We all have a journey, one that defines & refine us. If you asked me at 9 years old what I’d be doing when I “grow up”, I’d tell you teaching 3rd grade.
From Educator → Software Customer Success → QA → Junior Developer → Talent Management Coordinator → Director of Product Education in 4 years
If you are an educator, were an educator, or even know an educator, you know we are super resourceful! It’s one of our many superpowers. We don’t know something, we figure out how to get things done.
Throughout my time in college & subbing — I also worked at a local Counseling office assisting with administrative tasks as well as all things technology. I researched, selected, and implemented an EHR system that transitioned them to electronic medical records, along with other various technology implementations.
My dream as a little girl was to become a teacher and make a difference in the lives of children. Specifically, those who struggled to learn and those who came from divorced homes. Making my first PowerPoint presentation in middle school is when I first discovered the power of technology. As I grew up that dream transformed but the underlying purpose remained. I want to teach people, and I wanted to leverage technology to do so.
That being said, as an educator, I was continually drawn to technology resources.
As I pursued my degree in Middle Childhood Education, I picked up a nickname, “PPT” & was well known for my accelerated use of technology in the classroom(unlike many of my classmates). After graduation, I subbed in all the county schools for a couple of years. I continued to follow my passion at every school connecting with teachers — helping them to integrate more tech into their classrooms. While subbing can be pretty dull — I lived for the opportunity to meet a new teacher & help them implement new technology.
When I landed my full time teaching position, I used Code.org to inspire students. The funny thing is, in the midst of inspiring my students, I inspired myself. After about 4 years in the education field — I took a leap of faith & jumped into the software industry. A natural transition from education was to Customer Success- learning the ins & outs of an application. Teaching people how to use it, creating documentation, and the whole nine yards.
That’s when I “met” iorad. I began using iorad and thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. However, I didn’t want to just stay in the customer success space, I wanted to learn to develop software. My employer supported my passion to learn more & sent me off to a 3-month intense code boot camp in Indianapolis. After just 3 “short” brutal months, I received a certificate of Junior Ruby Developer! Crazy — right?! After doing some QA & development, I transitioned into a different role at a company much closer to home. Super pumped about reducing my commute from 50 minutes to 15 minutes!
At this point, I’d worked at a counseling office implementing software, I’d been an educator, I’d worked at a software company, and now I transitioned into the corporate world. In this corporate role, my goal was to find a new Talent Management System that fit the needs of their 5 divisions. I had to understand the company’s needs along with the workings of technology to know what system would work, then implement & test the technology pre-deployment. Oh, and of course, I needed to train all the users on the TMS as well as work with the employees to fill the TMS with job-specific training. Guess what, I got to use iorad again for all the application training!
After an acquisition that resulted in a significant company downsize, my position was eliminated & I joined the iorad team! Just like that, I went from superfan customer to superfan employee! Ya just never know how each experience will prepare you for the next. Don’t ever stop learning.
