Career Roadmap
Valorie's work combines: Technology, Business, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bladensburg Senior High
Bachelor's Degree
Computer Science
University of Maryland-College Park
Graduate Degree
Information Technology Project Management
University of Maryland-University College
Doctorate
Information Technology Project Management
Capella University
Graduate Degree
Information Operations/Joint Information Operations
University of Maryland-University College
Graduate Degree
Health/Health Care Administration/Management
Capella University
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be an Instructional Coordinators:
Bachelor's Degree: Computer/Computer Systems Technology/Technician
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
Programmer.
2.
Software Engineer.
3.
Systems Engineer.
4.
Mom & CEO of NonProfit (I also homeschooled my children which helped prepare me for my current job).
5.
Management Consultant.
6.
Computer Scientist (Information Assurance).
7.
Government Executive (IT Policy Analysis).
8.
Faculty Member & Program Chair.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Why are you still working? You have kids.
How I responded:
Eventually, I found a way to be a stay at home mother running a not-for-profit organization over the Internet. When my kids were closer to college age, I went back to work to earn money to pay for their tuition. Trying to restart my career was really, really hard as my technology skills were stale. This is where I struggled the most. Getting more education and asking for help from peers (working professionals in my field) were the key success behaviors required for my successful career restart.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I faced many hurdles ($$, 1st gen college, homeless). But, the one that beat me for awhile was illness followed by depression. I had to learn to take care of myself and believe I was a person of dignity, value, and worth. Then came the BS, MS, & PhD.