Career Roadmap
Maria's work combines: Business, Travel, and Learning / Being Challenged
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Manager for Postal Service:
Bachelor's Degree: Customer Service Management
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
Started at a Cal Poly Pomona
2.
Due to mother's death and father leaving to work in Alaska I was forced to support myself.
3.
I began taking classes part-time at a community college.
4.
Started working for the US Postal Service
5.
Earned my AA degree
6.
Transferred to Cal State Fullerton and earned my BA in Sociology
7.
Continued to work for US Postal Service and went into management
8.
Retired with 25 years of management dealing with customers, employees and multiple unions.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
"You're too young to be a manager. How can I yell at you, you're a woman. Don't help her she has to learn to do it by herself." (unloading trucks when I first started). The Postal Service was very male dominated when I started.
How I responded:
I dealt with it graciously, and continued to prove them wrong. By surpassing goals and reaching higher level positions, I gained respect from the naysayers. Believe in yourself.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
When at Cal Poly, I struggled to balance both my personal life and my school life, but overcame this when I transferred to a community college and then transferred to Cal State Fullerton.
First in my family to receive BA degree.