This section features twentysomethings that are in pursuit of their chosen career. They may not necessarily be CEO of their own company but they are definitely on the right track. Maybe you are pursuing the same career, or maybe this may be a career you find interesting. Whatever the case, it's nice to know that we are out there handling our business.
"If you want to get somewhere you have to know where you want to go and how to get there. Then never, never, never give up." ~ Norman Vincent Peale
Name: Arelis Cintron
Age: 27
Occupation: Recruiter and Marketer of Financial Solutions
Did you go to college? Where? Fairfield University Class of 03, Fairfield, CT
What did you study? Software Engineering
Where do you work? Primerica Financial Services; Southington, CT
Where are you from? Bridgeport, CT
Why did you pick this career?
Many people ask me how I went from engineering to entering the financial world. There are many reasons as to why I’ve made that transition. My biggest reason is that in the one hour I learned about what the company did, I had more education about my finances than I had in all my years of education; college included. I thought to myself, how scary is that!!! Here I am with an engineering degree and I don’t understand how money works, yet I can calculate ordinary differential equations. Yes I know the basics, making change and balancing my checkbook (thanks to Mrs. Robinson) but when it came to my everyday finances I was clueless. I know for a fact that I’m not alone. So I want to change that.
What are your future plans for your career?
Currently my plans are to expand the Southington office I work in into the Bridgeport area. Once I get other entrepreneurs and people who work part time up and running, I can pursue other business ventures. I will work on one at a time of course.
How did you get involved in this career?
I was invited to a business overview and fell in love with the company.
How did you prepare yourself for this career?
The company has an excellent training program.
And if you just happened to land in this career what made you stay?
Honestly it was a little scary to go from IT to Finance, but fear shouldn’t stop us from taking on opportunities. I wasn't sure what lay before me but I knew what was behind me. There's a father who got laid off by company after company regardless of his efforts or time spent with the company. I won't take into account the long hours and time spent away from his family. Or my own experience with part time jobs, with long hours, and little pay; exhausting myself to make ends meet and contribute to the household. Let me not mention the scary realization that a degree does not guarantee you a job; or that I picked an industry where I can be let go within the blink of an eye. There is no such thing as a good secure job. I have friends who thought they had great jobs and then were laid off or told their services were no longer needed. Here I am my own boss, where my efforts determine how far I go in this company. I can make an unlimited amount of income on a part time basis and when I am ready I can transition into full time and go on to opening up my own office.
What are the downsides to this profession?
Working for yourself is a lot different than working for someone else. It’s a bit of a transition, but when you work on yourself mentally you can get focused and do what you have to do.
What is a typical workday for you?
Wake up. Write out my affirmations and short term goals. Go to my FT job during the day in IT. In the evening I work Primerica; I visit clients, potential clients and train and develop teammates who have the same goals as I do and also handle whatever tasks I have on my list for the day.
How might this job be a stepping stone to other professions?
Here I learn the basic principles of running a business that can ultimately run without me. Once you accomplish that you can move onto other passions and make businesses out of them as well. So once I get a few offices opened, which to me means I’m not alone in getting people educated on finances, I can pursue my passion of writing by starting the Publishing company I envision in my future.
What is the single-most important piece of advice you can offer a person pursuing this career?
Never Quit!!! People always seem to want to do things because someone else made it look easy. Successful people are never surprised by their success because they work hard for it, however we rarely hear that story being told. They knew it might be hard but they never quit. NEVER QUIT!!
What steps do you recommend to someone who is planning to pursue this career?
Get yourself mentally tough, figure out what it is you want from the business, and go after it. Don’t get sidetracked by people who tell you that you cannot succeed and yet they have never built a successful business themselves. Take advice from people that have been in your shoes and have traveled to the destination you want to get to, and ignore the people who are too scared to try.
What professional or community volunteer organizations are you currently a member of?
Because of my limited schedule I do the annual walk for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the March of Dimes.
If you know someone or if you would like to be featured in Stepping Up the Game, send me an e-mail at stepup@twentity.com.
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