Episode 68: How I Broke Into Project Management with a Liberal Arts Degree, with Ariana Rodriguez

Episode 68: How I Broke Into Project Management with a Liberal Arts Degree, with Ariana Rodriguez

Are you a liberal arts major / grad who has a hard time articulating WHAT you bring to the table in your interviews? Tune into today’s episode for the special sauce.

It’s true: liberal arts grads have to work harder and get really good at talking about their strengths, skills, and value proposition.

 
Look, I get the “liberal arts struggle” when it comes to job searching, particularly when you’re early in your career. I went to a liberal arts college and graduated with a degree in Political Science and Italian Studies. When I was a college junior and senior, I wasn’t exactly sure how my major / studies would transfer into the workplace. What skills did I have? Were they even marketable? 
At first blush, it seems like you’re at a serious disadvantage when you graduate with a degree in History, versus someone else who might be graduating with a degree in Accounting and Marketing. 
But here’s the thing. That advantage? It doesn’t last for long. Because of this thing called “real life world experiences.”
Eventually, you WILL be given opportunities, jobs, internships, whatever. And you will have the opportunity to learn new skills and use them. What you THEN need to be able to do, is communicate WHAT those new skills and experiences ARE, their value, and how they apply to your target role.
Building up your career portfolio and communicating powerfully about your so-called “Soft Skills” and how they drive results, is really important. And that’s what we discuss on today’s episode.
On today’s episode, we have a special guest – Ariana Rodriguez – who graduated from NYU in 2010 with a liberal arts degree. At first she thought she wanted to make a difference in the world in education and nonprofit. Within a few years, and with student loans still unpaid, she realized she would need to pivot into a new career that would pay her better. But, how do you market yourself and make yourself competitive for jobs when you have a liberal arts degree and have only worked in the education sector?
Ariana tells us how she made this pivot, drawing upon her own skills, strengths and personal experiences. She knew that she needed to DEMONSTRATE to the interviewers how her skills of problem solving, attention to detail, and collaboration would be beneficial to the administrative assistant job that was posted. 
After she got the admin assistant job (which by the way, she was definitely overqualified for!), she rocked that job all the way through several promotions into the project manager career, which she enjoyed for many years. 
On this episode, we discuss:
  • Why she decided to pivot out of the education/nonprofit and social work space, and move into a project manager career in healthcare
  • How a personal health problem turned into a soap business that she talked about in her interviews 
  • How her philosophy college courses actually helped her fine-tune a skillset that she still uses today
  • Why she left her job to go full-time on her business in 2021 
Follow Ariana Rodriguez on LinkedIn. Ariana owns a business where she helps emerging agencies get to the next level of success by streamlining backend operations and systems.

Listen To The Full Episode:

68. How I Broke Into Project Management with a Liberal Arts Degree, with Ariana Rodriguez

Are you a liberal arts college grad who struggles to articulate your value proposition to employers? Did you graduate during a recession? Are you thinking about pivoiting into the project manager career path? Then you need to tune into today’s episode, with special guest, NYU grad, and Dominican-American Ariana Rodriguez.

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Episode 57: What It’s Like To Get a Ph.D. and Become a Business Professor, with Sekou Bermiss

Episode 57: What It’s Like To Get a Ph.D. and Become a Business Professor, with Sekou Bermiss

On Episode 57, hear from a Human Capital expert about the Great Resignation and the impact of remote work on BIPOC folks!

On this episode, Sekou Bermiss, Ph.D., opens up about his early career pivot when he decided to leave the traditional business path in consulting to pursue a long journey to become a business professor!

What you’ll learn from this episode:

  • What it’s like to go through a Ph.D program and the challenge of achieving tenure

  • Why Sekou decided to get his Ph.D. – and how he came to that decision

  • The ups and downs of being an academic and professor

  • The Great Resignation, how it might end, and the impact of remote work on BIPOC folks

    Ready to make a career change?

I got you! Download our 20-page FREE guide to get career clarity on where you want to go next.

Episode 51: Why I Left My Stockbroker Career to Become a Digital Nomad Entrepreneur, with Charly Stoever

Episode 51: Why I Left My Stockbroker Career to Become a Digital Nomad Entrepreneur, with Charly Stoever

On Episode 51, learn about the digital nomad lifestyle and what it’s like to run an online biz from Cancun, MX!

51. Why I Left My Stockbroker Career to Become a Digital Nomad Entrepreneur, with Charlie Stoever

Ever wonder what it would be like to run your own business from Playa del Carmen, Cancun? Well, meet today’s guest, Charly Steover, who is doing exactly that!  Charly is a nonbinary Latinx money coach and former licensed stockbroker who helps LGBTQ & BIPOC folks points hack, invest, & build wealth so that they can start taking control of their money.  They served various communities of color through City Year San Antonio and Peace Corps Nicaragua.

On this special episode, we hear from Charly Stoever, Latinx Money Coach and Digital Nomad entrepreneur

What you’ll learn from this episode:

  • How Charly’s willingness to be a beginner opened up their world to a myriad of career options throughout their 20’s 

  • Why Charly decided to pursue entrepreneurship despite getting a Social Impact MBA 

  • How investing in coaching has made a huge difference in Charly’s beliefs about money and career 

    Ready to make a career change?

I got you! Download our 20-page FREE guide to get career clarity on where you want to go next.

Full Episode Transcript:

 

Outro:

Hey, are you thinking about changing careers? Then you need to head over to my website, ecmpodcast.com, and sign up to get your free 20 page guide that I wrote with YOU in mind. I wrote this guide to help you change careers and get really clear on what it is that you want to do next. Career clarity is key to a career transition journey. All right, can’t wait to hear what you think about it. Have a great week.

Episode 48: How to Ditch the 9-5 Life, Start an Online Business, and Change Lives, with Kaneisha Grayson

Episode 48: How to Ditch the 9-5 Life, Start an Online Business, and Change Lives, with Kaneisha Grayson

On Episode 48, learn about how Kaneisha Grayson grew her own online business from a $10K startup grant to $1M+ in revenue

48. How To Ditch The 9-5 Life, Start an Online Business, and Change Lives , with Kaneisha Grayson

Have you ever thought that only white men with generational wealth are capable of ditching the 9-5 life and building their own businesses? Well, today’s episode is a proof point that BIPOC folks without generational wealth can pursue this path, too!

If you’e someone who’s dreamed about being your own boss and creating an impact-centered business, you can’t miss this special episode with Kaneisha Grayson, founder of The Art of Applying.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

  • What it’s like to be your own boss, start your own business and grow it to a $1M revenue biz – and why Kaneisha decided to scale her biz back 

  • Why Kaneisha decided to ditch the corporate life, after completing her MBA/MPP from Harvard 

  • The risks and up-sides to a life of entrepreneurship 

  • How to decide whether you’re ready for entrepreneruship

Ready to make a career change?

I got you! Download our 20-page FREE guide to get career clarity on where you want to go next.

Full Episode Transcript:

 

Outro:

Hey, are you thinking about changing careers? Then you need to head over to my website, ecmpodcast.com, and sign up to get your free 20 page guide that I wrote with YOU in mind. I wrote this guide to help you change careers and get really clear on what it is that you want to do next. Career clarity is key to a career transition journey. All right, can’t wait to hear what you think about it. Have a great week.

Episode 41: How I Landed My Dream Job at NASA as a Latina Engineer, with Joan Melendez Misner

Episode 41: How I Landed My Dream Job at NASA as a Latina Engineer, with Joan Melendez Misner

On Episode 41, Joan talks about how she became an aerospace engineer at NASA after getting rejected 12 times!

41. How I Landed My Dream Job at NASA as a Latina Engineer, with Joan Melendez Misner

Can you imagine getting rejected from your dream job at NASA 12 different times, but still trying again one more time? Well, that’s exactly what Joan Melendez Misner did before landing her job as aerospace engineer at NASA. On this episode, Joan tells us how to break into the Space industry and thrive as a woman of color in STEM.

 

Can you imagine getting rejected from your dream job 12 times, but still trying again one more time? That’s what today’s guest, Joan Melendez Misner, did before landing her dream job as an aerospace engineer as a woman of color.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

  • What it takes to break into the space industry 

  • How to overcome being the only woman of color or Latina in the room in a male-dominated industry

  • What Joan did to finally land her dream job (sometimes it takes a lateral move!)

  • The highlights of working at NASA!

Ready to make a career change?

I got you! Download our 20-page FREE guide to get career clarity on where you want to go next.

Full Episode Transcript:

 

Outro:

Hey, are you thinking about changing careers? Then you need to head over to my website, ecmpodcast.com, and sign up to get your free 20 page guide that I wrote with YOU in mind. I wrote this guide to help you change careers and get really clear on what it is that you want to do next. Career clarity is key to a career transition journey. All right, can’t wait to hear what you think about it. Have a great week.

Episode 40: Six Signs You’re In a Toxic Workplace and What To Do About It, with Jasmine Escalera

Episode 40: Six Signs You’re In a Toxic Workplace and What To Do About It, with Jasmine Escalera

On Episode 40, Career Coach Jasmine Escalera gives us the scoop on toxic workplace traits that should be RED FLAGS!

Six Signs of a Toxic Workplace and What To Do About It, with Jasmine Escalera

Ending up in a toxic workplace scenario can happen to anyone – and it often leads to a miserable day to day experience that can impact your physical, mental and emotional well-being. On this special episode, Career & Confidence Coach Jasmine Escalera shares her top signs of a toxic workplace and what to do about it.

It can happen to the best of us – our new job, or new boss, ends up becoming our source of biggest misery. On this episode, Career Coach Jasmine Escalera walks us through some top red flags for work culture.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

  • What catch-phrases to watch out for when companies describe their work cultures

  • Aggressive workloads and what to do about them

  • The role of employee voice and the importance of feeling like you will be heard at work

  • How Jasmine has overcome micro-agressions as a Latina at work, and her own story becoming a Career Coach

Ready to make a career change?

I got you! Download our 20-page FREE guide to get career clarity on where you want to go next.

Full Episode Transcript:

 

Outro:

Hey, are you thinking about changing careers? Then you need to head over to my website, ecmpodcast.com, and sign up to get your free 20 page guide that I wrote with YOU in mind. I wrote this guide to help you change careers and get really clear on what it is that you want to do next. Career clarity is key to a career transition journey. All right, can’t wait to hear what you think about it. Have a great week.