November Mentor Spotlight featuring Marie Stavish
Background and Introduction
Can you tell us a little about yourself and your current role?
I am originally from Eastern Montana and grew up on a farm/ranch. I am married, have three children (two of which are adopted), and three grandchildren. I love to be outdoors and I especially enjoy fishing, gardening, and snowmobiling. My current role is the team lead for the Business Automation & Intelligence team where I am also an engineer that develops products to help streamline tasks in businesses.
What inspired you to pursue this career?
I originally applied as a Help Desk technician to earn a paycheck after I retired from teaching. When the owner saw my resume, he asked if my current position was of interest to me and I had a hard time not jumping up and down celebrating. I had no idea a position like this even existed, but it is my dream job.
Career Journey
What was your first job, and how did it lead to where you are today?
I first worked on farms/ranches, then, in college I worked in the computer lab and graded papers. After college, I started substitute teaching while farming/ranching which led to me teaching math and computer science for 21 years. After 21 years, I just couldn’t continue to teach as it seemed to be an impossible task no matter how much energy I put into it. It seemed like I was asked to produce the moon with no resources to help accomplish that task. This led to applying for a job in my current company.
Have you faced any significant challenges or obstacles in your career? How did you overcome them?
So far in my current position I feel supported and valued. As a teacher I felt like I had no resources (neither supplies nor human help), but was expected to have all students proficient for their grade level by the end of the year, even though many were many grades below grade level coming into my class.
Daily Life and Skills
What skills do you consider essential for success in your field?
I started this job with one of my team members. Neither of us specifically had the training that this job requires. However, we both have a desire to learn, are hard workers, and are open to help from our co-workers. I would consider soft skills way more important than any specific skills for any career. Be on time, be ready to work, give your full attention to your job, listen intently, read thoroughly, follow instructions, and think critically. Does what you are doing make sense? Follow instructions, but also think about whether or not the instructions make sense and double-check with someone if you don’t think they make sense.
Advice and Inspiration
Are there any mentors or role models who have significantly influenced your career?
In high school, one of my teachers let me take independent study computer programming courses and it challenged my brain in ways it hadn’t been challenged before and I LOVED that. I had a lot of great professors in college that taught me a lot and my current supervisor has taught me so much about private business in just three years.
Life Outside of Work
How do you manage work and life responsibilities, especially during busy or stressful periods?
I love to be outdoors. I think staying organized with lists and putting items on my calendar helps relieve a lot of stress. I don’t have to rely on my memory so much.
Looking Ahead
What are your future career goals or aspirations?
Networking is something I am planning to study so I can improve. I also plan to get certified in more of the components in the Power Platform.
How do you see your industry evolving in the next 5-10 years?
Tech changes daily. Security is huge and is only going to be more important as hackers become more proficient. My specific position will likely be more important as repetitive tasks will be taken over by computers and AI will be a huge component of that.
Personal Insights
What has been your proudest professional achievement so far?
I have quite a few proud moments. I am proud that one of my students that I taught for six years scored a perfect score on their ACT, other students won the annual math contest scholarship competition, and I have learned so much in the last three years, I have surprised myself.
Fun and Light-hearted
If you could have any superpower to help you in your career, what would it be and why?
The SuperBugSlayer superpower
Closing
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I miss the part of teaching where I interacted with the students, so I’m really looking forward to talking to young people about my experiences.
Where can our readers follow your work or connect with you?
I am on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-stavish-544259113/