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Entry-level job plus education leads to fulfilling career

Nov 4, 2020

Jenna Thiel - Education Foundation of Sarasota County Staff Member

Jenna Thiel | College Career Advisor – North Port High School

There is nothing more eye-opening for a young adult than taking an entry-level job and realizing that your high school diploma isn’t enough to keep you in the lifestyle you envisioned for yourself.

I know this for a fact because I lived it.

At 19, I moved to Florida and took an entry-level job making $19,000 a year. Granted, that was 16 years ago, but that salary didn’t go far even then.

Luckily, my job came with health insurance and other benefits, including free tuition at a community college. Moving up in my job – a goal I established pretty quickly –required more education, and I took advantage of that benefit and started working on my college degree.

I went on to get jobs with more responsibilities and better pay while I continued my higher education and eventually earned my bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Then, armed with the right credentials and a strong resume, I landed the job of my dreams – as the Education Foundation of Sarasota County’s college-career adviser at North Port High School’s Student Success Center. Continue reading.