Taking the First Step Toward Her Future

Last Updated October 24, 2024

An often-shared quote on social media proclaims, “It’s the will, not the skill.” Erica Angell recognizes the value of both.

As an employee of Denver Water, “providing the cleanest and freshest water to our customers,” Erica started in 2017 as a temporary employee at the public utility, working in the call center while also “working on climbing the Denver Water Ladder to Success.”

She worked her way from temp employee to full-time in the call center to front desk receptionist at Denver Water’s administration building. In June 2019, she looked to flex her will and stretch her skills once more, applying for the position of Workman’s Comp Clinic Senior Administrative Assistant.

While initially told “I wasn’t qualified for the job or a good candidate for the job” by human resources, an internal recommendation to HR helped Erica land an interview.

“Specifically, this interview was 10-times more stressful than a normal interview because I felt like I really had to sell myself to get the job,” Erica says. “About an hour after walking out of the interview I received a call from HR letting me know they would like to offer me the position. I started the job on August 12, 2019.”

Adding Skill to Her Will

Within her current position, Erica proactively “take[s] on more and more responsibility each day” with her next career goal in mind: “Within the next five years I would love to be promoted to Clinic Manager.”

Feeling that continuing her education would be important for gaining applicable skills and knowledge towards achieving her career goals, Erica began researching Business Management and Leadership classes.

“One of the first colleges to pop up was Michigan State University,” she says. “I found out that Michigan State University is one of the Top Business Schools in the country. I was impressed. So, I started my enrollment process.”

Erica focused on the courses in the online Professional Certificate in Supervisory Management—”I’ve already completed two classes. I have one more to go until I finish my first certificate.”

Of her experience in the certificate program so far, Erica says, “I have learned so much in such a short time. I love that the classes really tie together. Some of the topics that were discussed in my management class were tied to my leadership class. This created a full-circle, big-picture learning experience for me.”

Erica can tell that “these classes are already impacting my career. I have learned how to better delegate tasks to my team, especially tasks that weren’t necessary for me to complete…This has saved me time and given me an opportunity to work on other things that have been sitting on the back burner.”

One of the most valuable takeaways so far in helping Erica realize her potential as a leader has come from the Leadership Essentials course.

“I learned about my Myers Briggs Personality Type,” she says. “It has changed how I approach things in my current position and will help [me] better understand my employees when I move into a management role.”

Skill Sets for the Future

“This certificate will give me the knowledge, skills and abilities to become a manager and a leader,” says Erica, as she targets that Clinic Manager position.

Her long-term career goals and immediate departmental needs have Erica looking to what’s next, stating: “This certificate program was so great, that I enrolled for another one called Analytics for Competitive Advantage,” one of the courses in MSU’s online Business Analytics Certificates program.

Her shift in focus from Supervisory Management to Business Analytics speaks to Erica’s ability to see the big picture of her organization.

“Currently, our workman’s comp clinic does not have a division analyst. My director has made it very apparent that my team needs some help in this specific area,” Erica explains. “Analytics for Competitive Advantage…is exactly what I am looking for so that I can help my director with the additional job tasks.”

As Erica takes her third course in the Professional Certificate in Supervisory Management, Essential Analytical Skills, she’ll also be starting Analytics for Competitive Advantage, giving her a basis to develop the critical and analytical thinking skills that can lead to analytics-driven decisions and a better understanding of how these are essential to performance and competitive advantage.

“I am looking forward to starting both classes,” she says “I can’t wait to learn more, and I can’t wait for the opportunity to take on more responsibility to advance my career. This certificate program is going to help me do exactly that.”

“Set a Goal and Take the Next Step”

When asked what advice she would give to others who are considering enrolling in the Professional Certificate in Supervisory Management program, Erica had this to say:

“DO IT! Enrolling in this program is slowly changing my life. I have a different outlook on how to handle difficult tasks, people and things that are overwhelming but necessarily important. Set a goal and take the next step; it’s the best thing you can do for yourself.”

Taking that next step could be the first step toward your future self. Echoes Erica: “I am so glad I took the first step toward the rest of my life.”

Ready to Take the Next Step?