Career Roadmap
Patricia's work combines: Business, Education, and Working with Others
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Certification
System, Networking, and LAN/WAN Management/Manager
Certification
Project Management
Associate's Degree
Baker College of Flint
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Financial Risk Specialists:
High School
Bachelor's Degree: Business Administration and Management, General
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
My education was messed up from moving often as a child so I redid some classes, then went to college.
2.
College gave me a place to work to overcome autistic tendencies and learn social interaction skills.
3.
Sometimes positive things can be a disruptor in life, it was in mine and contributed to my divorce.
4.
Moved to Washington DC, got my first banking job and found I enjoyed the industry.
5.
Moved to Capital One, a company that invests in its people. I began advancing from within.
6.
Found I loved the Operations side of the business, esp Risk & Process while working in Small Business.
7.
While pursuing certifications in SixSigma, made the connection that Risk Mgmt would fit my interests.
8.
Risk Management has proven to be my natural 'home'. It's the best of all of the worlds that I enjoy.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Family:
You're a woman and there are only a few jobs that women should have. You can be a secretary, a nurse, or a teacher but that's it. If you do the right thing you'll get married, have kids, and stay at home.
How I responded:
I had to realize my wanting more didn't make me bad or ungrateful. I was terrified - and gradually realized that was normal. The hardest thing was realizing the people trying to make me stay in the box weren't going to change. I had to accept I wasn't going to be supported by them. My change flamed their insecurities and they struck out. I had to learn to be smart about how I went about it. I found a trustworthy person to help navigate the waters. Finally, I had to just DO it and believe in me.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
My family was poor when I was a child. It taught me to expect scarcity. I've always been a hard worker, but I had to train myself to succeed by developing the tools of saving, having a trusted network, then taking calculated risks (ex. home ownership).
As a child I had most of the earmarks of being on the autism spectrum and had an incredibly hard time following conversations, interacting. Just surviving school hallways was rough. I taught myself to mimic successful people, then practice skills.