From Artist to ServiceNow

I am excited to have been invited to join this blog as a contributor. Being a part of the WomenNow community has helped me start my career in ServiceNow. This community has inspired me, supported me, and taught me about the platform. I hope hearing my story of the path I took to become a ServiceNow Business Analyst and Developer will inspire you to find your passion. 

Passion for Art

Let me start by asking you a question. Have you ever told, "You can make a living as an artist, find a real job." It took me far too long to realize that being a developer is being a designer. I am the youngest of three daughters born to a mechanical engineer and a teacher. They were loving and supportive of my passion for all forms of art. But realistic about the challenges of turning singing or dancing into a career. It takes commitment and luck to turn something fun into the highest level of skill and become profitable at it. Over the years, I have enjoyed singing, dancing, pottery, painting, spinning, weaving, and sewing. But from school advisors and family members, mentors kept saying, "you can't make any money as an artist or designer, it can be a hobby, but you must get a real job to support it." It took far too long to get here, but I now know that software development is just another form of design.

College of Textiles

During college, I earned a textile management degree. The plan was to be a technical designer. Taking a fashion designer's idea and then developing the pattern and specifications for manufacturing that item. (Spoiler alert: what does a Business Analyst do? Take a Product Owner's idea and map out the requirements and specifications for developing that application.) After graduation, I started my own custom sewing business, creating custom wedding dresses, reupholstering automobiles, and everything in between. I was a skilled designer and seamstress but lacked skills in management and marketing to grow from making a living to being successful. 

Diversifying Skills to support my art

I started a career as a sales manager at JCPenny's to develop those management and marketing skills. Their training program taught me how to track sales goals (KPI's) and communicate corporate initiatives. Managing people from diverse demographics revealed how having those multiple backgrounds and perspectives made a stronger team. With JCPenny's training program, I discovered the value of matching the right person to the correct task and methods for communicating with and motivating teams. However, hours were long, the pay was average, and it didn't allow me to be creative. 

Maybe I don't need to be an artist

My next career was with a Life Insurance company. They started me as a sales representative on a management path. I realized how rewarding it was to make a difference in the lives of my clients: providing financial security to family futures and creating monetary legacies for future generations. That was the good part. But, as an introvert with limited knowledge of sales, no knowledge of insurance, and joining an office that was 96% males. I was not a good fit. Trust me, you do not even want to picture the office dynamics in that testosterone-fueled environment. My goal was to learn everything from anyone setting records. Soon I was the one setting records and moving up the career ladder. With success came the opportunity to create learning plans for others and eventually become an Assistant Branch Manager. With this career, the pay was better, but the hours were longer, and it didn't allow me to be creative.

ServiceNow Development feels like art

Encouraged by a friend about how great ServiceNow was, I started learning using the freely available training. Then landed my first job building custom applications in less than a year. I crafted end-to-end integrations between SN and external systems in just a few more months. At NuAxis Innovation, I established a ServiceNow internship program for minorities to have that same opportunity. But my favorite part of this new career is my business analyst role. It allows me to be the technical designer I wanted to be back in college. 

The tangled thread of life

Development is super creative, you can make money at it, and you are improving the lives of every user that interfaces with the system. In hindsight, my career path has been a tangled yarn. The artist in me can see where it seems like completely unrelated or disconnected threads are spliced together and then woven into the story of my life. But as the saying goes, every step you take brings you closer to where you are meant to be.