Charles Stein
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About
Hi, I’m a Navy Veteran who values networking and education. My keys to success are curiosity, commitment and consistency. When you put in the work, you find greatness on the way to your goals. Your best is yet to come!
Charles’ Career Stories
What is the one piece of career advice you wish someone gave you when you were younger?
I wish someone would have told me "get the education you need for the career you want". It matters whether you attend community college, a four year university or obtain professional certifications. Due to the high cost of a bachelor's degree, college is a very expensive place to explore what you want to do afterward. Instead, if you have an idea of what career path you're interested in, figure out exactly which qualifications you need to enter the field with the salary you want to make. Also if you want to know which job industries are growing and what it takes to break into the job market, check out this website: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/
When did you get your first Big Break? How did you get it? How did it go?
My first Big Break was in 2015 at the National Black MBA Association conference in Orlando, FL. I was finishing my MBA and knew I wanted to participate in a leadership development program with a global corporation. I researched companies that invested in communities and education...places where I could see myself being authentic with like-minded people. I applied to AT&T's program and flew to the conference to speak with a recruiter about the opportunity all on my own time and money. This was a big risk, resources were already tight as I was helping my single mother with housing expenses and caring for my younger sister too. I'm glad I took a chance on myself because I was hired and had a job waiting on me after graduation. I'm still at AT&T and happy to have the chance to share useful information with people like you.
In layperson terms, what do you actually do at work?
I build relationships with people who want to improve technology on college campuses. People use apps and smartphones to connect their world in new ways every day. When a lot of devices are in the same area, lots of data is traveling over communication networks. It takes special equipment to support and secure the flow of data from students, employees and administrators. I learn what a university's vision is for the future and connect them with tools that bring that future to life.