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Charting Your Own Course
by Nikki Nickerson, Director, Audit and Compliance, LexisNexis
January 14, 2009
T
here was a point in my career where I was relatively new to the company I was working
for. I had graduated law school, worked in the legal field and found that I did not enjoy it. I
decided to try utilizing my degree in a different way and accepted a position outside of the legal
field that was lower level management.
After a year with the company, I
wanted to explore other positions that might be more of a challenge. I went to the Vice President
of my department and spoke with him candidly that I desired to take on a more substantive role that
would better utilize my education and skills. He told me that I did myself a disservice by joining
the company at the level that I did. He said that I may have solved the short term problem of
finding a job, but that I had created a larger problem in that I would have limited opportunities
for advancement. In short, he said, quote: "you can't get there from here."
At first, I was discouraged but then I thought to myself, "This one individual doesn't make
decisions for the entire company." So, I decided to ignore that opinion and take matters into
my own hands. I sent e-mails to people within the company that I thought might be able to help
guide me. I got active in the Women's Alliance group. I signed up for a mentor. One of the more
creative things I did, was the company was holding a silent auction so I bid on lunch with the
president of the company - and won.
That lunch meeting changed the trajectory of my career. It didn't happen instantly. This was
not a Cinderella story, but the lunch did open doors and helped me to eventually move from that
Vice President's group to another department before ultimately coming to the group where I would
find my niche. What is the take away from this experience? "Never take no from someone who does not
have the power to tell you yes." (Eleanor Roosevelt) This is one of my favorite quotes, a personal
motto, and quite frankly, some of the best advice that can be given to anyone aspiring to be more,
do more or go farther in life.
