Gaining new experiences
I’ve always been the type of person who wants to experience everything, whether it be different styles of cuisine, playing any sport possible, or participating in a wide array of extracurricular activities after school. This mentality stuck with me in college. I pursued a computer engineering degree, where I learned software programming, hardware components, and everything in between. During college, I was introduced to Pariveda through an internship program and found it to be a place where I could broaden my experiences even more. After graduating, I found my way back to Pariveda. From starting as an Intern eleven years ago to now being a member of our leadership team as a Principal in the Chicago office, I am still gaining new experiences, learning, and growing in my day-to-day work.
Pariveda’s defined career path
Since my first day on the job, I’ve seen Pariveda be transparent in its mission: to develop, manage, and apply talent for the benefit of clients. In each promotion I’ve had along my career path, I’ve received support and guidance from leaders and mentors. They realized and noted my preference to learn through experiential exposure and combined that with what was realistically attainable for me to grow. As a burgeoning Intern and Consultant starting to code, I was tasked with understanding why and how my personal programmatic output created value in the context of the greater requirements. When I was promoted to Associate, I was challenged to look beyond my individual contributions and fully appreciate the work of my teammates, understanding how their experiences intertwined with mine to create business value for the project. And as a Manager to now Principal, I’ve learned to coach and lead others to program success by adapting to their learning styles and doing so across a myriad of industries and solutions.
Pariveda lays this all out in an Expectations Framework (EF), a rubric that defines each step of the career path. It does this in a way that feels both direct in how to proceed and malleable in how it can be applied. Not only can the personas of the EF (Professional, Architect, Leader, Player/Coach, and Advisor) adapt to any client experience, but they can also be interpreted and applied in unique ways to help people in different functions grow and learn. The guardrails are there, yet you can walk up the stairs any way you’d like. I’ve personally found that my desire to tread in different directions has equipped me to see every angle of the steps. While that can be overwhelming at times, it gave me the reassurance I needed to make sure it felt right when I was ready to move up.
Learning moments
These moments of growth were pivotal in me becoming who I am today, with plenty of key learnings and lessons along the way. Two years into my time at Pariveda, I gave a presentation to the entire company for FinFest, an internal event built around sharing and learning. I recognized that while I wasn’t the architect behind the material I was speaking on and was more junior than many of the other presenters, I was still empowered to simply talk to others about something they hadn’t seen before. It taught me that everyone’s perspectives are valid, and we can learn from others, regardless of their seniority or tenure.
Five years into my time at Pariveda, life came full circle, and I independently led my first team: the 2018 Chicago internship program. I was reminded of being in the shoes of my students, wide-eyed and eager to learn anything, but also that they were starting from square one. I learned to meet others where they are by being transparent and patient and that personal fulfillment can be found through collective fulfillment.
Ten years in, I learned about the power of doing what I love and learning through experience. At Pariveda, I have unlocked the type of problem solver I am, the type of work I enjoy most, and what I want to pursue as I continue my career journey. As my journey at Pariveda continued, and it was time to move from Manager to Principal, I completed my Point of View (POV) which is similar to developing a master’s thesis. The intent of the POV is to identify an unknown/unmet problem and develop a compelling insight around it. My POV focused on the hospitality industry, a space I’ve worked in and one I am drawn to because of the purpose it realizes in bringing joy to its customers. A core belief of mine is that I can use who I am and how I’ve grown to best serve my clients, teammates, and firm. The world is becoming more complex every day, and I believe that now, more than ever, people are looking for their purpose.
If you’re looking to start on your own career journey, my advice is simple: be open, be genuine, and be true to yourself along the way. Each step will become more impactful, ever-upward, and ultimately purposeful.
