Her Story
About Jodie
I've been an academic essentially my whole life, my whole adult life. I received my PhD in Sociology from UCSD in 2006, and then got hired in the tenure line at Cal State San Marcos, which is also in San Diego, where I've been since 2006. I started as an assistant professor, then after 4 years I got tenure and was promoted to associate professor, and then 6 more years after that I got full professor - at least 10 years ago now. I am a full professor in the Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies Department, because my area of expertise is in gender and social change. On a typical day, I teach 3 classes, hold office hours, grade, and I'm always working on something for publication. My most notable professional achievement is that I wrote an Introduction to Sociology textbook for Pearson - 19 chapters - and I was the first woman to write a solo-authored textbook for Pearson. I don't know how I did it now, but it's definitely something I'm proud of.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jodie
01What do you attribute your success to?
I've always been very ambitious. I come from a working-class, blue-collar background, and I was the first person in my family to go to college. From a really young age, both of my parents struggled with addiction, so from a very, very young age I felt like there was a larger world out there, and I wanted to go experience it, and I wanted to get out of there. So partly, there was always this fire burning inside of me to achieve as much as I could. The other part of it is my grandfather, Ronald Fetterman, was a great mentor to me. He was helping me with a paper in high school, and he came up with this line - he was laughing hysterically when he said it - but he said, 'I will not settle for mediocrity.' And I always remember that, still. He was very supportive of me, always supportive of striving for more and more. So I think that he was a great influence on me.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Focus on the work, and not the politics. You can get lost in the politics, but if you focus on the work and your passion, that's never gonna steer you wrong. So I focus on my students and my writing.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think it would be to incorporate mindfulness into your life now. So, meditation and mindfulness. That's going to give you a really grounded place from which to navigate your career. And also to make sure you're working on work-life balance. So that's important, especially in the beginning.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity, honesty, transparency, kindness, compassion, and empathy. I'd say those are the big ones for me.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · California
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.