Career Readiness: Success Narrative

Shanon Beck

Sophia Pathways, LLC

College Readiness

30 May 2023 

Success Narrative

After graduating from High School in 2019, I took a year off to decide whether I wanted to go to college or straight into the workplace, ultimately deciding to go straight into the workplace after my family faced financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantines. I started in an entry-level janitorial position at (retail store), Inc in late 2020 and have been with the company since, holding a great variety of positions. Ever since I can remember I always sought to be a leader among my social groups; and this wasn’t any different when I entered the workplace. Last year I earned my Certification in Frontline Management from the University of Denver which ultimately led to me receiving a promotion to the Bakery/Deli Manager in my facility. While I am very happy with the progress; I have made in my career thus far; I have decided to head back to school to earn a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration both to further my career and to set my future family up for financial success; something my parents were never able to achieve.

As an hourly supervisor at (retail store) I have had the opportunity to communicate directly with a number of suppliers and manufacturers, partner with regional-level management and develop my associates to reach their maximum potential. I have given my all to my work, and to my associates, and will do the same for my college degree.

While I have many long-term and short-term goals, the primary goal I have is to attain my Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in order to move further up the ladder of the corporate world; additionally; I will be pursuing a position in upper-level management while I’m still in college in order to better leverage my degree to move into a corporate-level position. I would also like to graduate with a minor in English Literature in order to diversify my career opportunities and further my journalistic work, and better position myself to publish a book on my experience(s) in the workplace as an adult with autism.

In order to achieve all these goals, and goals unrelated to my professional life, I will have to double down and work even harder than I currently do, even if it means sacrificing time I have committed to hobbies and less-important activities. To achieve my degree in under four years I will be pursuing additional courses through Sophia and other educational platforms, accelerating my program by several months. Additionally, I will be pursuing educational opportunities through my employer that offers college credit; and actively networking with regional-and-above leadership to situation myself with career opportunities.

Lastly, while I may not have everything figured out right now, and certainly have a ton of things still left to chance --- I will be utilizing all of the resources given to me to figure it all out and pave a path forward. Whether those resources be my academic advisor, my classmates or the vast libraries of knowledge that my school provides. I’m very optimistic for the future and have had a great support system built up for me, I can’t wait to see what the next ten years will bring for me.