Margaret R.

Activities/interests:  Band ,  Drama ,   Field Hockey ,  Honor Society ,  Math Team ,  Swimming ,  Student Government

People With This Job:

People In This Industry:  Angie A., Bruk B., Christine B., John B., Lisa B., Melissa B., Anthony B., Mary Ellen B., Jason C., Ricardo D., Nicole D., Dave E., Torin E., Jeremy F., Duff G., Damion H., Tamara H., Nicole H., Scott I., Rex L., Erika M., Luci M., Ovie M., Bill M., Ronald N., Adam O., Kennie R., Kevin S., Andy S., Jackie S., Donna W., Greg W., Gabe Z.

Favorite Subjects/Classes:  Math ,  Music ,  English

Tell us about your job

Please elaborate on what you do.
Most of what I do involves writing, internet research, editing (checking writing for errors and making it sound good), and coming up with new ideas to get the MBRT Achievement Counts messages out!

I do quite a few different things for Crittenton - I work on the curriculum we use in classes, help organize special events (like conferences for teens), write grant proposals (so we can raise money to have the programs!), and analyze numbers and statistics to make sure that the programs we have meet our goals!

At my new job at UMD, I'll be creating programs that train people in other countries in how to give surveys to families in poor communities.  These surveys will be used to decide how poor these communities are and whether or not they qualify to start a microfinance program.  Microfinance means giving small loans to people so they can start their own businesses and make more money, then pay the loans back.

Who or what inspired you to get into your current profession?  
After college, I taught English in Korea at a private language school.  After a year there, I spent 6 weeks traveling in Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar.  The children I met were SO poor, especially in comparing them to the kids I had taught in Korea.  I knew I didn't want to be a teacher for life but realized that I wanted to be helping kids in some way for sure.

How did you get your job?  
I got my job at MBRT by applying to a summer internship listing I found online through my college.  I actually didn't hear from them for quite a while but one day, got a call to come in for an interview.  I was hired a few days later and by the end of the internship, they offered to let me continue working as a consultant while I was in graduate school and to give me a full-time job when I was done if I wanted it.  I've been a part-time consultant ever since.

When I moved to Washington, DC last year, I knew I needed more than one consulting job so the people at MBRT helped me out by refering me to a friend of theirs that was just taking over as Director of another nonprofit.  I met her and she hired me too!  

I got my third 'client' this same way, through connections.  I got my new job at UMD by sending my resume and cover letter to them after hearing about the job in an email newsletter I get for people who want to work in international development.

I got my water aerobics job by walking into sports clubs whenever I saw them and asking if they had a pool and needed and an instructor.  I don't have a water aerobics teaching certification so having references that can talk about what a great teacher I am has been very important!  I work for 3 clubs now.

What school subjects do you use at work? 
English, algebra, statistics, sociology, some science, history...a lot of my graduate school classes have been very useful.

Annual salary range?   
It's unusual for someone my age to be working as a consultant the way I do... working for nonprofits, the general range for someone with my age and experience is about $35,000 - $60,000

What perks or other benefits do you get?  
I get reimbursed for my travel expenses when I go to see my clients.  When I do my taxes at the end of the year, I get to 'deduct' my work expenses (everything from paper and pens to tea when I have a meeting) so I pay a bit less.

One of the down sides to working for myself is actually that I pay my own benefits (health insurance, etc) BUT with my new job at UMD, I will get full benefits like health / dental insurance, free tuition, savings plans, life insurance, etc.

What are the best and worst parts of your job?  
The best part of my job is knowing that the work I do ends up helping teenagers do better in school and prepare for what they are going to do after they graduate.  I also love the fact that most days, I work in my pajamas on my bed or in my basement!

The worst thing is that it can be hard to discipline myself to work -- there are lots of distractions at home (tv, phone calls, chores) and sometimes I end up working on the weekends to make up for lost time during the week.  I bill my clients by the hour so if I don't work, I don't get paid!

If you weren’t in your current job, where would you be?  
I’d be doing similar work in another country or I'd be in advertising.

What do you do in your free time?  
Exercise, explore DC (and Baltimore when I'm up there), hang out with friends, cook, watch movies...

Getting to where you are now

What or who inspired you growing up? 
My grandmothers are the kindest, most generous people I know.  One of them volunteers with the American Mental Health Association (mental illness has been in my family) every single day and the other is very active in her church.  Both of them would do anything for their families or for those around them that need help.  Even though no one else in my family works in the field I do, I have that 'do-gooder' gene in me!

What choices have you made that helped get you where you are today?  
Going to Korea was life-changing for me.  Most of the people I went to college with were VERY driven to go into 1 of 3 fields: medicine, engineering or finance/business.  None of these ever really appealed to me and there came a time when I had to decide to do what other people thought I 'should' do or to go to the other side of the world to figure it out for myself.  It has taken several years but I am truly happy working in this field.

What do you wish you’d known then that you know now?  
Not to sweat the small stuff.  Planning for your future - no matter what age you are - is important but it doesn't mean you have to have every detail planned out!  The most important thing is to set yourself up to have as many options as possible.  

Majoring in two totally different subjects - math and writing - was one of the best decisions I ever made because there are so many jobs that require either or both skill sets.  However, when i was in college, I didn't realize this - I thought I was supposed to be either a writer or a mathematician (working with numbers in some way, like as an auditor or statistics expert).  I gave myself a lot of headaches trying to squeeze myself into one of those categories, not realizing that a) there were lots of other ways to use my talents in these subjects and b) if I started out in one job and didn't like it, I could always try something else!