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Diversity Career Stories Healthcare

Counselor escapes batterer, founds organization to help others

After nearly becoming a battered woman herself, this brave professional began volunteering for a crisis center hotline, and then pursued a degree in counseling. After 12 years of experience as a licensed counselor, she is taking risks and forming her own non-profit organization to help others.

What is your job title? How many years of experience do you have in that field?
My job title is Director of a 501c3 nonprofit that I founded where I am also the counseling coordinator. I have a total of 18 years counseling experience. I have held a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology for the past 12 years. Some of the jobs I have had were working as a clinician in a county mental health crisis unit, clinical coordinator for a residential treatment program, and a college instructor teaching human services courses. I finally have started my own business in the field.

Would you describe what you do on a typical day?
I often act as a telephone counselor, advocate and resource provider to my clients. Typically clients contact me who are experiencing a traumatic event and feel hopeless about their situations, or believe they are being unjustly treated by their families and the bureaucracy in some capacity. Patience is key to discern where I can help. I always take notes and ask them questions. Part of the job is making caring suggestions to help my clients obtain their needs, goals and understand their own situations so that they may make better decisions. Someone recently wrote a letter about my organization and I had to type a letter back, at no cost to the client. Obtaining answers on their behalves is key; finding resources to contact is part of my job. Creating web contacts such as websites, writing groups online and newsletters keeps the ball rolling. I’m in the process of writing grants.

What is your ethnicity? What kinds of discrimination have you experienced?
I am Caucasian. As a female who obtained my M.A. degree later in life (in my 40’s) I have worked hard, been reliable, yet have never broken through the glass ceiling into management until I founded a nonprofit. I have experienced discrimination in pay in a job as Clinician in a psychiatric hospital. When I was offered the position over the phone at a certain rate of pay ($18/hour), I accepted. When I got my first paycheck I had only been paid $13/hour.

First I went to a few of my coworkers who held the same job position. My Caucasian male coworker told me he was hired in at $20/hour and I should not take less. My female coworker who was African American told me she was also hired at $18/hour and that they wound up paying her only $13/hour, like me. Her reason for accepting the discrepancy was that she “needed the job” and so she didn’t fight the pay arrangement.

When I went in to the HR department the lady who I accepted the job offer from denied the pay that she told me I would receive. I had not asked for a written offer. It was her word against mine. I was new on the job and no one wanted to fight this with me.

If you’ve experienced discrimination, in what ways have you responded and what response worked best?
I did try and open a complaint with the Fair Employment and Housing Department and the employer did not show up. They then made another appointment with me but due to my living some distance away I was unable to make the second appointment. Going to coworkers to check whether I was the only one who experienced this pay discrimination was the best thing I could have done first because I got their support and heard another story like mine.

Where you work, how well does your company do ‘equal opportunity’? Is management white and male? How are minorities perceived and treated?
We are totally equal opportunity in that we would hire anyone with a desire to work in our organization. I founded the nonprofit and so it is woman-owned with a male attorney and another female associate. They are working in this organization as a labor of love and because they have the skills we need, are willing to work for nothing only until we get enough funding to pay them for their work. Otherwise I normally have found work outside of the organization to pay the bills.

We work with a diverse group of clients who reside in countries around the world. Some are not English-speaking and so we have tried to use translation software or English-speaking interpreters through friends who work with us in other countries.

What don’t they teach in school that would’ve been helpful to you?
A master’s degree in counseling psychology also gives you job opportunities working as a social worker in some companies. Social work degrees have been around longer and so are more readily recognized and sometimes employers require potential employees hold a master’s degree in social work for a job. Counseling is a specialized field where you choose the kind of therapy provided to your clients. It is not always easy.

How did you get started in this line of work? If you could go back and do it differently, what would you change
I started as a volunteer on a domestic violence crisis line when I had a personal experience escaping a batterer. I worked every Monday afternoon for a year and received excellent crisis line counseling training. If I could change anything it would be to find out if a job position included a way that the candidate would receive the licensing supervision they need to become a licensed professional right from the start.

On a good day, when things are going well, can you give an example of something that really makes you feel good?
Yes, I was able to make phone calls for five hours straight one day navigating the senior citizen’s complaint I received where the client was unable to receive in-home care she was approved for. At the end of the day, I was able to find out that her choice of provider could get paid while going through the background check and agreed to start immediately. This senior went five months without her in-home care. Sometimes being able to listen carefully and care enough for the person to understand what the client says can add the fuel needed in a very personal crisis to reach a resolution. Knowing that I helped in the life of this elderly woman makes me very happy.

When nothing seems to go right, what kind of snafus do you handle and what do you dislike the most?

When people call during the day, I know I must be fully aware of whatever they are telling me. I get inundated with calls, and must prioritize my time and the resources our organization has. Sometimes a request for information sent to a client does not get sent immediately and so we have to spend some time reviewing what was sent, what was not sent and how we make it right with the client. A recent problem we had with the mail is that the company checking account was compromised. I had to spend time at the bank closing one account and opening another.

How stressful is your job? Are you able to maintain a comfortable or healthy work-life balance?
There is so much we want to accomplish with counseling clients, but we don’t have a budget to do so. We are doing what we can and providing individual contact to each person who calls or emails us. Our cases seem overly complex. There is no one agency that solves every person’s complaints. Not only do we provide emergency crisis line counseling and some suggested legal pointers, but we take details about their complaints.

Sometimes I am at work, but planning a mini-vacation. I enjoy buying locally grown veggies from the surrounding outdoor farmer’s markets. In these small ways I budget my time into mini-excursions as a break from the pressures of the job. Counseling provides a lot of satisfaction, but if you help so much without re-energizing your batteries you will burn out.

On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your job satisfaction? What would it take to increase that rating?
From a human perspective I am extremely happy with my job position. I love using my counseling skills in a company that I created. My biggest concern is growing my agency to pay other employees a living wage.

What’s a rough salary range for the position you hold? Are you paid enough considering your responsibilities?
The salary range for someone with a master’s degree in counseling psychology averages from $33,000 to $45,000 a year. At some point I will be paid the money I feel I deserve if we succeed in obtaining more funding for our organization. Generally speaking, I believe more should be paid for professional counseling.

What’s the most rewarding moment you’ve experienced in this position? Of all the things you’ve done at work, what are you most proud of?
One of my most rewarding moments was helping a teenager get some experience with what beauty school was like. She took me to a graduating class photo that hung on the wall of a beauty school she was thinking about attending. Just taking time to make sure she got to see the inside of a beauty school helped her determine what she would do once she was on her own.

Now I think I am most proud of stepping out on my own, after years of counseling experience, to start a nonprofit.

What’s the most challenging moment you’ve experienced? What would you prefer to forget?
I’ve had my share of challenging moments. Thinking of one I would prefer to forget would be the time I was suddenly propositioned by a client while in one of the offices where I worked. It was a nuisance more than anything. I was young in my field and thrown by the unexpected comments. Rather than expecting these surprises and having something I could say and redirect the man back to the counseling session, I called other staff to have someone remove him from my office and that was the end of my counseling relationship with that client. As I grew in the field I learned more about how to handle these kinds of clients, and it takes self-honesty and a willing spirit to recognize my own imperfections yet still be able to learn from experience.

What education and skills do you need to get hired and succeed in this field?
Becoming a professional counselor usually requires a master’s degree. In Ohio, for example, you might choose to become a licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor with your master’s degree. This requires 4,000 hours working as a substance abuse counselor and taking a state exam. You might instead decide to become a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist that requires having a licensed supervisor sign off on your 3,000 hour requirement.

As part of your academic requirements, a master’s degree in counseling typically requires you to receive your own therapy for at least 40 hours in order to understand the therapist-client relationship. You will learn about yourself, how you handle problems, what your strengths and weaknesses are and how your personality traits can help someone else.

What would you tell a friend considering your line of work?
I would tell a friend to decide if they want to stop at earning a Master’s degree, or go on to get licensed. They might also decide to pursue a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy Degree) or PsyD (Doctor of Psychology Degree) where they could become licensed at the doctorate degree level. There is a wide variety of employment available to counselors with a master’s degree. Some jobs would be working as a hospital case manager, school counselor, university instructor, provide counseling in a nonprofit, work in a foster family agency, become a mental health advocate for hospital patients, mentor a church group, work for the county or state, have a talk show, author books, become a community group or individual therapist at a number of behavioral health and substance abuse centers, work as a police therapist, or continue your education to become a licensed psychologist.

How much vacation do you take? Is it enough?
I take two weeks vacation a year and it is not enough for me. I find myself taking “mini vacations” with friends at dinner, farmer’s markets, cooking and spending time away from the phone and internet.

Are there any common myths you want to correct about what you do?
Yes, the field of counseling is not solely for the purpose of a counselor to solve their own psychological problems. It may provide a needed activity to help fight injustice that counselors find rewarding. Like school teachers, police officers and nurses, counseling provides a service to make society better.

Does this job move your heart? If not, what does?
Definitely! This is truly wonderful and fulfilling to talk with another human being, and build a trusting interpersonal relationship where you can help that person navigate psychological pain . Through this, you can turn that pain into a positive thing in their lives, and help them resolve their problems. It is like being a healer or a spiritual counselor.

If you could write your own ticket, what would you like to be doing in five years?
Having a successful nonprofit agency that has the funding to hire other trained counselors, with more of a legal department to fight for justice in the world.

Is there anything unique about your situation that readers should know when considering your experiences or accomplishments?
Yes, I have had to start my own company to solve world problems. I wanted to design a program I couldn’t design in another company and had to branch out to resolve it. My nonprofit works with people who are far-reaching in every corner of the world and we solve problems that requires creative problem-solving. Sometimes when you are unhappy in the environment you find yourself working in you must strike out and find what makes you truly happy. If you plan it right and get some education around what needs to be solved, you may find endless employment possibilities for your degree in counseling psychology.

Categories
Diversity Career Stories Philanthropy

Data analyst pushes past personal weaknesses: finds inner-confidence and success

Only two years into her career, this data analyst has already overcome academic discrimination, achieved international recognition for her research, and has earned a management role with her non-profit organization. She shares how she must often push herself outside her comfort zone to project confidence and strength professionally in order to stay on a path of success.

What is your job title and what industry do you work in? How many years of experience do you have in that field?
I work as a data analyst for a non-profit social research organization. I’m young and new to the field, having worked in my current position for 2 years.

Would you describe the things you do on a typical day?
I work for several grants and my work is largely project based. Currently, I split my schedule into thirds. I spend a third of my day consulting with psychologists and project managers about how to improve the research tools they are creating for a new grant. I spend a third of my day working on data analysis projects for research papers. I spend the last third of my day creating a data management flow structure for one of our newest grants.

In addition to these tasks, I was recently promoted to a management position. Throughout the day, I coach and direct a team of data management staff members that input data, assist me in basic programming, and check the accuracy of incoming data.

What’s your ethnicity and gender? How has it hurt or helped you? If you ever experienced discrimination, how have you responded and what response worked best?
Being a woman has its challenges in a technical field. Luckily, I faced discrimination at my university and was forced to confront it and learn from it there, and had some amazing mentors. Social scientists tend to be highly sensitized to race and gender discrimination, which makes it far less of a problem in my current position.

Understanding my own reaction to discrimination was important to getting my job. I have a “cute” disposition and a very feminine voice. In college, people rarely took me seriously or considered me a worthy contender in the classroom. It took time and mentoring for me to learn that the issue was theirs, not mine, and to not cast doubt on myself in response to their evaluations.

If I had doubted myself, I wouldn’t have gotten my job, or taken on the scary-sounding assignments that ultimately got me raises and a promotion. I am not strong, direct, and confident naturally, but I work hard at fostering these traits in myself. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to flourish in this work environment.

On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your job satisfaction? What would it take to increase that rating?
I would rate my job satisfaction as a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10. I work with incredible people and an amazing body of work. Despite the freedom I have, I take my work home a lot, and tend to carry a lot of hours. If I worked with another person who had skills similar to myself, who I could trust to handle some of my workload, I think my job would be an 8 or 9.

What did you learn the hard way in this job and how did that happen?
I learned the value of solid reporting skills the hard way. I had one project manager who gave me an incredibly difficult project, requiring hours of complex mathematics. I focused so much on the math that I didn’t notice some labeling problems, poor report formatting, and typos.

The project manager had little understanding when it came to theoretical mathematics; her job was to manage the grant. She didn’t understand what I had done mathematically, so couldn’t see the hard work and brilliance that I had put into it. What she did see was a shoddy, confusing report containing typos and errors. She wasn’t exactly eager to work with me after that.

I took classes on report writing and word processing to improve this. Writing and communication skills, not obscure technical strengths, are what ultimately got me raises and promotions.

What don’t they teach in school that would’ve been helpful to you?
In general, school didn’t prepare me for the complexity of reality. Math problems in textbooks, even very advanced textbooks, are child’s play compared to real data sets and actual problems.

They also did not teach me the importance of fearlessly asking questions. I am successful because I get out of my comfort zone and am not afraid to ask for what I want. The worst thing that can happen when you ask for something big is that you’re told no, and I was surprised how many times I was actually told yes. This realization made all the difference for me. Often, people doubt their worth and settle gratefully for the status quo.

How did you get started in this line of work? If you could go back and do it differently, what would you change?
I got started in this field unexpectedly. I graduated just as the U.S. economy began to fall into crisis. Basically, desperation goaded me into applying for a position that seemed above my skill set as a new graduate with no experience, and out of alignment with my own career goals. I’m glad I did it because the experience has been invaluable.

What’s the strangest thing that ever happened to you in this job?
When my boss asked me to help her hire new subject interviewers, I experienced the strangest moment of my job. The interviewers have to deal with people that can be intimidating, violent, mentally ill, or simply horrendously rude, so my boss asked me to “act like a subject with an array of problems” in a mock-interview. This was nowhere near my job description, and I’d never acted before, but it was a hilarious and fun day.

On a good day when things are going well, can you give an example of something that really makes you feel good?
When the employees that I supervise succeed and do well, I feel good. It makes my work much easier, and, since I find management and training to be the most challenging aspects of my work, it makes me feel successful.

What do you dislike the most about your job?

The worst aspect of my job is hiring, disciplining and firing employees. Luckily, I’ve only ever had to fire one person.

How stressful is your job? Are you able to maintain a comfortable or healthy work-life balance?
Currently, my work is incredibly stressful. I work with academic, research-oriented professionals that are on career-building warpaths. That mindset tends to disseminate into the very fiber of the company, and I feel that stress regularly.

What’s a rough salary range for the position you hold? Are you paid enough considering your responsibilities?
In the non-profit sector, people in positions like mine generally start out at something like $30,000 per year, and, unless you have a PhD, you’ll probably top out at around $45,000. Social sciences don’t pay well, and the same skill set is worth much more in a for-profit environment. Nonetheless, it’s a great way to get experience in the field, gain proficiency, develop a portfolio or CV, network, get published, and start a career.

What’s the most rewarding moment you’ve experienced in this position? Of all the things you’ve done at work, what are you most proud of?

I’ve created amazing programs and solved pernicious data flow problems. I am most proud of my accomplishments with challenging data sets. Earning the respect of leaders in the field, and networking globally due to my success has been very rewarding.

What’s the most challenging moment you’ve experienced? What would you prefer to forget?
Managing others, and being responsible for their success or failure, is definitely the most challenging job I have ever had. My most challenging moment came when an employee directly defied my request and insulted me in front of other employees. They were all looking at me, expecting me to do something, and I just shrugged it off and did nothing. My boss expected me to fire her due to this and some other problems, and it was hard to confront her, especially since I had not disciplined her or corrected her problems on the spot. Avoidance is the worst form of management and backfires in the long run.

What education and skills do you need to get hired and succeed in this field?
Analysis is a broad field with varied application. To get hired, you need a background in mathematics, computer science, or disciplines that emphasize statistical and modeling work. My ability to think critically and grapple with complex problems helped me succeed in analysis. However, the most important skill I developed was the ability to communicate clearly and concisely to a variety of people about technical material.

What would you tell a friend considering your line of work?
I would tell a friend considering my line of work that working in a research environment requires a significant investment with little immediate compensation. If you are passionate about the work and want to get somewhere, you’ve got to volunteer for projects and go beyond the basic requirements.

How much vacation do you take? Is it enough?
My job has amazing benefits. A lot of non-profits do, because they know that they can’t pay employees competitively. I get 6 paid weeks of vacation per year and I take advantage of every minute of it.

Are there any common misunderstandings you want to correct about what you do?
Many people tend to think that analysts and others in technical positions are introverted geeks who lack communicative abilities and can do nothing about it. I am not naturally an extroverted person, but I’ve worked hard to improve my networking, public speaking, and teamwork skills. It can be learned like anything else, and it is an essential part of any career track.

Does this job move your heart? If not, what does?
While I am fascinated with problem solving and enjoy my job, I don’t believe I have the aggressive commitment to this field that some of my mentors do. Some of them live for social research. I love traveling, rock climbing, and working with disadvantaged populations in ways that empower them. I look at my job as a way of supporting the purposes of my life, not as the purpose in and of itself.

If you could write your own ticket, what would you like to be doing in five years?
If I could do anything in the next 5 years, I’d want to travel and apply my education and problem solving skills to work with disadvantaged communities, helping them to build and create solutions to problems such as water needs and sanitation development. It’s a major shift from my current work, but our research points to the importance of communities banding together and finding answers, and I’d like to do more than merely crunch numbers about it. I see myself shifting away from analysis, despite how enjoyable it’s been.

Is there anything unique about your situation that readers should know when considering your experiences or accomplishments?

I am successful because I get out of my comfort zone and am not afraid to ask for what I want. Often, people doubt their worth and settle gratefully for the status quo. The worst thing that can happen when you ask for something big is that you’re told no, and I was surprised how many times I was actually told yes. This realization made all the difference for me.

Categories
Diversity Career Stories Education

Director of after school program strives to change lives, despite oppressive management

This professional spent 10 years as a chemist, and four years in Christian children’s ministry before moving his family to take a job as the director of an after-school program in an impoverished area in the US. He shares his frustration that his ability to create change is limited by management, and explains that in an area that is so depressed, short-term impact is minimal. Despite this, he holds to the hope that long-term change is possible through the children with whom he works.

What is your job title and what industry do you work in? How many years of experience do you have in that field?
I am currently a director for a non-religious after-school program (6 months). Before that I was a children’s pastor for four years, and before than I was a chemist (organic synthesis and analytical) for almost 10 years.

Would you describe what you do on a typical day?
I plan programming for about 50 children (ages 6-13) each day after school. Other staff, volunteers, and I help children with homework, facilitate discussions about character and leadership, do arts and crafts, and play sports outside.

On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your job satisfaction? What would it take to increase that rating?
I would say a 5 out of 10. I love being with the children, but I have a boss who, though talented in some aspects, is a micro-manager in many areas. I often feel belittled and devalued. I would love to be more free to make decisions that would have a meaningful impact on my kids, but much of the policies that are directed to me are about making things look good to outsiders.

What did you learn the hard way in this job and how did that happen?
In my job as a children’s pastor, I learned that I needed to empower others to work, and give others freedom to make decisions. I had a good friend who was a volunteer under me, and once when I was talking to him about how I wanted things to go, he said, “You know, I am feeling really micromanaged.” He was absolutely right. I was glad that he felt comfortable giving me honest feedback.

What don’t they teach in school that would’ve been helpful to you?
They didn’t teach the importance of putting together presentations that razzle and dazzle, even when you have to be creative with the use of your data.

How did you get started in this line of work? If you could go back and do it differently, what would you change?
I wanted to be a chemist since I was in the 4th grade, and pursued that for a long time. I joined the staff at our church after volunteering for a long time. We (my wife and I) were continually asked to take on more and more leadership roles, and then the next step was that we needed to be paid for the full-time work that was needed.

I heard about the job at the after school program through some partnerships that our church developed.

I wouldn’t change a thing. Even though I’ve worked in three very different work environments, I learned a lot at each step that shaped me into who I am.

What’s the strangest thing that ever happened to you in this job?
My first few weeks in the after school program, I was thrown off by how little emotional self-control many of the boys had. I could not figure out why boys (even at ages 8 – 13) would pull their shirts over their heads and cry violently when they got upset.

On a good day, when things are going well, what’s happening and what do you like about it?
I love being able to have heart-to-heart conversations with the kids, and to learn about their lives — their families, backgrounds, and so on.

When nothing seems to go right, what kind of snafus do you handle and what do you dislike the most?
There are some days where the kids are extra whiny and unkind. I hate having to take most of my time to deal with a few children who are disrupting the rest of the programming.

How stressful is your job? Are you able to maintain a comfortable or healthy work-life balance?
I love being with the kids. The stressful part is my relationship with my boss.

The job can be pretty consuming; even if I’m not actively working, I’m thinking about what needs to get done.

What’s a rough salary range for the position you hold? Are you paid enough considering your responsibilities?
$16,000 for the year; the job is part-time. I think it’s way underpaid, not just for the hourly rate, but for all the extra hours I put in and for the responsibilities I have.

What’s the most rewarding moment you’ve experienced in this position? Of all the things you’ve done at work, what are you most proud of?
The most rewarding moments are when I see a child make a positive choice (not fight, do homework, eat healthily, etc) because of something I taught them.

What’s the most challenging moment you’ve experienced? What would you prefer to forget?
Seeing kids fight with each other out of anger. I look back and wonder how I could have prevented it.

What education and skills do you need to get hired and succeed in this field?
Experience with kids is a must!

What would you tell a friend considering your line of work?
Always remind yourself why you are doing it. It will be a huge amount of work and little immediate reward.

How much vacation do you take? Is it enough?
I work whenever there is school (and all day through the summer). I have not taken any extra vacation, but would like to.

Are there any common myths you want to correct about what you do?
Not that I know of.

Does this job move your heart? If not, what does?
Yes, absolutely. The pay is not enough to retain someone who isn’t passionate about the mission of changing lives.

If you could write your own ticket, what would you like to be doing in five years?
Writing and coaching others about working with kids (including parenting.)

Is there anything unique about your situation that readers should know when considering your experiences or accomplishments?
I work in the most under-resourced county in the state. The area has horrible statistics (teen pregnancy, education, family situations, poor governmental leadership as a whole, etc). I have to see this as a 20 year mission, not a 1 year one.

Categories
Diversity Career Stories Healthcare

Mental health counselor changes lives despite government red tape

This counselor, with 12 years of experience, tells how she was drawn into the counseling field through personal emotional hardships, and how no day is typical when dealing with the mentally ill.

What is your job title, and how many years of experience do you have in this field?
I have been working in a community mental health agency for 12 years. I was hired as a counselor in recovery services. Three years ago I became coordinator of recovery services. I found being “just” a counselor more enjoyable than being a coordinator. I had more time to spend with clients, less paperwork, and about a hundred fewer meetings per week.

The focus of my work is helping people diagnosed with severe, persistent mental illness. The people I counsel are learning to manage diagnoses such as clinical depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive and panic disorders. Many of our clients also struggle with a personality disorder, and several have a “duel diagnosis,” meaning they have substance abuse issues and a mental illness.

In this field, the word recovery expresses the idea that people with mental illness (or MI) can have meaningful, productive lives even though their symptoms persist. In our recovery program, members come to our facility one to five days per week. Each day they receive five hours of group and individual counseling, life skills training, and interaction with peers.

Would you describe the things you do on a typical day?
One of the things I love about my job is that there is no such thing as a typical day. Although we have a weekly schedule of activities, you never know what is going to come up when with a group of 25-30 people who have mental illness.

I arrive in my office about 8:00 a.m., make coffee (top priority), and tackle some paperwork. I actually know one coworker that loves doing paperwork – the rest of us just do it to get by. From nine until noon I run groups, have individual sessions, consult with colleagues, or have meetings to attend.

I enjoy eating lunch with the clients. You’d be surprised how much therapy you can sneak in while laughing with your mouth full and chatting about “stuff.” During the afternoon, I perform the same activities as in the morning. Clients go home at 3:00 p.m. Then there is time to make and return phone calls, write treatment plans, assessments, chart notes, and talk about important (and unimportant things) with coworkers.

Now, throw into that nice neat schedule, a client who admits they’ve been out of medication for three days, another who is boiling over because his or her lunch was stolen (we usually find it), one more who is in tears over something said in a group, and someone who pulls up their sleeves to reveal fresh cuts (self-injury). All of that can transpire within one hour.

On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your job satisfaction? What would it take to increase that rating?
I will say 7.725.

Community mental health is becoming a managed care system. To increase that satisfaction number …the amount of paperwork required will have to return to the realm of common sense. If we say that a client took a breath, the state (Medicaid) wants proof. You can be sure I am not the only person who whines about this.

There is also the matter of salary. I took my job knowing that getting wealthy while working at a nonprofit agency is an anomaly. The salary range is below average compared to other professionals with a masters degree. New teachers have a higher starting salary than fledgling mental health counselors. Everyone knows life isn’t fair, but that doesn’t make it less annoying.

What did you learn the hard way in this job and how did that happen?
I worked with a gentleman, Ben, for the first 3 1/2 years of my counseling career. He was extremely anxious, depressed, and had social phobia. However, Ben had faith in therapy. We met weekly, and he participated in many groups I facilitated. I put hours of effort into helping him see how his distorted thoughts were the reason for most of his anxiety. Hours, I tell you.

He came into my office one morning with an ear-to-ear smile. He opened the book in his hand to a dog-eared page and read a paragraph explaining how our thoughts affect our emotions and feelings. Then he looked up and said, “I had a revelation when I read this, it explains my problem! It’s the way I think about things that triggers my anxiety. I wish you had told me.”

Now, I laugh. In that moment, I wanted to strangle him. (He’s still alive.) I realized that my efforts were not necessarily going to be rewarded with appreciation. My gems of insightfulness may not open my client’s eyes, but a stupid paragraph in a library book might. One of my supervisors had told me this job is basically to plant seeds in others. The seeds may or may not grow. If they do grow, it will be when that person is ready.

What don’t they teach in school that would have helped you?
A couple things come to mind. I wish they had warned us how utterly clueless we were going to feel sitting across from our first client. Even though I had been through a year-long internship, it is different when you are the responsible go-to person for someone. From talking to many other counselors, I discovered this is a natural part of the process for most newbies.

The second thing is this. In school you learn theory, counseling ethics and skills, how to build trust and how to help people help themselves. What no one ever said was, “To be good at this you have to relax into the skills and let your personality shine through.” I discovered over time I needed to give the work my unique imprint to be effective. It is a fine line to walk – a balance of objectivity and letting your personality sparkle. I should add that some therapists may not agree with this; but I wouldn’t go to them for help.

How did you get started in this line of work? If you could back and do it differently, what would you change
I am in this field partly because of a divorce, and also because I felt I was marking time at my former job. My husband did not want to try marriage counseling although I dragged him to three sessions of futility. When I realized the break-up was going to happen, it opened my inner Pandora’s Box, and I started individual therapy.

The therapy process captured my interest right away, and I wanted to learn more about it. From the time I started talking about going back to school for a masters, until I actually stepped foot in a classroom, was three years. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t changing professions because my therapist, Dave, had awesome blue eyes. The desire to become a counselor stayed with me, even after the inevitable crush on my therapist faded, and I went back to school.

I wouldn’t change anything, but wish I had gone on to earn my doctorate (PsyD) after getting the masters. I could go back to school now, but no longer have the drive to work and go to classes and write a lot of papers.

What is the strangest thing that ever happened to you in this job?
There are people pacing, laughing, and talking to themselves on a daily basis where I work. It takes a lot for something to be strange. Really, the strangest moments are when a client who has worn black pants and a white shirt for thirty years walks into the program one day sporting blue shirt and khakis. Or, a woman who did not speak for seven years starts a conversation during lunch. Those are the things that make my jaw drop.

Another example is Pat, a long-term client with Schizophrenia. For years, during art group, he painted pictures using black, brown, and dark blue acrylics. Usually, by the time he finished painting, all you could see was black. Then, in an otherwise ordinary art group, Pat picked up a brush and painted with bright colors. He never went back to drab.

I have run poetry writing groups at work. During one session Eve, who rarely said more than two or three words at a time, came into the group and started writing. When it was her turn to share we thought she would pass. Instead, she read the beautiful, touching poem she had just written. Talk about a stunned silence.

On a good day when things are going well, can you give an example of something that really makes you feel good?
I really enjoy running group sessions, especially when I’m in the “zone.” Facilitating an interesting, lively group that stimulates exchanges between participants gives me a counselor-high.

Sometimes good groups seem to happen spontaneously. One person says something that clicks with someone else, starting a chain reaction and getting everyone involved. During groups like that, I feel as if I’m conducting group energy. The clients are helping one another, and I am there to keep the group from disintegrating into noise.

There are also groups that shine because I am in the flow, working at the top of my game. I pick up on the subtlest cues, am sage and insightful about their issues, and …you would not believe the pearls of wisdom that fly out of my mouth. I stay humble because most of the pearls fall on the floor and are vacuumed up by the cleaning service.

When nothing seems to go right, what kind of snafus do you handle and what do you dislike the most?
Most snafus I deal with originate in my own mouth, especially on days where my neurons seem to fire in the wrong sequence. I have laughed at funny client stories that weren’t meant to be funny. I have joked around with clients and gone a micro-byte too far. Sometimes a client will come to see me after three days of despair over a comment I made in a previous group.

I really dislike times when my foot goes in my mouth so far, my inner shame-o-meter buzzes me with embarrassment. Then I need to get a grip and apologize.

The good news is that you can turn any snafu into a therapeutic learning situation. I have been a role model by apologizing for my stupidity several times. By talking through the situation with the offended party, they learn conflict management skills. You really can’t say the wrong thing as long as you use it to the client’s advantage. However, clients are people. Some of them are slow to let go of my mistakes.

How stressful is your job, and are you able to maintain a comfortable or healthy work-life balance?
When you work in an all day program as I do, you are always “on” because things can change so quickly. I enjoy this constant simmer of activity, so being with the clients is stressful in a good way. The stress level in general has risen over the past 4 years because of constant policy changes due to our state budget deficit.

I use some of my vacation time to create long weekends. It allows me to regularly enjoy activities I like, such as writing poetry, reading, and doing nothing. A perfect balance for me would be a four day work week, every week. Come to think of it, three days would be even better, but back to reality.

What is a rough salary range for the position you hold? Are you paid enough considering your responsibilities
I mentioned earlier the pay scale in community mental health is low in comparison to other professionals with comparable education. I support myself and 3 spoiled cats. Discretionary money is limited, but by living simply I’ve made it work. Since I was promoted, finances are less of a concern.

A starting salary for an entry level counselor, without a license, can be anywhere from $14 – $25 per hour. Right now a licensed counselor will find offers from $23,000 – $35,000 per year in nonprofit agencies, depending on experience. That is not a lot of money if you have auto and student loan payments on top of other expenses.

Middle management positions, like mine, pay in the $36,000 – $55,000 range. These numbers are derived from positions that are currently being advertised online, and from the shared experience of other licensed counselors.

What is the most rewarding moment you’ve experienced in the position? Of all the things you’ve done at work, what are you most proud of?
It is more accurate to say that I have had many small rewarding moments. Sometimes a client will say, “That was a great group, I got a lot out of it,” or a client will come in early and make a pot of coffee for me. Several times the people on my case load have given me a birthday card they made, loaded with short passages about how stupendous I am, and to give me a hard time about getting older.

My favorite reward? Those moments when I see the light bulb turn on in someone’s mind. I’m witnessing the birth of an insight or awareness that up until then eluded him or her. The look of wonder on his or her face is priceless.

It’s hard to think of one thing I am most proud of. It might be the day one client was experiencing explosive diarrhea, and I resisted the urge to call in a HAZMAT team.

What is the most challenging moment you’ve experienced in this position? What would you prefer to forget?

It is emotionally challenging to put someone into a psych hospital against their will. Even if they are clearly a danger to themselves or others, it’s an unpleasant task. None of us like calling 911 and petitioning for a commitment while the client is begging us not to. It feels as if you are betraying them even though need help. One of my clients, Terry, became so aggressive when the paramedics arrived, it took all three of them, and a policeman, to strap her down. Usually, it is not that dramatic, but it’s always uncomfortable.

The most challenging experience is when a client takes his or her life. I’ve experienced it 4 times in 12 years. When a client commits suicide, I use all the cognitive skills I have taught others, to avoid the pit of guilt and mud hole of what-ifs. The reality is, when someone really wants to die they do not give others an opportunity to prevent it. Every therapist knows the warning signs but sometimes there are none.

I can’t think of anything I’d prefer to forget except the times I had to carry out a treatment intervention I did not agree with. It’s hard to tell someone, “You’re suspended from the program for a week because you had sex in the bathroom with Susie,” if you don’t believe it is an effective consequence. And yes, that did happen.

What education and skills do you need to get hired and succeed in this field?
To be a licensed mental health counselor, a masters degree is required. Most agencies expect their employees to be licensed, or eligible to take the required exam. States have different requirements for obtaining a license. My license gives me the authority to sign treatment plans and assessments, bill insurance companies, and to supervise others. To keep my license, I’m required to take continuing education courses a few times each year.

The counselors where I work each bring different strengths and skills to the table. I am not a good practical problem solver, but one of my coworkers is, so we compliment each other. However, we all posses an ability to keep going without frequent accolades, to set aside personal interests and agendas to mirror others, and have average or better emotional management skills. Oh, we’re all able to empathize, and have a working sense of humor.

What would you tell a friend considering you’re line of work?
If my friend had the luxury of time, I would suggest volunteering at a mental health facility to experience working with the chronically mentally ill. I would tell him or her to consider their material desires and if the income opportunities are equal to the lifestyle they want.

I would say, “In this field, you will impact peoples lives for the better, and you will feel extremely frustrated with slow progress, or no progress. You may clearly see what a client needs to do in order to reach their treatment goals. They may disagree and do what they think is best. You might work with a diamond in the rough – one that is still basically a piece of coal – but one day will get a job, have friends, and be fun to talk to.”

How much vacation do you take? Is it enough?
For 7 years, I earned 3 paid-time-off (PTO) days per month for vacation and sick days. I stayed healthy, so had just enough vacation time. Now I earn five days PTO per month. It gives me plenty of hours off.

In the past five years, I never used all my available vacation time. I can carry 70 hours into the next year, and until recently the agency “bought back” unused PTO time, up to a certain amount. I often saved some hours for the buy back and used the extra money to pay my car insurance and buy toys for my cats.

Are there any common misunderstandings you want to correct about what you do?
Everyone that spends time volunteering or working in our program says the same thing, “The clients are just people, I don’t know why I thought they weren’t.” People with mental illness, even those with Schizophrenia, are all unique individuals. Most of them have a great sense of humor, express empathy and compassion toward others, and just want to be loved and appreciated. Most of them hope to be “normal.” I keep telling them that I’ve never met anyone normal.

Though their problems are severe, a counselor develops a relationship with recovery clients as they do with higher functioning people coming for an hour of therapy. Our clients are expected to learn skills and practice living more independently. It’s a place where they are taught, encouraged, and challenged. If I am doing a good job, my clients do not always like me.

Progress is measured by infrequent baby steps (most of the time). Alice taking a shower two times a week instead of one is a major accomplishment. Someone with social phobia and anxiety saying one sentence during a group can be a milestone. For other clients, walking away from someone they are angry with is reason enough for fireworks.

Does this job move your heart? If not, what does?
The clients I work with have often moved my heart. At times, I have felt a powerful tenderness or affection for one or more of them. What they share is sometimes heart wrenching, yet …the clients are fun and delightful to work with. They have different problems than I do, and a harder time functioning in this world, but I consider them equals.

I can give you an example of a time a client touched my heart. Tom had Schizophrenia. He developed symptoms at age 23 and since then lives with family. Even with strong medication his symptoms are profound. He was in my office one morning and started telling me about the years before his diagnosis. Tom had graduated high school, become a licensed pilot and had his own profitable vending machine company.

What brought tears to my eyes was his clear recollection of what he was like then, compared to what he is able to accomplish today. His eyes lit up when he talked about flying and how proud he was to have his own business. Then his face dropped and he shrugged his shoulders. He was saying, “Now look at me.”

If you could write your own ticket, what would you like to be doing in five years?
I would like to be living in a tree house just off a beach, writing poetry, and snorkeling.

Let me add that if I have the means to live that way I will use some of it to set up supported housing for people with chronic mental illness. The housing would look and feel like a home. No institutions or bare apartments. The people living there would share responsibilities. Some homes would have professionals living on site.

This would address several problems that people with mental illness face, such as finding affordable housing. It would help them feel less like second-class citizens and relieve some of the stigma they feel. For many, it would provide a family life that they may not otherwise have. They would hopefully feel accepted and safe.

Is there anything unique about your situation that readers should know when considering your experiences or accomplishments?
Six years ago, I set up a private part time practice to provide individual outpatient counseling. Unfortunately, meeting with four to six individual clients in a row drove me crazy. It takes a different set of traits to do that kind of therapy than to do what is done in recovery services. I am saying this because there are many different niches for counselors to fit into. One you may adore while another may seem worse than having a root canal.

I don’t think anyone knows what recovery services will look like even two years from now. At some point the changes will settle down, maybe for several years, then change will come again. I do know that the need for these services will persist, as will the incredible spirit of people contending with mental illness in a society that does not want to see them.

Categories
Customer Service Diversity Career Stories

Customer service manager combats sexism with professionalism and hard work

This female customer service manager with more than 14 years experience in the high-tech industry shares how she has been treated differently in the workplace because she is a woman. She also explains how the death of one of her team members was life-changing.

What is your job title and what industry do you work in? How many years of experience do you have in that field?
My job title is Customer Support Manager in the high-tech industry, and I am in my fourth year in this position.

Would you describe the things you do on a typical day?
Aside from reading and answering the flood of email, my most important job responsibility is to build effective professional relationships with my colleagues. Most of my peers are in other geographic locations, and we have never met face to face. Since our job responsibilities are interconnected, we spend our time solving various problems and finding solutions that benefit multiple groups. Meetings take up roughly half of each day and the rest of the day is spent ensuring that my team has everything they need to support the customers who call us.

What’s your ethnicity and gender? How has it hurt or helped you? If you ever experienced discrimination, how have you responded and what response worked best?
I am a Caucasian female and have always worked in the male-dominated high-tech industry. Discrimination has impacted me only a couple of times in a 14 year career, and I handled it by confronting the person who believed they were superior to me. The most important facet of responding is self respect. I will not allow anyone to treat me unprofessionally, and the ones who have tried, never do so again.

Do you speak any language other than English? If so, how has it helped you in your job?
I speak English, and I am very careful to speak it very well and without any expletives. Communication skills are the single most important job skill because every person is judged by their writing and speaking abilities.

On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your job satisfaction? What would it take to increase that rating?
I would rate my current job satisfaction as a five because I have not yet reached my goal of becoming an operations manager. I enjoy working on the business operation side because process improvement makes every job easier and more enjoyable.

What did you learn the hard way in this job and how did that happen?
I have learned that the good old boy network is still alive and well in the twenty-first century. Women still have to work twice as hard as our male counterparts, and the conversations that happen in our absence do not resemble the ones when we are present.

What don’t they teach in school that would’ve been helpful to you?
The fine art of influence would have been immeasurably valuable because every workplace has a currency of cooperation. People who are good at working with other people are effective because they know how to exchange help to someone else for what they need. Mastering this art can revolutionize a professional’s effectiveness in the workplace.

How did you get started in this line of work? If you could go back and do it differently, what would you change?
I was willing to start at the very bottom for a lower salary than I had to because of the company that hired me after college graduation. In a slow economy, those stepping stones are critical to the subsequent steps. The one decision I would change was the location of my first job which greatly impacted the first two years of my career.

What’s the strangest thing that ever happened to you in this job?
The strangest thing that ever happened in this job was when I walked into a fellow manager’s office and found one of his team members lying on the floor writhing in pain. I walked out of the office door just as the ambulance team walked down the hall. About an hour later we learned that he had a kidney stone.

On a good day when things are going well, can you give an example of something that really makes you feel good?
I really enjoy watching my team take care of a day with a high volume of phone calls when they do not need my help at all. Each person is very good at their job, and they have been trained well. When they handle the customer calls without me, I know that I have done my job.

When nothing seems to go right, what kind of snafus do you handle and what do you dislike the most?
When every computer and phone system fails on the same day, I want to close my door and ignore the frustration out on the floor. Multiple internal support groups are responsible for maintaining those systems, and the days we are unable to respond to customers because of technical issues on our end are the most frustrating.

How stressful is your job? Are you able to maintain a comfortable or healthy work-life balance?
Stress on the job comes from allowing other people to imply too many expectations. I have not maintained a healthy work-life balance because of my own inability to say “no.” One of the best ways I could take back more of my evenings is to have more commitments outside of work that cannot be avoided.

What’s a rough salary range for the position you hold? Are you paid enough considering your responsibilities?
Salaries in the high-tech sector of the technology field run higher than most other management positions, and the range is from $60,000 to $95,000 depending on experience and geographical location. I would like to be about $10,000 above my current salary in the same position.

What’s the most rewarding moment you’ve experienced in this position? Of all the things you’ve done at work, what are you most proud of?
We did a voluntary project as a team, and it took more than a full year to complete. When we did complete the work and the Vice President presented letters of appreciation to the team, I knew we had done something very special. The team was the driving force behind the process and the final completion of the project. Monetary rewards were not a part of the final “thank you,” but the entire team knew they had set the precedent for other teams to follow.

What’s the most challenging moment you’ve experienced? What would you prefer to forget?
The most difficult moments as a manager are always related to difficult life events in the lives of employees that report to me. Standing next to a casket changes the life of a manager more than any other experience. Laying a team member to rest leaves a sense of loss that never goes away. Another difficult situation is when an employee is fighting cancer for the second time, and the prognosis is not good. Privacy policy says that you must endure the walk alone, and the team wonders what is happening. On the other side of the coin are the life events where people get married and healthy babies are born. All of these events remind even the most business-minded manager that everything we do is about people.

What education and skills do you need to get hired and succeed in this field?
A business degree with a technical emphasis is my educational foundation. I spend time every year in classroom training, and I love to read books about business. Relying on formal education will be a limitation on the longevity of a career because every industry moves so quickly. Passion for reading adds joy to life and makes people wonder how you know what you know.

What would you tell a friend considering your line of work?
The highest priority anyone can hold is to balance life and work. Work hard and play hard to find the joy in life to make everything worthwhile.

How much vacation do you take? Is it enough?
I learned a number of years ago that the key for me to be rested is to take a full week of vacation at a time and be completely out of touch with the office. Even if I stay at home and work on the house or yard, I avoid speaking to anyone from work when on vacation.

Are there any common misunderstandings you want to correct about what you do?
The greatest misunderstanding about any business field is that the only way to get jobs is by knowing the right people. Hard work and mastering every position is the key to being successful for years to come. The person who plays the system is well-known and eventually washes out completely and must go back to the bottom and start over, which is called a career-realignment. Recovery takes years, and the result is usually not fun.

Does this job move your heart? If not, what does?
I have found that managing a group of individuals is not my cup of tea. I love to work with people as individuals and be able to find the ones who want to excel. This job is about personalities, which means that a lot of time is wasted on the least important issues of the day. My passion is to help others achieve their goals.

If you could write your own ticket, what would you like to be doing in five years?
I would like to be consulting with small business owners on an individual basis and training them to use smart business practices to make their companies profitable and healthy.

Is there anything unique about your situation that readers should know when considering your experiences or accomplishments?
The most unique aspect of my situation is that I worked very hard for every promotion and recognition that I have received. I can look back at specific accomplishments that were the result of working well with other people and communicating like a professional in every interaction with others.

Categories
Diversity Career Stories Journalism

Disabled journalist overcomes discrimination, finds happiness

This freelance writer of 13 years shares how she has overcome physical disabilities and discouragement from others in order to pursue her dreams as a journalist. In her own words:

In the eyes of many, I am not your typical writer, because I am disabled.

I suffered a brain hemorrhage at the age of nine. This left me unable to walk, and unable to use my left hand. From the moment I was taken home in a wheelchair, vocational counselors and even close friends doubted that I would ever make it as a journalist, much less a writer. I had to learn to walk again. I had to master the art of doing everything in a different way, including manipulating a keyboard with one hand, but still, people didn’t think I could make it as a writer.

So why did I choose journalism?
I’ve always been very determined. Despite my disability, I knew that I could do something with my writing abilities. I also believed that dreams can come true. My dream was to become a writer; a full-fledged, college educated writer. Day after day, educators told me I was not intelligent enough to go to school or do anything on my own. If people told me I couldn’t do something, I did the exact opposite. So, instead of listening to educators, I chose the path less taken. I became a journalist.

I sat through innumerable writing and reporting classes. I studied the inverted pyramid, and took any freelance writing gig I could possibly get my hands on. I drove my professors crazy requesting internship after internship.

I landed a few reporting internships and had established myself in the journalism community. People knew me. Sources were calling me to come back and take pictures, or to write more stories. The work was absolutely rewarding. For the first time, I was doing what I loved, and no one could tell me that success was impossible. I was living it, I was there.

Where did my career begin?
I started my journalism career with a small community newspaper in a Baltimore suburb. While working as a reporter, I attended a small community college, and later transferred to Towson University.

I picked journalism not only because I loved writing, but also because it got me out of the house, and into the world. It allowed me to gain knowledge, to be heard. Finally my name was in the headlines.

What challenges have I faced?
Of course, life takes us in many different directions. In 2007, I was working in Washington, DC as a technical writer. Then I lost my job. After a brief lull, I restarted my writing career as a freelance writer. Freelance exchange websites once again made it possible to propel myself into the writing world.

My typical day:
I have been a freelance writer for over thirteen years now. A typical day consists of me powering up my desktop computer and working on my most recent project. All day, I am glued to my computer screen. I spend my mornings weeding through emails and researching my most recent writing subject. I communicate with people on the other side of the world, people from New Zealand, England and the far reaches of Australia.

Discrimination as a disabled journalist:
I am Caucasian. I have, however, been denied jobs. Some don’t think a disabled individual is capable of holding a job. An editor at a big legal newspaper once sent me out the door when he heard I didn’t drive. Who’d ever heard of a disabled reporter?

I decided that questioning why employers discriminated wouldn’t do me any favors. So I simply moved on, knowing full well that something better was waiting around the corner. Ethnicity didn’t matter. I’d been discriminated upon by both men and women of many ethnic backgrounds.

Who doubted me, and what did I learn?
I once had a professor tell me I would never make it as a journalist or a writer. Everyone has an opinion, so I didn’t take it personally. I simply went on and became an assistant editor and then a reporter once again

How did I start out?
Oddly enough, I started my writing career as a greeting card writer. I wrote for a few small greeting card companies, which later led me to write for national magazines.

Time away from work:
In my field, I’ve learned that vacations aren’t always an option. If I have a deadline, it has to be met. All my stories are stored on my personal computer. If I do have the opportunity to get away for a weekend, my husband’s laptop is my best friend. But at times, this doesn’t leave time to truly enjoy a getaway.

Misconceptions about my career:
Many people think being a journalist or freelance writer makes you a celebrity. It helps you make friends, no doubt, but it doesn’t make you famous. Many days are spent in solitude writing quietly from my living room. My job as a freelance writer moves my heart in many ways.

How does writing change my heart?
In my work, I have watched angry businessmen turn into soft spoken colleagues. People who once cussed me out later praised me for my kindness. I’ve seen miracles happen. I once covered a story about a fire at an animal hospital. Amazingly, people stopped their cars to save the animals. Everyone survived. It’s stories like these that make it all worthwhile.

In my career as a freelancer, I have also established myself as a relationship writer. I write about breakups, saving marriages and even finding “the one.”

I speak from experience, because I have found “the one.” Not only did I tie the knot, I have found the perfect marriage between writing and happiness.

Categories
Arts and Music Diversity Career Stories

Young starlet learns being an actress is not as glamorous as it may seem

Emily B., a member of the Actors’ Equity Association, shares what a difficult road her dream of being an actress in New York City has been. When times are tough, she leans on the support of her family to make it through.

What is your job title? How many years of experience do you have in that field?
Actress – 5 years in NYC.

Would you describe what you do on a typical day?
I get up early to sign up for a convenient audition time that coordinates with my schedule that day. From there, I work one (or sometimes two) of my survival jobs that range from marketing to waiting tables. Most nights I do end up working at the restaurant so I am usually home around 1 am.

On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your job satisfaction? What would it take to increase that rating?
I would rate my job satisfaction as a 1. Surviving as an actor living in the city is no easy task. Getting booked for an acting job would help my satisfaction greatly.

What did you learn the hard way in this job and how did that happen?
I have spent thousands of dollars on coaches and classes all promising to find me an agent or hook me up with a casting director, but in the end, I ended up making most of my contacts on my own.

What don’t they teach in school that would’ve been helpful to you?
They don’t teach that being an actress is sort of like running a business. You are a product and you have to sell yourself. Think of yourself as a one-person marketing campaign that never ends.

How did you get started in this line of work? If you could go back and do it differently, what would you change?
I did my first musical in grade school and was hooked for life. I wish I had taken more classes when I was younger; especially dance classes.

What’s the strangest thing that ever happened to you in this job?
I just had an interesting audition for Laura in The Glass Menagerie, where the director pulled me into the room before the audition started, and asked me how I saw the character. He said he liked my look but thought I would ultimately be too tall for the role.

On a good day, when things are going well, what’s happening and what do you like about it?
On a great day, I have just gotten word that I am being called back for a role, and the restaurant is slammed early, I make a ton of money in tips, and everyone leaves by 11 pm.

When nothing seems to go right, what kind of snafus do you handle and what do you dislike the most? How do you cope?
The worst days are when I blow an audition. When I do that, I usually call my mom and vent. From there, I try to forget about it because it is over and there is nothing more I can do. Hopefully I can learn from whatever mistakes I made. At work with difficult tables, I try to stay upbeat and friendly. If people really get to me though, sometimes I get short with them. I hate it when people are super demanding or rude. I also really dislike indecisiveness. It is a menu item not rocket science; pick something!

How stressful is your job? Are you able to maintain a comfortable or healthy work-life balance?
This lifestyle is very stressful, and I am too stressed most of the time to keep a healthy work-life balance. Welcome to life in New York.

Are you paid enough considering your responsibilities?
HAHAHAHAHA! No, I’m not paid enough.

What’s the most rewarding moment you’ve experienced in this position? Of all the things you’ve done at work, what are you most proud of?
I booked an Actors’ Equity tour, so I got to go around the country acting and I was able to join the Stage Actors’ Union.

What’s the most challenging moment you’ve experienced? What would you prefer to forget?
There was one dance audition where I totally forgot the combo and stood there like an idiot in the middle of the floor. It was mortifying.

What education and skills do you need to get hired and succeed in this field?
A strong background in voice and dance, as well as some kind of acting method. (Continuing study in these disciplines is also very important.)

What would you tell a friend considering your line of work?
Be very sure that you are ready to handle the rejection and the hardships in this line of work. It is not glamorous in the least.

How much vacation do you take? Is it enough?
I usually take a week and a half at Christmas, and then a few days around Thanksgiving. I also take occasional weekend trips home to West Virginia, or my family will come visit me for a few days. It seems like it is never enough time away though.

Are there any common myths you want to correct about what you do?
Acting is NOT a glamorous field for 99.9% of us out there struggling to make it.

If you could write your own ticket, what would you like to be doing in five years?
I would be part of the aforementioned .1%!

Is there anything unique about your situation that readers should know when considering your experiences or accomplishments?
Laymen do not understand how truly difficult this field is. How often do you have to deal with daily personal rejection in any other field?

Categories
Business and Sales Diversity Career Stories

Tax preparer finds personal reward in helping clients save money

This tax preparation specialist of 12 years got her start in a beginners tax class, trying to learn how to do her own taxes. Now a seasoned pro, she finds great satisfaction helping others get back the tax money to which they are entitled.

What is your job title? How many years of experience do you have in that field?
I’ve been a tax preparer for 12 years.

Would you describe what you do on a typical day?
I prepare tax returns for clients by appointment or walk-in. I ask several questions during the interview so that I can prepare an accurate tax return for that client, and file the return with federal and state agencies.

I also review previous tax returns and check to see if there are any errors or omissions. If there are, the tax return may be amended to correct the mistakes.

On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your job satisfaction? What would it take to increase that rating?
I would rate my job satisfaction as an 8. There are many different tax situations that we have to deal with on a daily basis. My satisfaction rating would increase if we had more information available in the office concerning specific scenarios that may arise.

What did you learn the hard way in this job and how did that happen?
I’ve learned that no matter how well you follow the interview script and ask all the questions you are taught to ask, and even ask additional questions, there are still cases where the client has not given you all the information you need to file an accurate tax return. I have learned to make preparer notes and to make copies of all information received and keep the information with our copy of the tax return.

What don’t they teach in school that would’ve been helpful to you?
Every situation is different and you have to be professional in all cases.

How did you get started in this line of work? If you could go back and do it differently, what would you change?
I started taking tax classes to help me prepare my own tax returns, and I hoped to learn how to do it for my friends and family. If I had to go back, I would have done it sooner.

What’s the strangest thing that ever happened to you in this job?
I had a couple come in to have their taxes prepared and they fought the whole time they were at my desk. The wife even walked out a few times and then came back. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to complete the return because it was hard asking questions to people who were in the middle of a fight.

On a good day, when things are going well, what’s happening and what do you like about it?
On a good day, clients will come in with all their information for the tax year and we can complete their tax return and file it before they leave the office. I like to have things done in a timely manner.

When nothing seems to go right, what kind of snafus do you handle and what do you dislike the most?
The things that can go wrong in my office are usually when a tax return is already filed, and then the client will come in and show that they received additional information concerning more income or a credit or deduction they did not take, or an error on a return for this year or a previous year. You just need to take the time to amend the tax return to show all corrections and explain them, and explain to the client how you have corrected the return and then notify them if they are to receive a refund or if there is a balance due.

I dislike the most when a problem is out of my hands and nothing can be done. This happens when a client receives a letter from the IRS or state and they don’t answer it or bring it in. After a period of time, it is more difficult to resolve the problem if it has been ignored for a long time.

How stressful is your job? Are you able to maintain a comfortable or healthy work-life balance?
There is some stress involved, but not enough to affect my personal life.

What’s a rough salary range for the position you hold? Are you paid enough considering your responsibilities?
Tax preparers make between $9-25 per hour and I think the pay rate should be more given the level of responsibility.

What’s the most rewarding moment you’ve experienced in this position? Of all the things you’ve done at work, what are you most proud of?
On one occasion, I was able to amend someone’s tax returns for the past three years and she received more than $20,000 in refunds for those years.

I was able to take the enrolled agent exam and pass it after studying for it on my own, without help from the company.

What’s the most challenging moment you’ve experienced? What would you prefer to forget?
The most challenging but rewarding moments we experience come when we are able to prepare a complicated tax return accurately for a client.

I would prefer to learn from my previous mistakes and then forget that I made them. But, I do learn from my mistakes, so I guess it is better that I remember them.

What education and skills do you need to get hired and succeed in this field?
I first started by taking a basic tax class that gave me the knowledge that I needed to start easy tax returns. I take several different tax classes every year to review and learn how to prepare different, and more involved tax returns.

How much vacation do you take? Is it enough?
I work from January through April. May and June are free months, and then I start taking classes again in July. I work part time at another job also.

Are there any common myths you want to correct about what you do?
I enjoy this line of work because I enjoy working with people and I believe that I am helping them. Many people do not understand all the tax laws and it can be a difficult situation for them. I think that they appreciate having their return prepared and that it is accurate.

If you could write your own ticket, what would you like to be doing in five years?
I would like to teach tax classes to others.

Categories
Diversity Career Stories Healthcare

Scientist dreams of curing terrible diseases

Mario, a biotechnology research laboratory assistant explains how he dreams of transitioning from food safety research to doing important medical research and curing diseases.

What is your job title?
Biotechnology Research Laboratory Assistant

Would you describe what you do on a typical day?
I work as an assistant in a biotechnology research lab. It may sound pretty interesting, but on a daily basis I don’t think most people would find it that exciting, because it is a very repetitive job. Mostly, I work with mammal cell lines which means spending some hours in a very cold lab, maintaining the cells and also doing some experiments on them. These cells are used by other researchers, so I don’t get to know what they are for. The rest of my day I work as a teaching assistant in a tissue culture lab for undergraduates. I enjoy this part of my job a lot more because I get to know a lot of students and I enjoy answering their questions. I prepare the cells that the students are going to use, and I also do some of their experiments myself when they are just too difficult for the students to perform.

What is your ethnicity? What kinds of discrimination have you experienced?
I am white. Sometimes I experience discrimination when visiting poor or crime-ridden parts of my city. In Latin America, there is a great gap between socioeconomic sectors, leading to a lack of politeness (sometimes even rudeness) between groups. In these cases I have only received rude or insulting comments. I have not experienced it in my job.

If you’ve experienced discrimination, in what ways have you responded and what response worked best?
Mostly I respond by ignoring people, as in my example, I think that responding in any other way might cause aggressiveness from the individual.

Where you work, how well does your company do ‘equal opportunity’? Is management white and male? How are minorities perceived and treated?
I do think the lab complies with equal opportunity guidelines. Management is run by white and Latin origin people, and I perceive an equal number of male and female individuals occupying high ranking jobs. People from minorities are treated with respect by everyone as they are hired from other countries because of their experience and capability.

What did you learn the hard way in this job and how did that happen?
I learned two things the hard way in this job. First, sometimes you will feel the time and effort you spend on the job were not wort it. There can be many reasons for this, but I think this feeling comes mainly when you can’t see how your work matters or if it has any significant impact that would cause somebody else to notice it. Second, when I exercise a lot of patience to get a job done the right way, and nevertheless it doesn’t come out as expected, seeking help from others is the best move you can make, because sometimes the answer isn’t just in patience and carefulness. Sometimes, the answer lies in the “tricks” that only experienced people know.

What don’t they teach in school that would’ve been helpful to you?
Problem solving strategies that are not based just on logic and math would have been useful to learn in school.

How did you get started in this line of work? If you could go back and do it differently, what would you change?
A professor of mine during my bachelors worked at this company, and I wanted to gain experience in lab research. If I had it to do over, I would have tried harder to work in health related research, because I ended in food technology related research, which I don’t enjoy as much.

On a good day, when things are going well, can you give an example of something that really makes you feel good?
Meeting somebody new and having a good conversation that goes beyond the usual job talk is very enjoyable. I also like helping people in their work and knowing it really helped.

When nothing seems to go right, what kind of snafus do you handle and what do you dislike the most?
When I’m having a bad day, I may be failing to get an experiment done, or getting bad results over and over again. The ones I dislike the most are those little mistakes that can ruin a whole day’s work, just because of a sudden lack of patience.

How stressful is your job? Are you able to maintain a comfortable or healthy work-life balance?
I wouldn’t define it as stressful. I live a comfortable work-life balance, mainly because the job is pretty much flexible in terms of time requirements as compared to other jobs I think.

On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your job satisfaction?What would it take to increase that rating?
I would rate my satisfaction as a 7. It would take me being in charge of a part of the research, not just doing the experiments, to raise my satisfaction. In other words, I would like to take part in the planning and decision making of the research project. Also a higher salary would help.

What’s a rough salary range for the position you hold? Are you paid enough considering your responsibilities?
$500 per month.

What’s the most rewarding moment you’ve experienced in this position? Of all the things you’ve done at work, what are you most proud of?
Being consulted by other, higher ranking researchers made me feel I had the potential to someday be at the same competitive level as the people that I respect and admire. I am most proud of gaining the respect and interest of undergrad students.

What’s the most challenging moment you’ve experienced? What would you prefer to forget?
Admitting to making constant mistakes is very challenging. It is one thing to accept a couple of mistakes, but when you find yourself messing up again and again you might feel the need to reject what’s happening and just cover up the results and move on. But I hold on to my sense of responsibility, admitted it and kept trying.

What education and skills do you need to get hired and succeed in this field?
Biology, biochemistry, chemistry and medicine related studies are required. Also, laboratory working skills are needed as well as knowledge about bio-safety procedures. To succeed I would say you should go on with masters or PhD degree. It is also important to have experience with searching scientific literature and the interpretation of those materials.

What would you tell a friend considering your line of work?
I would say that it is very important to define exactly what area of biotechnology is he or she most interested in. The problem is that the term biotechnology is very broad and some applications and research trends don’t have anything to do with others.

How much vacation do you take? Is it enough?
3 weeks. Yes it is enough.

Are there any common myths you want to correct about what you do?
Not all biotechnology research is related to GMO’s, cloning or other subjects prone to deal with ethical issues. Misinformation about the results and objectives of these kind of studies have made most people think that this kind of research (and all biotech research) is conducted by crazy scientists that pursue selfish and nonsense dreams which are more close to sci-fi movies than reality. Although there might be examples of scientists and companies that have forgotten their sense of responsibility towards humanity (to produce valuable knowledge and non harmful technology for the world), I believe that the real danger does not lie in research itself, but in the misinformation of society. A well informed society has both the power to drive research with the potential to make a better world, or to stop that which is believed to do the opposite.

Does this job move your heart? If not, what does?
Yes it does. Not necessarily because of what I do right now… it makes me dream about what I will be able to do one day, contributing to cure terrible diseases, and that feels just great to me.

If you could write your own ticket, what would you like to be doing in five years?
Conducting my own research project. Finishing or have finished my PhD. Looking for an important health research center to work for.

Is there anything unique about your situation that readers should know when considering your experiences or accomplishments?
I have just finished my undergrad studies. I had this job while studying so that’s why I was paid such a low wage. It is very hard for someone without a masters or PhD to be able to contribute even slightly to research, and considering the hard work I put into it, I felt very disappointed sometimes. Nevertheless, I had the chance to share my knowledge and help people around me to reach their goals and I think that’s the first thing a real scientist should do before attempting greater things.

Categories
Business and Sales Diversity Career Stories Management

Business development director earns promotion during recession

This dedicated business development director shares how he worked his way up from a sales job by volunteering to demonstrate his business development skills for a whole year.

What is your job title? How many years of experience do you have in that field?
Director of Business Development for an online media company. I have been directing business development operations for 2 years, and was previously in business to business sales for 5 years.

Would you describe the things you do on a typical day?
I start my day checking emails and tackling any pressing issues. Then, I run reports on performance of my company’s web properties and report any issues with my tech team, check site traffic and search rankings, look at ways to increase performance of automated sales through our sites, and connect with clients and partners. Recently I’ve spent more time on SEO practices and other ways to boost site traffic through linking, partnerships, affiliate programs, and increasing sales along with that. My day sometimes has a couple conference calls here and there with management or client/partnerships negotiations, and that’s a typical day.

On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your job satisfaction? What would it take to increase that rating?
8.5. The positives are I’m in an ever-evolving role in an exciting industry, I’m compensated well, my boss has fostered a strong sense of job security, and I find a great deal of satisfaction in working from a home office. The negative is that part of my comp package is based on sales commissions, and sales have been down of late.

What did you learn the hard way in this job and how did that happen?
I’ve had to do a great deal of learning on my own by asking questions, reading blogs, articles, and books on internet business, technology, web development, SEO strategies, etc. I use that sort of knowledge everyday, but had no formal education on anything related to this job. Even business courses in college didn’t touch online business and the internet – much less sales – so learning in my role has been trial by fire.

How did you get started in this line of work? If you could go back and do it differently, what would you change?

I got started in Business Development by working my way through the ranks of B2B sales. I was very successful in sales, and caught the attention of previous and current bosses because my ability to positively lead others, to quickly learn new concepts, and to take on additional business critical projects. I wouldn’t change the way I moved up, but I would certainly have benefited from more computer and tech-centric education along the way. One of my main struggles early on in business development was my disconnect between the business and tech sides to our company. I studied business in college, but I’ve had to learn a whole new language to succeed in communicating with the tech side.

What’s the strangest thing that ever happened to you in this job?
I was promoted during the worst stretch of the economic meltdown 2 years ago, while everyone else in the company had a pay cut. I feel very blessed, because I know that doesn’t happen often.

On a good day when things are going well, can you give an example of something that really makes you feel good?
I feel good when I see site traffic, sales, and interest from clients and partners all trending upward.

When nothing seems to go right, what kind of snafus do you handle and what do you dislike the most? The worst-case scenario is when we have a dramatic drop in site traffic, which leads to a chain reaction of not delivering positive results to clients and partners, lowered revenue streams, and growth projects are put on hold while fires are put out. It’s my job to communicate with clients and partners to report on progress with issues and to manage expectations; but some panic and decide to take their business elsewhere, at least in the short-term.

What I dislike the most is that there are many factors that can positively or negatively affect site traffic, and there are many unknowns, so expectations are difficult to manage at times.

How stressful is your job? Are you able to maintain a comfortable or healthy work-life balance? My job is stressful in that I have my hands in many projects and I have a lot of responsibility to make sure the company exceeds daily, monthly, and quarterly goals we set; but I have great sense of job security, and I manage daily tasks well to make sure I’m always on the right track.

Since I work from a home office, it was difficult early on to leave work “at the office”, and I found myself working late into the evening. But I have now developed a healthy balance where I am more efficient and come into the office early to complete what I need to in order to spend time with my family in the evening.

What’s a rough salary range for the position you hold? Are you paid enough considering your responsibilities? A rough salary range is probably $60k-$90k depending on market and number of people managed. I feel I’m well-paid for my responsibility and for the market in which I live.

What’s the most rewarding moment you’ve experienced in this position? Of all the things you’ve done at work, what are you most proud of?
I started with my current company in strictly a sales role, but I was looking for a different challenge and more responsibility. We didn’t have a Business Development role at that time, but I felt strongly about the benefit that the position could bring to our company, and that I had the experience and skill set for the position. I volunteered for almost a year to prove what I could do for the company if the business development role was created, and then I was formally promoted to the new role after a successful volunteer stint. It is very rewarding to win that sort of trust and approval from our CEO.

On more of a concrete note, I am proud to have increased cost-per-click sales on two of our websites by over 300% in seven months after taking over business development responsibilities.

What’s the most challenging moment you’ve experienced? What would you prefer to forget?
The learning curve was very sharp in my first several months on the job, and because of my lack of knowledge and experience with certain partner programs and on the tech side of our business, I made several mistakes that tied up our programming team and cost our company time and money. I’d prefer to have skipped that, but I did learn a great deal from the trial and error.

What education and skills do you need to get hired and succeed in this field?
There are probably a lot of degree paths one could take with bachelor’s degree being a requirement, but experience and skill-set is probably more important to an employer than level of education. A background in sales or marketing is likely preferred.

For this role, one would need an insatiable drive to succeed, the ability to multi-task effectively in stressful environments and under tight deadlines, communicate well with many different types of people and personalities, the ability to work well independently and with a group, critical thinking and creative problem-solving, excellent written and oral communication skills, the ability to sell products and ideas, high level of honesty and integrity, strong attention to detail, and sound knowledge of the internet, computer/web programming terminology, and SEO practices.

What would you tell a friend considering your line of work?
It’s an exciting environment, can be very rewarding personally and professionally, can be lucrative, and there is great opportunity to move up within a company.

How much vacation do you take? Is it enough?
I usually take 10 days or so throughout the year so that I have a week or so off in the summer, and a couple days here and there for holidays. Every couple years I need to take a longer vacation to get away for 2 weeks, but I don’t feel like I need more vacation time.

Are there any common misunderstandings you want to correct about what you do?
There is a very negative connotation in work-from-home positions, because there are a lot of scams where “Mom makes $20,000 a month – From Home!”. I think even early on my parents-in-law thought I held a sketchy job with a shady employer. My job is the same whether I work at the corporate headquarters or from my home office. It’s an old-fashioned idea that legitimate jobs are only located in urban areas and office buildings; the internet changed all that.

Does this job move your heart? If not, what does?
Yes, there are aspects of the job that move me and motivate me to jump out of bed in the morning, but I also enjoy that this job allows me the freedom to explore other passions in my free time – spending time with family, playing golf, hiking, photography, and taking on constructive projects to improve my home.

If you could write your own ticket, what would you like to be doing in five years?
I would like the business development projects I now work on to be so successful in 5 years that it would justify the expansion of new sales and marketing roles. At that time, I would like to be head of the business development department where I would teach the processes that I now use, and manage a successful team of professionals performing my current job.