When I first joined VMware in February 2021, I didn’t expect to get anywhere near a role in my career field. I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (in Writing and Copywriting specifically), and if you haven’t heard, any field in the Arts is extremely hard to break into. I was a nanny and a social media coordinator freelancer before I was offered a contract for a Recruiting Coordinator position at VMware. It was my first ever desk job, and I presumed I would have the same position for at least 2 years before moving to another role. But I was pleasantly mistaken! Not only did I move from a contract role to a full-time role within 6 months, but I also took up an opportunity to participate in a 6-month stretch assignment that was perfect for my career path. And I was delighted to learn recently that I will remain with the team after my stretch assignment ends.
The stretch assignment was not the first role I applied to after I initially joined VMware. A few months after I was hired as a Recruiting Coordinator, I applied to be a Web Designer but was unsuccessful. So, when this opportunity opened for me, with encouragement from my manager, I applied again… and got it!
I was incredibly excited when I was offered the role, but also extremely nervous. Besides my short stint as a freelancer, this was my first role related to my career choice, and I was ready to prove my worth!
The new role began in April 2022 and immediately, I noticed how patient and welcoming everyone was. Our team works with several other business units, and no matter who I came across, every single person helped in any way they could and was always understanding while I was learning the ropes. My manager especially was instrumental in pushing me to expand my boundaries and work on projects that were new and challenging.
Throughout the past few months, I’ve discovered what a powerful learning tool this stretch assignment has been. While my college classes and online learning sessions were great, nothing beats hands-on experience for me. I’ve always learned by doing, and my manager has fully facilitated that by giving me responsibilities in all the projects that our team works on, and she has even given me complete ownership of a few projects of my own. Because of this, I’ve been able to expand and build out my professional portfolio to encompass a wide variety of skills such as a better understanding of project management processes, presentation building and presenting, team building, leading, and much more.
Now, as I near the end of this assignment, I am incredibly grateful that I was presented with this opportunity because I have learned more than I ever imagined. I look forward to continuing to develop my skills and work on new and exciting projects.
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