Deciding Your Direction

This week, I'm sharing an interview with Joanna McReynolds. She's an elementary ESL teacher in Normal, IL, and she has a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and TESOL from the University of Wisconsin La-Crosse. She is currently a graduate student pursuing a Master’s degree in Education from Illinois State University. She grew up in Ethiopia, attended high school in Kenya, and has lived in several countries. She is looking forward to moving to Colombia, South America to teach third grade at an international school for the upcoming school year.  __________ Question: As an ESL teacher & grad student, what does an average day look like for you? JM: I typically try to spend the time during my planning periods and before school working on lesson planning or anything that is related to teaching. After school, evenings and weekends are dedicated to my grad classes. Depending on the classes I am taking during a particular semester, some are heavier workloads than others,

Don't be afraid of what you don't know. While searching for a job or sorting through employment opportunities, it can be easy to get overwhelmed by long, complex job descriptions that list responsibilities and tasks that are completely new to you. Maybe you understand the theory of the job, but the duties seem completely foreign. Maybe you've only just been introduced to the software and systems you'll be expected to work with on a daily basis. Maybe you've only ever had classroom training in the subject. That's okay. According to an article from eLearning Industry, about 70% of learning takes place as a result of on-the-job activities. We are wired to learn through experience. Working directly on a task and having new, tangible objectives is a natural (necessary, even) part of the job experience. Structured learning through formal instruction can only take you so far, and is really just a stepping stone for experiential learning. Learning on the job allows yo

Deciding Your Direction is back with another installment in the professional interview series! This week, Julia Ekstrom is featured. Julia is an expert in Corporate Communications and Human Resources Talent Development. She worked for 21 years as an HR executive at Caterpillar, and now serves as Manager of Communications at Samaritan Ministries in Peoria. Also, she's a Bradley University graduate! The transcript of our conversation is included below. __________ Question : As a Manager of Communications, what does an average day look like for you? JE : “My days consist almost entirely of meetings–at least six of them, if not more. Meetings include collaborating with various departments throughout the ministry, staff meetings, one-on-one meetings with my team, coaching & mentoring meetings with staff, conducting performance reviews, addressing social media emergencies, collaborating with other leaders in other areas of the Ministry to strategize message delivery to our members (

In the professional world, there seems to be harsh divide between the entrepreneurial mindset and the corporate mindset. On one side, you have freedom, innovation, and flexibility; on the other, you have resources, structure, and reach. For many students preparing to graduate, it can be hard to know which direction is the best option to pursue.  Before making that decision, it's important to first have a clear understanding about the realities of both types of work. In a 2020  article , Andrei Cretu says, " In entrepreneurship, we usually get a sense of freedom, more flexibility but very often a lack of structure. On the corporate end, there is loads of know-how, resources, but the environment is frequently perceived as somehow rigid and not agile enough."  While he acknowledges the differences, he also encourages the reader to break down some of the mental barriers between the two professional climates. There are good things and bad things about each, and in many circums

This week on  Deciding Your Direction , I’m sharing the first installment in a series of interviews with professionals working in various fields. Kathleen Erin is an interior organizer and custom closet designer with over 20 years of experience in professional sales. She  has  worked with hundreds of clients across the state through partnerships with agencies and through her own business. See the transcript of our conversation below! __ __ __ __ __ Question: As a professional salesperson and designer, what does an average day look like for you? KE:  “Typically, my days are busy with calling clients and prospects to set up appointments, and follow up with answers; meeting with clients to discuss their space and take measurements; and working in the office on designs and quotes, with more follow up communications. About half of my time is spent in the field and the other half is at my desk." Question: What is your favorite part of your job? KE:   "My favorite part   of my jo