Career Roadmap
Shawna's work combines: Food, Entrepreneurship, and Being Creative
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bishop McNally High School
Certification
Medical Office Assistant/Specialist
Certification
Certified Emergency Dispatcher
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Farmers, Ranchers, & Other Agricultural Managers:
High School
Bachelor's Degree: Applied Horticulture/Horticulture Operations, General
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
Completing high school and getting all of my certifications was definitely satisfying.
2.
But looking back, I wish I'd taken more time to figure out what my passion was.
3.
It was definitely hard to find full-time work in the area that I live in.
4.
Most recently, I was an administrative assistant at Shell Oil and Gas.
5.
I enjoyed some of the benefits of that job, but when I was laid off, I was actually happy.
6.
After being laid off, I had to find a new passion to pursue; I decided to take up gardening.
7.
Now I'm experimenting with growing all different types of vegetables out of my home.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
You're never going to make any money messing around in your garden.
How I responded:
My friends and family have their doubts about me trying to make money with my gardening, and a lot of them think that I should just get another administrative job. But I know myself, and I know that I'm not suited to working behind a desk; I'd much rather be working to help the world, and I know that my work with gardening and hydroponics could someday help people afford better, healthier foods.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
My parents are from Ireland, and they were very overprotective of me. Both were very successful and put a lot of pressure on me to follow suit. But they didn't immigrate here just so I could work at a soul-sucking job, so I'm following my passions.
My brother was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age-way before I was-but my mother didn't believe in medicating him. I think because my parents were trying to figure out how to deal with his learning disorder, I kind of just slipped under the radar.
I was diagnosed with ADHD late in life; as a kid, I got into some trouble that was probably due to my untreated ADHD, but people thought I was just a bad kid. But now I've realized my ADHD also has upsides: I'm glad to be the out-of-the-box thinker!