So often in life, things you regard as an impediment turn out to be great good fortune. – Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Life doesn’t always go according to plans. Mine certainly hasn’t. A divorce that left me with a young daughter to raise alone was the first great impediment I encountered. Realizing I needed to earn more money if I was going to financially support my daughter and myself and someday achieve my dream of owning a house, I went back to school at night to become a paralegal. That led to a busy but fulfilling career as a litigation paralegal.
Connections I made at the law firm resulted in a job working for the general counsel and the compliance manager at the corporate headquarters of a large medical device company. It was a job that I thoroughly enjoyed and thought it would be the place from which I’d retire. Unfortunately, the company was acquired, and the new owners eventually closed the Indianapolis office. I decided I didn’t want to relocate to the choices offered. That impediment led me to a corporate paralegal position for a medical device company located approximately 60 miles east of Indianapolis.
After a year of spending more than two hours a day commuting, I began the search for a job closer to home due to some family circumstances that made the long commute too difficult to maintain. I saw an ad for an opening at netlogx for a grant manager position that required many of the skills I had learned as a paralegal and grant coordinator in my previous jobs.
At the time, I didn’t know anyone at netlogx—nor did I know anything about project management. After finally finding my way through the Stutz building to the netlogx office, I interviewed with Audrey Taylor and a former team member. The project was to be for 2 years working at the Indiana Government Center. I expressed concern that after the project ended, what would I do since I knew nothing about project management or the other services netlogx offered. Audrey assured me not to worry, that there would be things for me to do. Little by little, I started taking on internal responsibilities for corporate filings, certification applications, reviewing contracts, and meeting weekly with the company’s attorney.
By the time the project I was on had ended, the company had expanded. I came on full-time as a member of the Operations Team. Nick Taylor saw an opportunity for me to help with procurements and take on the role of bid manager. Eventually, management of the intern program and Fast Track program were added along with various operational “duties as assigned”. With this job, I don’t have to worry about being bored or wondering what I’ll do to stay busy. There is always plenty to do! (You were right, Audrey!)
Over the past 10+ years, the company has afforded me many opportunities for professional development and growth. Some of these opportunities have involved changes or have stretched me in ways that were uncomfortable at the time. Looking back, those were the times I learned the most. While working for a consulting services company was not something that had been in my career plan, the impediments that brought me here certainly turned out to be to my great good fortune.
