Michelle McIllece

Career Services Coordinator

Name and Title
Michelle McIllece, Career Services Coordinator

Education

• B.S. Psychology, University of Iowa
• M.B.A. Marketing and Organizational Development, University of Iowa

Did you ever change your major?
Ummmmm, yeah..... I think I changed it something like 6 times. No kidding! There is a lot that I love to do and I have a wide variety of interests. I had a really hard time settling on just one thing.

What previous jobs/careers have you had?
I started my career as a Human Resources Representative for a large commercial printing company. I loved that job as I had the opportunity to create meaningful work situations for entry-level manufacturing employees. It was very satisfying. Then I moved back to Iowa and floundered around some before landing in a couple of positions as a headhunter (which is mostly sales) and in human resources. Then I took a job at a local Christian non-profit where I got to experience pretty much every aspect of running an organization. Plus I got to mentor middle school students, and they taught me a lot more than I could have possibly taught them. While all this was going on I had a "fun" job teaching at Kirkwood. I love giving people the tools they need to be successful and teaching is an amazing opportunity to do that. Now I get to work in Coe's Career Services office, which is truly a dream come true. I have been wanting to do career counseling for a long, long time but there were some things I had to experience before I could be ready to do it well.

If you had an alternate career, what would it be?
I would be a Sherpa. Just kidding. Actually, I am pretty certain I would enjoy something that combines my love for education with my love for research. I guess that would probably make me a university professor.

What do you enjoy most about working with college students?
College students are generally fresh and excited and energetic, and it is fun to help them figure out where their lives are going. Also, I was a very good college student grade-wise but I made some pretty immature choices in terms of my own education and training experiences. I missed out on some wonderful opprtunities! Because of that, I think I can relate well to students who are struggling in some obvious and and some-not-so-obvious areas of their lives.

What is your personal theory of career?
A job is something you do to earn a living (we all have to eat and live somewhere) but a career is something that gives you personal fulfillment and enrichment. I am thrilled to have a career, not just a job. I don't think a person needs to settle for having a "job." Each person has gifts, talents, and passions that can and should be directed toward a fulfilling career.

Hobbies
I love to run (don't be impressed, I still haven't done a marathon!). I also love to travel, and traveling is pretty much what my husband and I spend our disposable income on. I don't care where I go, as long as I go somewhere and we have been to some pretty random places. I also love weather and I really want to go on a tornado chasing vacation someday. My last greatest passion is animals, especially cats. My husband and I have two cats and a dog, and if I wasn't married to such a sensible man I would be that crazy lady down the street with 30 cats running around my house.