Paths in Progress
On this podcast, we tell the stories of people in a wide variety of career paths, who pursued all kinds of college majors and minors, often with bumps and detours along the way, to get to where they are today. We talk specifically about what you can do in college to work toward your career goals, and what other factors can impact your choices throughout your education and career. Life happens, plans change, and YOU change! It will be ok, and you will find your path. We hope these stories are encouraging and help give you new ideas as you take the next steps on your own path. Learn from our stories, which like yours, are each a Path In Progress.
Episodes
74 episodes
Jenni Rebecca: Nonprofit Leader, Performing Artist; Bachelors Degree in Vocal Performance, Master of Fine Arts in Theater Directing
As a leader in nonprofit organizations, Jenni Rebecca has used talents and skills she has developed along her path–but has also made sure to be aware of what she doesn’t know, and seek learning opportunities to fill those gaps. If you ...
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Episode 73
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1:13:06
Claire: U.S. Forest Service; Bachelors degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Masters degree and Ph.D in Ecology
How do you choose an educational path when you are interested in several subjects, and then one you choose first ends up not being the right path for you? You keep your options open, take classes in as many areas as you can within your degre...
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Episode 72
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1:23:56
Jeffery Keilholtz: Senior VP Marketing, Broadway Licensing Global, Actor, Political Campaign Manager; Degrees in Psychology & Sociology, Harvard Executive Education in Business of Entertainment, Media, & Sports
Many students find a home in the Arts in high school. Some students build their education and career dreams from that experience, and sometimes those dreams don’t initially work out. When he didn’t get into his dream school, Jeff made some d...
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Episode 71
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1:17:33
Melissa: Project Manager, Human Resources Professional; Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies, Certificate in Human Resource Management, Master's Certificate in Project Management, Master of Science in Organizational Development
Most of us have encountered Human Resources when we have applied for jobs or internships, through our applications, interviews, paychecks, and policies. What is it like to work in Human Resources? What kind of things do you do? Melissa...
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Episode 70
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52:16
Christina: Marketing Strategist, Social Media, Entrepreneur, Opera Singer; Bachelors Degrees in English and Music, Masters Degree in Vocal Performance
From a young age, Christina loved reading and writing, so she thought she would someday become an author. As she grew up, theater became another love in her life, and she was encouraged by her voice teacher to pursue singing. When look...
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Episode 69
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1:17:21
Jennifer: Board Certified Music Therapist, Professor; Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Music Therapy
Life events can often shape how we choose the career path we follow and how we want to make a difference in the lives of others. For Jennifer, a significant event in her teenage years impacted her significantly and led her to learn how...
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Episode 68
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1:06:44
Kylie: Registered Nurse, Advertising Professional; Bachelors Degrees in Journalism, Spanish, and Nursing
How did Kylie go from studying journalism and Spanish in college, to working several years in advertising, and then return to school to pursue a fulfilling career in nursing? You may be surprised by how many skills are transferable between t...
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Episode 67
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1:01:14
Dr. Ripsime Bledsoe: University Faculty Member specializing in Student Success; Bachelors Degree in English Literature, Masters Degree in Advanced Literacy, PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy in Higher Education
Choosing a major in college often begins with a subject we enjoy, and for Dr. Bledsoe, it was no different when her love of reading and writing led her to major in English Literature, which eventually led to a Masters Degree in Advanced Lite...
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Episode 66
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1:10:43
John: Founder and Owner of Madison Flitch Art & Furniture Gallery and Madison Stitch Leather Goods; Bachelors degree in History, Masters Degree in History & Religious Studies, and Master of Business Administration
How does one go from planning to obtain a PhD to become a professor, to instead entering the corporate software industry, to then starting and owning an Art & Furniture Gallery, then adding a leather goods company? John has had an intere...
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Episode 65
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56:30
Amanda: Cybersecurity Professional at major tech company, President of San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals of America; Bachelors degree in Management Information Systems
Like many students, Amanda started her college path doing something she loved: playing her clarinet. After some time in college, she realized that even though she loved music, she didn’t necessarily want that to be her career path. Onc...
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Episode 64
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1:08:18
Andy: Airline Pilot, Captain at Delta Airlines, Certified Flight Instructor; Bachelors Degree in Aviation Science, Airline Transport Pilot Certificate
From a young age, Andy loved his American Airlines mechanic grandfather teaching him about airplanes. From the day he took his intro flight, he knew he wanted to pursue flying as his career. Join us for this conversation about the diff...
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Episode 63
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37:19
Francisco: Journalist, DEI Director; Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Communication Arts, Master's degree in Investigative and Data Journalism
Raised in a Mexican-American family in San Antonio, Texas, Francisco’s mother insisted that he pursue a college degree. The importance of higher education would become an essential theme later in Francisco’s journalism career. As a stu...
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Episode 62
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1:20:52
Sarah: Luxury Marketing & Communications Executive; Bachelors Degree in Apparel & Textile Marketing Management, Associates Degree in Advertising & Marketing Communications from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City
From her early high school days on the yearbook staff, Sarah dreamed she may one day work for the fashion magazines that she loved to read. Beginning her college career as a Magazine Journalism major, she started to realize that she would ne...
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Episode 61
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1:23:22
Christie: NASA Astronaut Instructor, Flight Controller, Human Spaceflight Programs, International Space Station, Project Management; Bachelors Degree in Aerospace Engineering, Graduate Certificate in Project Management
Many kids have dreams of becoming an astronaut or working at NASA, but how many actually pursue the path to that dream? As a high school student, after watching the movie Apollo 13, Christie k...
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Episode 60
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1:16:35
Laura Gassner Otting: Bestselling Author, Keynote Speaker, Executive Coach, White House Staff; Bachelors Degree in Political Science, Masters Degree in Political Management
What do you do when you work to get into law school, and then once you get there, realize that is not where you want to be? If you are Laura Gassner Otting, you start dating the “world’s worst boyfriend”, who happens to take you by a campaig...
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Episode 59
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1:15:30
Elizabeth Baddeley: Illustrator; BFA in Visual Communications, MFA in Illustration
After receiving a music scholarship, Elizabeth initially decided to be a clarinet performance major. Join us as she describes her path from music to Graphic Design and Illustration, her first job at Hallmark, graduate school in New Yor...
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Episode 58
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1:13:13
JP Michel: Founder of SparkPath, The Challenge Mindset, Career Coach, Leadership Development Consultant; Bachelors degree in Psychology, Masters degree in Organizational Psychology
The Challenge Mindset helps students find what sparks their interest using a different method to think through how to consider college and career path options that is different from our traditional approach. When I heard JP speak about this ...
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Episode 57
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47:29
Dave Hurwitt: Founder & CEO of Troove, Career in Product Development for major corporations, Bachelors Degree in Political Science, Master of Business Administration
Dave says there is no such thing as “the best university”--only the “best university” FOR YOU. You have to finish that sentence! Dave’s own story illustrates this. He began as a political science major at Georgetown in Washington...
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Episode 56
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1:14:58
Amanda: Licensed Independent Social Worker, specializing in Refugee and Immigrant Mental Health; Bachelors Degree in Speech Communication and Comparative Religion, Masters Degrees in Biblical Studies and in Social Work
After considering majors in Architecture, Interior Design, and PR/Marketing, Amanda decided to move into Speech Communications because she knew she wanted to work with people. International experiences had an impact on her life and cre...
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Episode 55
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1:05:21
Christie Lawler: Beverage Marketing Expert, Founder of CJL Consulting and The WITI Group; Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Master of Business Administration
As a high school student, Christie had her life mapped out: she knew exactly where she wanted to go to school, what she wanted to major in, and what career path she wanted to take. How did Christie go from a Journalism major, writing a...
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Episode 54
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59:03
Angela: Animation Storyboard Revisionist; Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Art
From a young age, Angela loved watching The Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights and spent hours drawing. Animation wasn’t on her mind as a career path, but she knew she wanted to be an artist in some capacity. A series of classe...
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Episode 53
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58:13
Becca: Urban Planner; Degrees in Psychology and Urban Planning
As a self-proclaimed overachieving high school student, Becca set her sights high when she applied to colleges. She was not expecting to be rejected from every school she applied to, especially considering she was an excellent student!...
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Episode 52
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54:09
Mark Hughes: Principal Trumpet at Houston Symphony, Faculty at University of Houston
As a young elementary school student, Mark wanted to play the saxophone. His band director thought he should play the trumpet. Who knew that decision would so drastically impact the trajectory of his life? Mark joins us to share ...
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Episode 51
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1:31:02
Eric Berger: Journalist, Meteorologist, Author, Space City Weather Founder; Bachelors degree in Astronomy and Masters Degree in Journalism
From the time he was a young boy, Eric was fascinated by space, eventually leading to his pursuit of an undergraduate degree in Astronomy. During his time in college, he realized that the career path of an astronomer was not what he wa...
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Episode 50
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54:05
Phil: Higher Education Professional, Career Services, Public Speaker, Podcaster; Degrees in History, Counseling, and Communications
As the son of a military colonel and a physician, Phil was expected to go to college. Once he got there, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, so he started on a business degree track. Join us for this conversation about how Phil ...
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Episode 49
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49:02