Career Roadmap
Chris's work combines: Business, Technology, and Teaching / Mentoring
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Sociology, General
University of California-Riverside
Graduate Degree
Information Technology
California State University-Fullerton
Doctorate
Organizational Leadership
Pepperdine University
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Computer and Information Systems Managers:
High School
Bachelor's Degree: Sociology, General
Graduate Degree: Information Technology
Doctorate: Organizational Leadership
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
My father was an engineer, so I was fascinated by engineering and technology from a young age.
2.
My first job out of undergrad was with a structural engineering firm.
3.
I foresaw the bust in the housing market and my own layoff, so I looked for new opportunities.
4.
I ended up interviewing for my current job, where they asked me if I could build an enterprise app.
5.
I replied "yes," (even though I didn't know how to build the app), got the job, then figured it out.
6.
That was a defining moment in my life: realizing I couldn't be fearful, I just needed to say "yes."
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Peers:
You're too young to get my respect.
How I responded:
I was promoted to director of my firm when I was 29...at a time when the average age for a director was 40-50 years old. That was disconcerting for some of the people that I worked with, and they weren't always comfortable with taking direction from someone who was so young. I also work as a professor, and sometimes I'll walk into a room to teach a class and the students will assume I'm one of them. So age has played an interesting role in my career, but I've certainly never let it hold me back.