Kali Haynes

I attribute my success to my family and my support system. Even right now, just devoting my time to my master's program, my family supports me in a really, really big way, and I don't think I would be able to achieve anything that I have without them. They have been there for me through every transition and challenge, and their belief in me has been fundamental to everything I have accomplished.

The best career advice I ever received was to have more visibility and to not be afraid of what other people are going to think of me, because anything can change in a moment's notice. I got this advice from someone I met at a networking event after I embarrassed myself by asking a question and getting emotional. They told me that what I did, I should never be afraid to do that again and again and again, because visibility is what gets you noticed. In this economy and this job market, that's what you need, because sending resumes online is not going to do it for you. In short, the advice was to increase your visibility, and it has completely changed how I approach my career transition.

I would say know what you're getting yourself into, especially if you're considering becoming a 911 dispatcher. There's a misconception that if you are very empathic, that you won't survive, because there's this societal notion that we're weak. But I would argue that empathy made me one of the strongest dispatchers there, because I was able to feel what other people were feeling. I had empathy, especially when children were involved, and my more apathetic coworkers would struggle with certain calls because they didn't understand what that person was going through. They would get frustrated really easily and get in trouble. Empathy really gives us patience, and I would say that if someone is empathetic and they love caring about people and helping people, to not be deterred by anyone who says otherwise. They are strong enough to go into that field. That quality of being curious and asking questions is exactly what you need, because if you're not asking enough questions, you won't get the information you need.

My current biggest challenge and obstacle is breaking into the IT field as a whole, because I'm a career switcher and I don't have a solid foundation in computer science. That's really been the biggest challenge for me. I'm hoping that the momentum I have and where I'm positioning myself is going to help me get through this. The lack of traditional computer science background makes it difficult to get that first opportunity, but I'm working to overcome this through networking, visibility, and hands-on experience in the cybersecurity community.

The values most important to me are community, integrity, and communication. Really good communication and empathy are huge for me. Empathy is a big one because so many people have no empathy. I'm a very empathic person and I cry a lot, but my father always tells me that's actually a sign of strength, because being apathetic is easy, but bearing that emotion is hard. He says that anything that's easy is the weaker option, and carrying that hardship and that emotion is stronger. We feel what everyone else is feeling, and we take on their emotions, and that's not for the weak of heart.