Joan Gibson's career change is an inspiration for anyone who dreams of switching professions. After working in the nonprofit art sector for several years and discovering a penchant for human resources (HR), Gibson was hired as an employee benefits manager at a local nonprofit in 2007. Nine years later, she still credits UC Berkeley Extension for helping her succeed in this career change. "The HR courses enabled me to prepare for, take and pass my Professional in Human Resources (PHR) accreditation, which is arguably the certification in the HR field," Gibson explains. "And, literally, once I took the PHR, two days later I got my awesome job!"
On the advice of Richard Takahashi—her instructor for the online Employee Benefit Plans course—Gibson learned that the field of retirement benefits and planning was exploding and it needed specialized experts. "I made a point of learning about retirement plans, Social Security, Medicare and health care reform," she recalls. "I discovered that I really enjoy working with people and helping them become financially and health care–literate."
Gibson believes that her professional development courses at UC Berkeley Extension enabled her to be at the forefront of the field and ready for the next level. "My next career step will be to pass all eight tests leading to the Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) certification," she says.
A firm believer in continuing education, Gibson also relishes its benefits to personal enrichment and creativity—specifically writing. In her spare time, Gibson continues to work on a novel she began years ago while enrolled in Extension's writing classes. "I was able to use all that I learned in my writing classes at Extension to get accepted into a two-year novel writing program through Stanford," she says. "Now, I am currently working on the second draft of my manuscript, which I hope to have completed in summer 2016."
Back in 2011:
Joan Gibson's career change is a testimony to anyone who dreams of switching professions. After working in the nonprofit art sector for several years and discovering a penchant for human resources, Gibson is now an employee benefits manager. She credits UC Berkeley Extension for helping her make the transition into her new job and career.
"What the HR courses enabled me to do was to prepare for, take and pass my Professional in Human Resources Accreditation, which is arguably the certification in the HR field," Gibson explains. "And, literally, once I took the PHR, two days later i got an awesome job!"
Not content to rest on her recent success, Gibson wants to delve deeper into the HR field. After corresponding with Richard Takahashi—her instructor for the online Employee Benefit Plans course—Gibson knows that the field of retirement benefits and planning is exploding and needs specialized experts. By continuing her professional development with UC Berkeley Extension courses, Gibson is positioning herself to be at the forefront of the field.
A firm believer in continuing education, Gibson also relishes its benefits to personal enrichment and creativity—specifically writing. She is pursuing that passion through the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program in Writing, recently taking her work public as a featured student in Extension's 14th-Annual Student Reading Series.
