Career Paths: Where to Start and How to Continue Growing

Starting a career is daunting. Especially if you don’t know where to begin. Rozanne Andersen shares how curiosity guided her early career and how she’s continued growing.

Careers paths all start with a step. 

What does it take to do what you do? That’s the question that shaped Rozanne Andersen’s career. It’s the question that changed her from a confused high school graduate into a dental hygienist and from a hygienist into a lawyer. That’s right. Rozanne, the Vice President and COO of Finvi, had her career start in dentistry. 

While having her teeth cleaned post-graduation, a seemingly happy hygienist caught her interest. Rozanne asked, “What does it take to do what you do?” Her curiosity and question led her to a degree in public health.

Prior to this encounter, Rozanne was confused about what to do with her life. Like many young people, she was unsure what path to start on. Looking back, she offers this advice to anyone in a similar position: find something, anything that piques your interest and let your curiosity lead you. She advises, “You have to take a step.” Even if you don’t see a clear path or it doesn’t make total sense, starting somewhere is essential. 

Rozanne became the director of a dental health education program in her county. While on the job, she had a meeting with the county attorney about a grant for her program. The lawyer’s work caught her attention. She asked, “What does it take to be on your side of this desk?”

From there, she went to law school, became a lawyer, and was set on the path to her current role. It all started with a question, a willingness to try, and a step.

How do you continue growing once you’re on a path?

At some point in your career, curiosity may no longer function as your guiding light. When you have real, valuable experience and expertise in a particular industry, it could be a real setback to jump into something entirely new.

Learning and growth should become your primary focus at this stage. Rozanne used a growth mentality after becoming a lawyer and says, “When a job became too routine or there was no place to go from my vantage point, I would make a change.”

It can be tricky to identify when the correct time to make a change is. To help you know when the time is right, Rozanne suggests always keeping your resume up to date. She explains, “It means you’re thinking about yourself in a fresh way and you’re taking time to be aware of what you’re doing. What you’re actually doing can amaze you.”

An up-to-date resume helps put what you’re doing into context. From there, you’ll be able to identify whether you’ve still got room for growth or if you should start thinking about what’s next.