Experience Over Degrees

After nearly 20 years of building her career through on-the-job skills gathering rather than a traditional college path, Jessica Huergas recently stepped into a new leadership role as director of account services at Delta Dental. This milestone reflects years of professional growth, continuous learning and hands-on experience.

For Jessica, the promotion wasn't the result of a single accomplishment. It was the culmination of two decades of professional experience, a commitment to  professional development and the confidence she gained through our Professional Program in Leadership and Management.

"I am actually elated to say that I achieved a promotion," she tells me on a recent Zoom call. "It was a really nice culmination in having that coursework and all of that applied learning in my tool belt now."

Jessica's career is a reflection of what can happen when curiosity, experience and continuous learning come together. She entered the employee benefits industry at 19 as a summer administrative employee and, during nearly two decades, advanced through roles in operations, administration, client services and account management. Today, in a director role, Jessica brings broad operational knowledge and deep expertise serving labor unions and multi-employer benefit plans.

The program helped me connect those concepts to what I was already doing and become more intentional in how I approached leadership.

Building Confidence, Not Checking a Box

Jessica’s goal was an educational experience that would strengthen the leadership skills she'd developed on the job while giving her additional confidence as she pursued executive roles.

"I wasn't looking to replace experience, I was looking to complement it," she says. "I had already built a strong foundation over nearly 20 years in the industry, and the certificate gave me the opportunity to refine my leadership approach, strengthen my communication skills, and learn new ways to lead and develop teams."

Initially, she planned to take only a few classes. But after experiencing the coursework, she committed to completing the full program.

Rather than learning entirely new concepts, Jessica’s classes helped refine what years of experience had already taught her.

"I was looking for the structured knowledge and practical frameworks that would complement the experience I'd already built throughout my career," she says. "The program helped me connect those concepts to what I was already doing and become more intentional in how I approached leadership."

The flexibility of taking classes online also exposed her to classmates from a wide variety of industries and backgrounds.

"The program brought together people from a wide range of industries, cultures and educational backgrounds," Jessica says. "Everyone approached challenges differently, and that diversity of thought was one of the most valuable aspects of the program."

I think the coursework really opened up my eyes to a lot of skills that will help me be a lot more successful than I would have otherwise been.

A New Perspective on Leadership

The biggest transformation wasn't technical. It was interpersonal.

"What sticks out and is absolutely top of mind for me from the different courses I took is how to communicate with people differently—meeting them where they need to be met," Jessica reflects. "The classes teach you how to reframe what it means to be a people person: It's not just about how you engage, but how you tune in to understand how you need to engage for other people's benefit.

"Each position that I've held required me to be a different type of leader," Jessica continues. "As I moved into leadership roles, I realized that every team and every situation requires a different approach. The program reinforced that effective leadership isn't about one style; it's about understanding people, thinking more intentionally about how to communicate, building alignment and empowering others rather than simply directing them."

Those lessons arrived at the perfect time. Shortly after completing the professional program, Jessica stepped into her new director role, where she now leads a geographically dispersed team across a hybrid workplace.

"I think the coursework really opened up my eyes to a lot of skills that will help me be a lot more successful than I would have otherwise been," Jessica enthuses.

Looking back, she says completing this program means far more than adding another accomplishment to her résumé.

"Professionally, it validated many of the instincts and experiences I'd developed over the years while giving me new frameworks to become a more effective leader," she says. "It's important that you always continue to invest in yourself and in your professional development."

Her journey also reinforced that career advancement doesn't require following someone else's timelines.

"There's more than one path to professional success," she explains. "Mine was very unconventional and all my own."

Whether someone is just beginning their career or already decades into it, Jessica believes growth comes from continuing to challenge yourself.

"My journey has shown me that there isn't one right timeline or one right path to success. Experience and education don't compete with one another—they complement each other. It's never too late to invest in yourself."