Fay's Career Journey
My own career path has given me to opportunity to personally experience and fine-tune my career creation, networking, and job search skills.
My first career chapter began in Maine where I ran a pottery studio, shop and craft gallery. I had 25+ apprentices over the 13 years – folks from all kinds of backgrounds. Since these apprentices were at the pottery for just 9 months to a year, we often talked about what they might do after their apprenticeship. I realize now that even as a potter, I was helping folks think about their lives, their dreams, and their career transitions.
As I became interested in personal growth and the dynamics of people in organizations, and inspired by many wonderful senior organizational development consultants in The NTL Institute, I began my own major career transition, earning a Masters Degree in Organizational Behavior from the California School of Professional Psychology in Alameda, CA.
While in my graduate program in California, I began to learn about the power of networking, which led to a unique opportunity co-leading one of the MBA student small groups for a semester course in “Interpersonal Dynamics” at Stanford University.
While in graduate school, meeting new neighbors in California led to my contractor role co-coordinating the Quality Program for NASA at the Ames-Mountain View, CA site. Attending a professional meeting, led to an Internship in Training and Development with the City of Oakland.
Degree in hand, back in Maine - time to search for a job. Criteria: use my degree, make a difference in people’s lives, and make the income I deserve. Networking and a chain of connections six levels deep led me to a position as Director of Organization Development for Central Maine Power Company where I launched a company-wide, top-down internal career development program.
My next search, a multi-state East coast search with applications, recruiters, cold calls, target calls, networking, and courage, led to four job offers and a position as Corporate Employee Involvement Consultant with Corning Inc. There I consulted to and coached division leaders, plant managers, plant training coordinators, team coordinators, and teams for implementation of high-performing work systems.
As my values and priorities changed, I decided to leave corporate life, make more of a direct impact on people’s lives as a coach, and move back to the South where I grew up, to be near my aging parents. So, I moved to the Chapel Hill, Durham, RTP, Raleigh, NC area without knowing people here.
From attendance at a professional meeting, I built a huge network of colleagues. Thank networking led me a part-time career consultant position with a career management firm coaching employees, executives, managers, and professionals from “outplacement” or lay-off to their next position or into their own business.
Lunch with a new colleague led to a meeting with the hiring manager and subsequent faculty position at Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina where I taught Business Communications to undergraduates and Career Development to MBA peer counselors who coached the MBAs in job search. A neat partnering of two wonderful jobs and a great 5 years.
On to the current chapter of full time career coaching. During the last 10 years I have coached 1000+ individuals, working with them through major and minor transitions, into and out of corporate positions, into and out of small businesses, into retirement and out of retirement.
I continue to be awed and inspired by my clients as they courageously explore their lives, careers, values, and dreams to create and achieve, time after time, the career and work that fits who they really are.
Contact Fay
Ready to get started with career coaching? Call or email me to talk about your career situation and about how we can work together to help you envision your career future and achieve your goals.