The best part about being a financial professional is that I still get to do what I love- educate! Instead of teaching kids, I enlighten adults on financial success. This is something I never personally had growing up, so it excites me that I get to share my knowledge with others and give them a jump start to financial success.

One of the most critical skills you can have as a financial professional is organization. Without that I wouldn’t be where I am today. It’s also about personal and social skills. Being a financial professional is about being part of a social scene. Its knowing people and being willing to network and make connections anywhere at any time. Ultimately, caring about people and their finances is what gets you far. If this business was strictly about sales, we wouldn’t be professionals, we would be salespeople.

Before I became a financial professional, I assumed that everyone with a high income had good financial habits. However, I quickly found out that this happens to not be the case, whatsoever. I shocked me to see people with high income had nothing to show for it. This is when I really learned that a lot of people choose to live paycheck to paycheck, not securing their families financially.

While being a teacher I never had really considered another career. After 15 years, I became anxious to have a more flexible schedule and started looking for another job. I have always loved math so I knew that was going to be something I would potentially enjoy about this career. It wasn’t until after I began that I realized that I could continue teaching other things that I am passionate about, while doing things I am good at. Organizing people and setting them up for success are some of the best parts of my job.

If I could give myself any advice, it would be start early. I was a teacher because I loved helping others learn. I also had kids of my own so I always thought that teaching was the only profession that would allow me to have a schedule that worked best with theirs. If I would have known that I could still be teaching others on my own time, I would have changed professions years ago. Not only that, but the fact that my work gets to determine my salary instead of being limited to a set amount is unmatched. If I could go back ten years, I would tell myself a to make the change to take back control of my career.

In five years, I hope to have an assistant to help me with all the back-office work. I also hope to have found a niche industry to focus on, allowing me to specialize and grow my business. There is even a possibility that one day I am able to bring my kids into my own practice, providing them with a career as well.

My career as a Financial professional  is like climbing a mountain, its only uphill from where I sit now. The support that I have from others at this firm is incredible. To have people that are really giving of time and mental resources is such a blessing. Because of that, I have been able to grow quickly since starting with Westshore. Those involved with leadership are always willing to help, hosting weekly trainings and offering support at any time.