Page 41 - SKILLS Workforce Development Guide 2021

what I do plays a really integral part in what PTI is doing,” she says.
MICHELLE MCINTIRE
Taylor’s co-worker at PTI, 26-year-old Stamford resident Michelle Mcintire, had a similar round- about
career path to the firm – with stops in Florida and Manhattan before arriving in Westchester.
After graduating from Georgia Tech in 2018, Mcintire took a job in Florida with an HVAC manufacturing firm. But she soon discovered that the industry was not the best fit for her and began searching for new opportunities in December 2019. She found a job listing for PTI and interviewed for a role with the company – but ended
up taking a role with New Line Structures, a construction management firm that supervised high-rise projects in Manhattan.
“It was really interesting work,” says Mcintire. “Most of it was focused on document management and scheduling. I thought to myself that I could see myself going down this route. But it ended up being not what I pictured. I came to realize it wasn’t as technical a role as what I wanted for my career, so
I wasn’t a great fit there.”
She ended up reaching out to PTI
again – and finally joining the firm soon after. These days, she works as a mechanical engineer, leveraging the document management skills she gained in her previous role but also expanding into project management and redesign following PTI’s recent acquisition of another company.
“Looking back on it, I thought I was gambling my life away,” Mcintire says about the career transitions. But “I love where I’m at now, and it’s pretty much right in line with what I want to do for the rest of my career.”
VICTORIA WEISEL
Victoria Weisel, a 62-year-old Tarrytown resident, has experienced a “zig zag
of careers” during
her life – leading her to take on
increasingly more fulfilling roles, and forging new paths in the process. After working through college as a typesetter, she worked a brief stint in PR for Jim Henson and the Muppets – and then went on to produce commercials for an animation studio.
“In a major turn of direction, I returned to grad school, where I earned my MS in Special Education and MSW in Social Work,” recalls Weisel. “I worked as a mental health counselor at a clinic in Jamaica, Queens, and later went on to teach children with learning differences in Harlem and the Bronx.”
Her passion for teaching and
tutoring led her to eventually explore opportunities in English as a Second Language (ESL) through classes at WCC. “Initially, I sought simply to update my resume and conquer my fear of technology changes by taking the WCC Office Technology Training course,” she says. “This led me to WCC’s TESOL certificate course, where I became enamored of finding meaningful ways to teach relatable English to ESL college students and adults.”
Connecting with people through language helped shape her passion for these new branches of her career. “I’ve tutored people of all ages and realized that it was always about motivating them to tell their unique tales through writing and speaking,” she adds. “While coaching high school students on their college essays, I also worked as an adjunct ESL professor at EF International School and at the English Language Institute at WCC. ESL adult learners are absolutely awe-inspiring.”
These days, Weisel is lending her hand to the battle against the COVID
pandemic as a contact tracer for the New York State Department of Health – and credits WCC’s technology training with her mastery of the computer skills required for the position. “Consolidating these skills has made me braver,
and as fortune would have it, I often interview contacts who do not speak English,” she says. “I am grateful to
my professors at WCC as well as the ESL learners who allow me to keep listening, learning and helping them uncover the hidden magic in the stories so many yearn to share.”
LEATICIA OSUAGWU
Leaticia Osuagwu, a 39-year-old New City resident, has also taken advantage of numerous resources
at WCC during her career shift.
While she started her career in human resources, she was always intrigued by the tech industry.
“I have always been interested in technology, but I have always been deterred that it was a male-dominated industry,” she notes. “But I was unfulfilled with my previous career choice and always felt like something was missing.”
After taking courses in cybersecurity at WCC, she knew she had found a welcoming place – and a foundation for a future career that she would love. “You always hear the phrase ‘Do what you love and you never have to work a day in your life,’” says Osuagwu. “Working
in cybersecurity is very fulfilling for me, and I enjoy the problem-solving aspect and daily challenges.”
Having earned an associate’s degree in cybersecurity at WCC and a bachelor’s degree in 2020, Osuagwu is now working on a master’s degree
in the field at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry. She expects to have her master’s completed by the end of 2021. “I
wish I had made this decision a long
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