I’m a Sr. Customer Success Manager, and I’m just around the corner from my one year work anniversary!
In college, I had made a vow to myself that I needed to give back to help others via educational opportunities in some way. My dad didn't go to college and my mom grew up in the Philippines, so navigating the US school system was a mystery to me at times. I was so grateful for the opportunities I had, but couldn’t ignore that it is not the case for everyone who may have been in similar situations as me. I was so fortunate that Informed K12 took the chance on hiring me to help me pursue that personal mission and join others who had similar mission-driven pursuits. Getting this IK12 opportunity meant both a change in career path and a change in industry. In my previous life, I was working as a Program/Project Manager in the HR space at a cloud computing company.
While continuous learning & growth is something that is inherent to this role & company, I think what makes a successful CSM here from day one is taking a human-centered approach in every interaction with our district partners. I’m a big believer in building rapport and trust at the foundation of every relationship.
I’ve learned so much this year- starting a new career in a new industry all while we navigated a pandemic- choosing just one thing is hard! While there’s so much to say about how much I’ve learned about the intricacies of educational systems & processes, I’d call out how this year of remote working really cemented the importance of teammates and leaning on work friends. Days in 2020 can be emotionally taxing- a lot of it stemming from factors outside of the workplace. However, Informed K12 is a place that encourages you to bring your full, true, and authentic self to work. For this year, that meant having our workplace be an environment where we’re not afraid to discuss our emotions, current events, or the intersection between the two.
I’m actually just coming off of our Thanksgiving holiday! I transitioned from living room office mode to living room relax mode :) In all seriousness, our CSM team was encouraged to fully disconnect over the Thanksgiving week which was much appreciated time to mentally recharge and come back refreshed to tackle the sprint to the end of 2020!
Coming from a larger company, I love how the size of our company allows for everyone to know each other. For example, when a new team member joins, you’d end up having a (now virtual) 1x1 coffee chat with every member of the company throughout your first couple months! This encourages a culture of inter-team collaboration from day one :)
I was surprised (and amazed/inspired) by just how unique every single person’s backstory is that works here. Before here, I always felt the need to qualify how “windy” or “abnormal” my career path looks on paper. However, now I’m surrounded by a whole team of people who have non-linear paths that make them the successful individuals that they are today. This has inspired me to embrace my own non-linear path as something that is unique and should be celebrated as such (instead of something to be embarrassed of!)
Interested in working with Lindsay? We're hiring!