Favorite Parts of Working in the Education Industry as a Senior Manager of Academics
Ashley's favorite aspects of the education industry are the impactful work, "staying connected to the kiddos," and the inherent creativity and flexibility required to solve complex problems; this is evident in their career progression from teaching to consulting at a nonprofit. The ability to "come up with a variety of Solutions" and maintain personal connections fuels their passion.
Impact, Creativity, Flexibility, Problem-Solving, Education
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Ashley D. Essary
Senior Manager of Academics
TNTP
Texas Christian University (2010)
University of Colorado at Denver, MA in Curriculum & Instruction: Pedagogy for Urban Leadership, concentration in English Language Acquisition
Fine Arts, Music
Education
Strategic Management and Executive
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, LGBTQ, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Impact on students: Ashley emphasizes the profound impact her work has on students, maintaining connections even after teaching.
2. Flexibility and travel: The role offers flexibility, travel opportunities, and a good work-life balance.
3. Creative problem-solving: Ashley highlights the need for creative thinking and diverse solutions to address complex educational challenges.
Transcript
What do you enjoy most about being in the education industry?
I do, if you cannot see what I can see in my desk early. I work at home, but I have pictures of my students and notes from my students all around me. So much of what drives me in this is that impact on students and staying really connected to the kiddos that I taught.
I still get to talk to them, and I follow them on social media. They follow me, so they're still connected in that way, which is really nice. I am very aware of that impact that I have in my work, whether that's through teaching or consulting.
It's the center of everything. In terms of being a consultant and being in an education nonprofit, there's just so much flexibility, which is really nice. I really enjoy travel, and I really enjoy the creativity that comes with being given a problem.
Education is full of very complex problems, and you need to come up with a variety of solutions in order to tackle them. It's definitely not just "here's a task, execute it in this exact way." There's a lot of creative thinking and brainstorming that needs to happen in order to tackle these really important problems. So there's a lot of impact, and then there's a lot of creativity and flexibility alongside that.