College Experiences That Helped an Associate Director of Programs at Code Nation Succeed
Cassandra's undergraduate success stemmed from "trying a lot of different things," exploring passions through various clubs, volunteer work, and part-time jobs, and building a strong network by connecting with many people, a strategy they continued to utilize throughout their career. This proactive approach, focusing on both skill exploration and relationship building, significantly contributed to their career trajectory.
Networking, Career Exploration, Communication, Overcoming Challenges, Achieving Goals
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Cassandra Houghton
Associate Director of Programs
Code Nation
Saint Louis University, 2016
Dominican University, Masters in Special Education
Ethnic & Related Studies
Education
Education
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Explore diverse experiences: Cassandra emphasizes the importance of trying different things, both paid and volunteer work, to discover passions and build skills. This suggests a proactive approach to exploring various career paths and interests during college.
2. Network actively: Cassandra highlights the value of networking and connecting with people. She emphasizes reaching out to individuals in fields of interest to learn and build relationships. This underscores the importance of networking as a crucial tool for career development.
3. Align work with passions: Cassandra advises aligning paid work with enjoyable aspects to enhance career fulfillment. This suggests aligning college experiences and future career choices with personal passions and values for greater long-term success and satisfaction
Transcript
Cassie, taking you back to your time at St. Louis University. What did you do in undergrad that set you up for success in your career?
I think the biggest thing I did was try a lot of different things. This included naming or reflecting on all my undergrad activities.
Some of these were part-time jobs to support myself financially. Others, like clubs or volunteering, were me following the advice to lean into things I was passionate about. I tried to see them through and continued with what brought me enjoyment and fulfillment.
Trying many different things definitely helped with that. I acknowledge this might not always be possible due to other responsibilities. Even in paid experiences, I tried to focus on the aspects of the work I enjoyed and keep that in mind for the future.
The other big thing that set me up for success was connecting with many different people and building my network. This was especially true as I left school and joined Teach for America, which put me in contact with a larger network.
Reaching out and learning about what others were doing, or contacting people doing interesting things I didn't fully understand, helped my own learning. It also helped build connections I've relied on throughout my career for advice or job searches.
So, trying new things and connecting with people were the two biggest things I did in undergrad that helped my career success.