Archive: 2022
Down the rabbit hole.
Sometimes the best way to learn something is to jump in head first. I constantly try new things, stretch myself, and fumble around in areas of unknown. Don’t get me wrong, my process is far from chaotic. I’m not skipping steps— I like to be methodical and do the work. I don’t mind a little risk but largely I’m risk adverse. What I mean by “head first” is simply to jump in with bravery and from a place of confidence. And you may surprise yourself.
In grad school, it quickly became very apparent that my computer skills were WAY behind. School projects, not to mention internships and entry level jobs required skills that I didn’t even know existed. Beyond ‘Oregon Trail,’ I never had an interest in computers. So, I had to own it and just jump in. I got my first Mac, started taking One-to-One lessons at Apple, then learned CS6 and Final Cut Pro. This learning experience literally changed my life. And I wanted to share that experience with others. Namely, if sharing my experience could empower or improve someone else’s journey, I wanted to do that. The result: I got a job at Apple. (And trust me, THAT was a surprise. My family literally thought I was joking when I told them.)
I quickly realized my super power was connecting workforce development to the achievement of business goals. And now, I’m building an HR department at a scrappy, entrepreneurial (and philanthropic) start up. I’m hyper focused on people programs and HR process and policies (spanning recruiting, performance, benefits, development, employee relations, etc) that have one goal: business performance. If our organization can’t perform, the business can’t, and then we can’t help those we serve. It’s that simple.
I recently discovered I might get left behind again— and again by tech. And that’s completely unacceptable considering I worked at Apple, then with Google for 4 years, and was on a semi-finalist team in a renowned hackathon. Seriously. This art history major is quite the hustler.
So, down the rabbit hole I’ve gone again. This time: blockchain. Right now, it’s just a hobby. And my friends are highly amused by the crazy analogies I’m testing on them to teach them about my journey.