Career Path of an Account Coordinator at Costin Public Outreach Group
Clare didn't have a specific post-grad plan, but the leadership program, the minor being in leadership, opened doors and helped realize a passion for people and community, leading to roles working with students, at-risk youth, and learning community outreach; this experience ultimately led to current role as an Account Coordinator where Clare handles communications and works with people, saying "I get to do a lot of people stuff."
Leadership Development, Community Outreach, Career Path, Communications, Working with People
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Clare Bastian
Account Coordinator
Costin Public Outreach Group
Chapman University
Philosophy
Advertising, Communications & Marketing
Consulting
Video Highlights
1. The interviewee didn't have a direct post-grad plan, but instead pursued opportunities that felt like a logical step forward, which turned out well.
2. A leadership program in college opened doors and helped the interviewee realize a more targeted career direction, shifting focus from academics to people and community.
3. Experiences working as a special education paraprofessional, head coach teaching leadership skills, and working with at-risk youth all contributed to developing outreach skills, which led to the current role as an account coordinator.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Did you have any internships or jobs before your current role?
I didn't really have a direct post-grad plan in college, or even throughout my time there. I just sort of went for whatever felt like a logical step forward. I think that turned out well for me personally.
A huge thing was the leadership program, which is what I have my minor in. That opened a lot of doors and made me realize a more targeted career direction. In high school, I was more academically driven, focusing on math and sciences.
But through the leadership program, I learned I'm much more passionate about people and community. I started doing things in that area, like working as a part-time substitute special education paraprofessional aid. That was super insightful and taught me a lot about how I care about people and want to do work with them.
That then led to being a head coach, teaching leadership skills to high school and middle school students. This, in turn, led to another job where I did the same thing with at-risk youth, which was an incredible experience. Through that role, I also learned how to do community outreach.
That's what led me to my current job as an account coordinator, where I handle pretty much everything communications-related. I get to do a lot of people-focused work.