Jocelyn Stargell Zachery

The best career advice I ever received was from my mentor when I first started out. I was so focused on this dream that you're going to go to college, get this amazing job, and check all your boxes off. I got my first job out of college and I kept comparing it to that dream list they had you make. I was talking to my mentor and she was telling me, you have to be present and do well where you are, because you can't expect to be blessed or have more if you don't steward what you're being given. A lot of times, as you're climbing the ladder, you're always trying to get to what's next - at least for me, in my personal experience. You're like, okay, what's the next chapter, what's the next ladder I can climb, or next goal I can accomplish. But also just being able to be present in what your role is and what you do, and being the best at that is really what's going to continue to carry you, because you have to be present. I used to always be so in the future that sometimes it affects the present. You've got to make sure that you're staying in the present. And also, just being still and understanding to steward what you have so you can be given more. It's shown in my career - just being able to do good and be great at what you're currently doing, and then other doors open from being able to do that.

My advice for the younger generation entering marketing is to go for the data side of marketing, because as we know, AI is continuing to grow. When I first went to school, communications was such a big thing, but I think as we're changing and getting more to a global world and society, focusing in on the more data marketing roles and then also certifications is really important. That's really what kind of drives your focus and your specialty in marketing, because in marketing, it's good to have a specialty in which you specialize in, so then you can continue to be able to differentiate yourself. I think that's the biggest thing that has helped me, because my job continues to invest in us with continuing education. We have mandatory trainings, but we also have trainings that are just recommended for us to continue to grow. I think that's helped me continue to grow in my career - just getting those certifications and being able to get more specialized in those areas that I find that I either really enjoy or that I'm really, really good at. Because no one just wants someone who's good at generally everything. You need to be able to focus on what you are good at and really fine-tune those skills so you can become a specialist in that.