Her Story
About Susan
My career has been driven by my love of language and linguistics, which started when I was an exchange student in the Canary Islands, Spain during my junior year of high school. That formative experience led me to earn both my undergraduate degree in political science and Spanish, and my master's degree in Spanish Applied Linguistics from the University of Arizona. I taught Spanish at the university and college level for about 12 years, which I loved, but I also spent significant time in the nonprofit social services field, working in rape crisis, domestic violence, and AIDS education. In 2000-2001, I posted a language resume on Monster and got a hit from the Department of Defense, which led to a complete career shift. I had no idea that kind of work existed, and coming from the nonprofit, touchy-feely social service world to a military organization was a huge culture shock. I remember sitting there at my orientation and being terrified, thinking what did I get myself into. But I loved the work. Over my 20 years there, I wrote intelligence reports for very high-level government officials and taught at the National Cryptologic School, covering Spanish, linguistics, and reporting writing. I got to do language work, writing, and editing, which are things I love. Before joining DOD, I also worked at the Equal Rights Center in DC, where I did discrimination complaints, reasonable accommodations, disability access, and fair housing work. I even wrote a curriculum for taxi drivers on how not to discriminate and ran a secret shopper monitoring program for airport restaurants. Since retiring four years ago, I worked as a guest writer for Grammar Girl for a couple of years, writing articles about Spanish and its influence on English. Now I'm looking for part-time remote opportunities in the language or writing and editing fields, and I volunteer extensively with organizations like Help for FIP and the Ethel Circle through AARP.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Susan
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to curiosity and my love of knowledge. I've always loved learning new things and challenging things. I've never backed away from an intellectual challenge, and that's how I grow and learn. I ask a lot of questions. I also think persistence has been key. I am a persistent little somebody, and if somebody tells me I can't do something, that makes me want to do it even more. I will always try to find a way to make something work, and I've always done that in my personal life and at work. I will not give up. I always tell people who say they just can't learn languages that anybody can learn a language, just like anybody can learn almost every skill if they put their mind to it.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is to surround yourself with good people and smart people. Going along with that, realize your limitations and learn from other people. As much as you can teach other people, because I did a lot of mentoring too, you can also learn a lot. I guess I would sum it up by saying nobody is an expert in everything. Pick your top three areas and really hone in on those and try to develop those, rather than spreading yourself all over the place.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say know what you're getting into, because it's not for everybody. It's a completely different world, especially in the field that I was in. Do your research and talk to people. Most of these organizations would go and do career fairs and visit universities, and they're much more public than they used to be. Even though they can't go into great detail, you could still get an idea of the types of opportunities, the culture, and the work-life balance. Talk to people who have been there, whether it's through LinkedIn or whatever resources you have, and find out the good and the bad. Really be honest with yourself about whether this is something that will fit with your life and your lifestyle. I think work-life balance is really important, and with certain industries, you really need to take that into account.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Communication is definitely most important to me, particularly open communication. I think anybody who needs to be involved should be involved. I don't think things should be siloed off based on a hierarchy or whatever. Honesty and integrity are also critical values. That was very important in all the places I worked, but especially at DOD because of the nature of what we were dealing with. I think you always have to tell the truth, whether it's good, bad, or ugly, because that's the only way you're going to get past it, or the organization is going to get past it. You have to be honest with yourselves about what's working and what isn't working. For me, personally and professionally, DEI was always at the forefront of my mind. I did a lot of DEI training when I worked in social services and also with DOD, and they needed it. I know it's a very hot button issue right now, but to me that is so important.
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