on call What he likes and finds challenging about the job The nature of the role and social scene at his company Opportunities for moving up as a clinician and researcher The pay rates during different times during a doctor's career Important qualities to have in order to be successful General advice for those interested in a similar path

This week Jack Brem Smith, an Employment Law Attorney at Smith Law Firm describes his career path and current role. He talks about: His background Why he got into law Why he chose to be an attorney Why he chose employment law Different options within law What he likes about being a trial attorney Extracurriculars he did to prepare him for his career His career steps after law school How having a family changed his career path What a typical week is like His main roles and responsibilities The most common needs of his clients Examples of services he provides Typical hours of the role Expectations around developing your own practice as a new lawyer How he built his own practice the nature of the work Percent of time alone vs w/ ppl What he likes about the role and finds challenging Typical steps for moving up Important characteristics to be successful Advice

Todd Day describes his career path and current role as a registered nurse at CarePartners PACE. He describes: Education required to become a nurse His typical roles and responsibilities How he prepared for the license exam Limitations of the role What a typical day looks like/ typical schedule Career milestones for a nurse Job options w/in nursing What the training process was like What the learning curve was like What he likes about the job Challenges of the role Characteristics important for the role Opportunities for moving up

This week Ashley Henneberger describes her role as a Clinical Research Coordinator at the National Human Genome Research Institute. She describes: Overview of NIH: national institutes of health Why she wanted to work at the NIH How she got her current role Post-baccalaureate fellowship opportunities at the NIH What the interview process was like and how she prepared Describes what she does as a clinical research coordinator The clinical side vs the wet lab scientific research side of the NIH Her main roles and responsibilities What a typical day looks like for her in what she is doing and how much time she is spending on each role How she handled the novelty of the new role What the learning curve and training process was like What her weekly schedule looks like What being a contracted employee means for her hours How social the role is What she likes and finds challenging about the role How this role helped her understand her future career options What the social scene is like at her company Characteristics important for the role Advice for those interested in following a similar path

This week, Bob McKillop, who was the head coach of Davidson College's Men's Basketball team for 33 seasons describes his career path and what his role as head coach entailed including: - An overview of his basketball career - Why he wanted to be a coach - How he picked where he wanted to coach - What the process was like to become a head coach - How the roles differ between an assistant and head coach at a college level - What the learning curve was like for him at Davidson - How his coaching changed with experience - How the lessons of being a coach apply to all jobs - His roles and responsibilities as a coach - What his schedule looked like - Challenges he faced - How he learned to anchor himself to his values - His experience with balancing work and his personal life - How he remembers his core values - How he created a team culture - How he prepared for practices - Important roles off the court - Advice

This week Izzy Lozano describes her career path and current role as a marketing coordinator at QuintEvents including: Why she was interested in marketing How she found her current role Her current role A typical day for her including her biggest roles and responsibilities How she uses analytics to track the performance of her content What her technical interview entailed What the training process was like Her weekly schedule Opportunities for moving up What teams she works with What she likes and finds challenging about the role What the social scene is like Important characteristics for success in her role Advice for those interested in similar roles

This week Kate Auletta describes her career path and current role including: What made her interested in this field The roles she's had during her career How she approached the learning curve of her past jobs How she came back from losing her job during the Recession Her perspective on restarting as an intern after working a higher-up roles The typical responsibilities and schedule of her job What she likes and finds challenging about the role The nature of her job and this industry Characteristics important for success in her role Advice for applying to similar roles

This week Kathryn Carder describes her career path and current role as an Assistant Commercial Real Estate Property Manager at Boulos Asset Management. She describes: Why she chose property management over other areas of real estate Why she chose commercial real estate over residential What the job entails on a day-to-day basis, including her schedule and typical tasks What she likes about the job and finds challenging Differences and similarities between commercial and residential real estate, including a contrast of the opportunities for growth and types of clients Qualities important for the role and the nature of the role Advice for the interview and job application process, including how she got a job that wasn't posted at the time How she approached the learning curve of her role when she was new Factors to consider when picking a company