Career Path of a Business Consultant and Online Educator at Bianca Lager Inc.
Bianca's career trajectory was unexpectedly shaped by a seemingly "easy elective course," a theater production class where a project unexpectedly sparked an interest in event management. This led to a job at the Santa Barbara National Film Festival, "completely changed" Bianca's life, and subsequently to roles in event management and technology, ultimately leading to their current position as a Business Consultant & Online Educator.
Event Management, Career Pivoting, Networking, Entrepreneurship, Technology
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Bianca Lager
Business Consultant & Online Educator
Bianca Lager Inc.
University of California, Santa Barbara
Pepperdine University - MBA
History, Art History
Consulting & Related Professional Services
Entrepreneurship and Business Owner
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Transfer Student, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Bianca's diverse work experiences, starting with a bank job in high school and continuing through college with a demanding work-study balance, highlight the value of early exposure to professional settings.
2. Her unexpected college elective in theater production completely shifted her career trajectory, revealing hidden talents in areas like PR and treasury and demonstrating how seemingly unrelated experiences can lead to new opportunities.
3. Her transition from event coordination at the Santa Barbara Film Festival to a career in technology showcases adaptability and career progression through diverse roles, and highlights the unexpected ways networking can impact career paths.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Please include any internships or jobs you had before your current role.
I've been working pretty much my entire life. I started working at a bank in high school and through college, I worked about 40 hours a week while taking 18 units. I was constantly working and trying to get through all my courses.
In college, while I was wrapping up, I took a class my senior year that completely changed my life and life trajectory. It was an easy elective course that sounded like fun, and I just needed the credit. So I took a theater production class.
The teacher told us we were going to start a business, run it, and at the end, put on an event. We had a small budget from last year, and he said, "Good luck to you. Call me if you need me." I was a history major, thinking I would go to law school or become a teacher.
This class opened up an entire world of things I was really good at and interested in. I did PR and treasury for the project, and we had an absolute blast. I met a girl there who was interning at the Santa Barbara National Film Festival.
I thought that was fascinating and cool, and kind of related to what we were doing. Her friends needed a waitress for a party, so I said I'd do it. I was a waitress at this party and met the people who would offer me my first job out of college as an event coordinator with the Santa Barbara Film Festival. I also met my future husband at one of those parties.
It absolutely, totally changed my life. After that, I worked in event management for a while, and then went into technology. All of those career paths led to each other one by one.