When I graduated from Florida State University in the Spring of 2010, I had a plan: I was going to use my degree in British History to get a full-time job teaching and researching in my field of expertise. The first step along that path was the adjunct job I had lined up for the summer: teaching “EUH 3530 England, the Empire, and the Commonwealth” at FSU. But, of course, life rarely ever follows the path we imagine it will. Little did I know that teaching the course on British history was the last time I would use my field of expertise as a significant part of my career. I have used the skills, tools, and knowledge gained as a part of my educational experience in every facet of my career since, just not in the ways I assumed I would.
Right now, I work as a Customer Support Training Manager for Promethean, an educational technology company that creates front of classroom devices. The path that I took to get to this point was circuitous. Let me explain how I got there. It all began when I got my BA from the George Washington University as a double major in History and Political Science in 2002. I had a degree, but I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do. I worked in retail as an assistant manager, and after a busy Christmas season that year, realized that I did not want to do this for the rest of my life. I also realized that I wanted to go to graduate school. After being accepted to FSU, I began my graduate career in British History under the direction of one of the newest professors in the department, Dr. Charles Upchurch, in August 2003.