What is a director, program manager and how to become one

The journey to become program director was unexpected, with much rerouting. My journey started while working as a coordinator for leadership at a historically black college. I took advantage of mentorship, coaching, and professional development, including shadowing, during this time. I was blessed to have my efforts seen and earned my advancement as the Assistant Director of Leadership & Development. However, I later recognized that I needed a crucial component in my professional development specific to student development: the academic component. It was because I utilized my opportunities at the institution that I could further my career development as an academic advisor, which later transitioned to assistant director of student success. While at this institution, I was completing my master's in higher education administration. The opportunity to be the Director of Student Affairs was presented to me because of the connection I built with my peers in class. I applied for this position and, shockingly, was awarded the opportunity. Although this was part of my career trajectory, I expected to be in this position in my 30s. However, I was 24 years old when I started this position. I would still be in this position if there had not been a terrible hurricane that forced the institution to lay off 60 percent of its staff to continue operating. Thus, I sought opportunities back home and moved into the role of assistant director of student activities. During these years, I felt something was missing and incurred a glass wall at a less progressive institution. So, I wanted to transition back to academic advising. After transitioning into this role, I recognized that institutional culture and climate were only some of the great fits. I also recognized that this was an environment that emphasized developing their employees. So, once again, I took advantage of every opportunity presented to me and created my path to success. I quickly started to move up through the ranks. While at this institution, I have been promoted four times and am currently working on a fifth.

In conclusion, I mentioned that mentorship, coaching, professional development, and shadowing were critical to my success. Please know that although I was successful, I did endure hurdles such as age discrimination, microaggressions, racism, and many other things. I learned that success comes with the challenges needed to help you grow and develop. I have utilized those challenges to help sha