From Passion to Profession

Balancing sports, school, clubs, and extracurricular activities can be very hectic for high school students. In fact, the sheer academic demands around completing assignments, studying for tests, and understanding class material keeps most students completely occupied. While all of these experiences are important, high school students do not have the opportunity to learn (in a deeper way) about the different careers they may want to pursue in the future. This has led to a common concern held by most students in college and high school—figuring out what they want to do in life. Therefore, it is important for students to learn more about different perspectives on diverse careers early on. While students may know the general role of various careers, it is also important to learn about the day to day life, skills required, lifestyle flexibility, and how people find themselves in their roles. Additionally, valuable lessons can be gained from people who have started in different careers and made the switch. To explore this topic, I’ve interviewed three professionals in varying careers ranging from Mr. Thomas Donahoe, Computer Science and Math teacher, to Ms. Wendy Bergh, the general manager of Zoom, and finally Ms. Kimberly Wickam, my mother, and a winery and business owner.

Thomas Dohanoe is an AP Computer Science teacher at Sacred Heart. His interest in computer science sparked when he attended a geometry class back at Sacred Heart. More specifically, he enjoyed a project regarding programming calculators. Fun fact: this project is currently included in the Algebra 2 course. Later in high school, he took AP Computer Science—he loved the challenge and developed an even stronger interest in the subject. After high school, he attended Dartmouth College and studied computer science. He loved the major and found it really fun. If you are interested in pursuing computer science in the future, Donahoe recommends trying out different aspects of computer science with the goal of finding out what type of computer science you like most. If you enjoy computer science, are hardworking, and have an interest for apps, then this career may be for you. Lastly, Thomas Donahoe enjoys teaching others about computer science and his favorite part about being a teacher is getting to know the students.

Wendy Bergh is the General Manager at Zoom. She oversees Zoom’s multi-billion dollar business for consumers and small businesses. She started her career in retail, at companies such as Gap, Minted, and Walmart, and quickly became an expert in e-commerce, mobile, and marketing. Originally, she wanted to be a doctor but then decided she wanted to work in retail. Learning about e-commerce, marketing, and sales helped her prepare for the role she has today. In her current role, she loves waking up each day and seeing the business’ sales and customer feedback. It is important to be data driven, customer focused, and results oriented for this career path. She thinks the key to her success is being open to opportunities, working hard, and building great relationships. According to Wendy Bergh, “High school students should be curious and try a lot of things to figure out what they like. Also, they should be open to changing their career paths as they learn and grow.”

Kimberly Wickam is the co-founder and owner of Jax Vineyards, a winery based in Napa Valley with a tasting room and headquarters in San Francisco. Interestingly, Kimberly started her career in technology at AT&T and Cisco Systems after studying finance/technology and going to Business School. She then pivoted when she took an entrepreneurial class and realized she was excited about building a brand, executing a vision, and working with her brother to create a high quality product around the vineyard her father purchased the year prior. Ultimately, building a business from the ground up required all the skills she learned in business school ranging from accounting, legal (trademarking her brand), marketing, branding, coding to create her website (required in those days!). She also had to handle operations around the winemaking, bottling, and labeling, and finally selling the wine and hand delivering each case! Now her business produces nearly 30,000 cases per year and is sold in 33 states and several countries. She loves her career because of the variety in her day, and her love to interact with people. However, she does confess that the life of an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart! It can feel daunting and scary in the early stages of building a business.