The Reinvention of April Shein

Often in life, graduates are forced to adapt to circumstances and re-invent themselves after attaining a degree.

April Shein is the epitome of learning to adapt and striving for change. Ten years after graduating from CSUN in 2005 with a Bachelors's in English, she found herself working in the tech world with zero experience and no relatability to the piece of paper we call a "degree".

Shifting careers and working a variety of part-time jobs did not come easy for her. Eventually, Shein found her calling in IT and earned her way into managing a whole department at Cerritos College.

Originally, the tech field was viewed as a foreign field by Shein but seeing that she was in search of work of any kind, she took the opportunity to learn something new.

“A friend at El Camino College recommended that I work in the tech field and referred me to his colleague who was desperately seeking a part-timer,” said Shein. “I approached his colleague about the part-time job. The interview happened on the spot, and I was offered the job immediately.”

Shein felt uninspired about becoming an English instructor during her last semester as a senior at CSUN. After volunteering at several high schools, she realized teaching was not as fulfilling as she hoped.

During that time, she was lost and confused about her future career. Doubt began to flood her mind: Who do I talk to? Where do I go from here?

Volunteering has brought benefits for Shein in terms of networking with people who have access to job resources. Those connections developed into lifetime relationships where she found help landing part time jobs when she needed them.

After 4 years working part-time at El Camino, Shein was looking to become more established in the IT community by applying for a full-time position. She was happy with her progress in IT and felt confident in her ability to handle a management position. She applied for several full-time positions at different schools and companies, but the only thing she heard from them was, “Sorry, the position has been filled” or “Thank you for applying and interviewing. The position has been offered to someone else.”

The confidence of Shein wasn’t breathing as fluidly, she began to choke on self-doubt and disappointment.

It wasn't until a colleague of hers uplifted Shein and encouraged her to apply for the IT management position at Cerritos College. Even though her heart was pounding and her hands were quivering, Shein dug deep down and tapped into enough courage to apply for the job.

“I changed my way of thinking and applied to Cerritos College. I’m grateful that I pushed through my negative thinking and applied,” said Shein. “I immediately knew when I got the full-time position that I finally ‘made it’.”