Amy Vaught

I wouldn't be where I am if I didn't have other people who were willing to step up and help. Helping other people doesn't cost you anything. I've never actually been professionally harmed by being nice or helping another person. Sometimes there's that fear that you're going to screw yourself over, or you're gonna get someone ahead, but I'm not saying do somebody's job and win them accolades, just being kind is huge. The best thing that has helped me professionally is other people just taking the time to realize I'm serious and showing me how to do things, or helping me find a different way. I wouldn't be anywhere if other people hadn't stepped up and been willing to teach.

The best career advice I've received is asking questions. If you don't understand something, learn how to do it, or find somebody who can help you learn how to do it. Not knowing will stand in your way. Being curious will help you open doors. I think that's the biggest thing. I'm someone who knows how to hide in a corner and make myself small, and it's taken tons of learning to not be that person. Coming from a place of genuine curiosity helps. There's so much I know how to do, not because I knew how to do it, but because I asked somebody. I understand how to do budgets and things because I sat down with my boss as she was figuring out the budget to walk me through it. That's how I learned to budget for a non-profit. It's all about being brave enough to ask a question.

The hard thing that you're gonna hear a million times, but learn to say no and set boundaries. Especially when you go into a field that you entered because you care or you're compassionate, it's incredibly easy to overstretch yourself. When you're working on a problem that isn't a thing that goes away, the work never ends, so you have to learn when to stop. Having some sense of knowing how to set your own boundaries is gonna be huge. The other thing is to be brave about looking dumb. Ask the questions. It's better to look silly and ask a question and understand a process or your industry better than it is to sit there and nod and pretend you have it under control. So many connections I've built, and frankly trust I've built with people, is me throwing up my hand and willing to say I'll look like the dummy in the room, I'm gonna ask a question. We're all thinking it. That's almost become my role. It doesn't hurt me. I don't ever want to look stupid, but I'm more willing to look dumb for 30 seconds and to have clarification than I am to walk around in the dark.

Curiosity is important to me, loyalty is important to me, and integrity is important to me. I'd say we could put those at the top 3. If I haven't said it 20 times already, curiosity is a defining trait for me. I am competitively curious. I need to learn everything, and I need to learn it like last week. The thing that has been so important to me about my educational journey is that all of it's applicable. It doesn't matter what the degree was called or what the class was called. I've been able to apply all the pieces I've learned to be better informed in what I do now. There is no bad learning.