Career Cheat Code
Welcome to Career Cheat Code, a podcast that explores the stories of everyday people making an impact in the world through their careers and loving every minute of it. Whether you're already on your path or searching for your purpose, this podcast is for you.
Join us every Monday as we uncover the secrets behind successful careers and inspire you to make your own mark. Formerly known as Thank God It's Monday | TGIM, don't forget to subscribe for updates and share with your friends!
Career Cheat Code
078 | Building A Multi-Stream Career with Dr. Amilcar Guzman
In this inspiring episode, Dr. Amilcar Guzman shares his powerful journey as a first-generation Dominican-American who broke traditional career expectations to build a life rooted in purpose, financial stability, and impact. From turning down Ivy League schools for better value to juggling full-time work and a PhD, Dr. Guzman walks us through how he designed a career across philanthropy, academia, and consulting—all while staying true to his values.
We explore:
- His work supporting early childhood systems as a Program Officer at the Pritzker Children’s Initiative
- Teaching future educators as an adjunct professor at American University
- Launching a consulting firm focused on advancing Latino leadership
- Navigating salary realities: philanthropy ($100K–$200K), adjunct teaching ($3K–$12K/course), and consulting ($100–$200/hr)
- Choosing the right graduate school for your needs, not just the brand name
- How transformative fellowships and mentors helped him conquer imposter syndrome
- His favorite tools for personal growth, including podcasts, books, and meditation apps
Dr. Guzman’s story is a masterclass in designing a career that honors your identity, builds multiple income streams, and makes space for impact. If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Why not me?”—this episode is for you.
Disclaimer:
The views shared on Career Cheat Code are those of the guests and don’t reflect the host or any affiliated organizations. This podcast is for inspiration and information, highlighting unique career journeys to help you define success and take your next step.
If you enjoyed this episode, please like, rate, and subscribe to this podcast on whatever platform you’re using, and share this podcast with your friends and your networks. For more #CareerCheatCode, visit linktr.ee/careercheatcode.
Host - Radhy Miranda
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Producer - Gary Batista
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People ask me you know when I tell them this part of my journey do you regret not going to these Ivy League institutions? And I say, no, right, I think you get to where you're going to be. Case in point, a couple of I mentioned my cohort of doctoral students that we went in together. A couple of them were at the Ivy League institutions right as master's students that I mentioned before, and we all ended up in the same doctoral program, right. So that to me, was even more validation of me making the right journey and me making that right choice about getting to where I needed to be and what the future held in that particular way.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Career Cheat Code. In this podcast, you'll hear how everyday people impact the world through their careers. Learn about their journey, career hacks and obstacles along the way. Whether you're already having the impact you want or are searching for it, this is the podcast for you.
Speaker 3:All right, dr Guzman. Welcome to the show.
Speaker 1:Thank you. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 3:I appreciate you taking the time to join the Career Cheat Code podcast. Let's dive right in.
Speaker 1:Let's tell the world what it is you do for a living. So I do a couple things. So first, you know, in my day job, I'm a program officer with the Pritzker Children's Initiative. We are a program of the Pritzker Family Foundation based in Chicago, and our work centers on the earliest years, so we focus on prenatal to three and we help provide resources and supports for NGOs and also state governments to help improve services for infants, toddlers and also their families. At the foundation, I'm a program officer and so what that means is I help manage different relationships with our grantees, and that means writing recommendations for funding. That means finding new groups to fund. That means monitoring their reporting. That also means internally focusing on measuring their success. And what does that look like? How are we ensuring that the work that they're doing is aligned with our strategic plan but also creating the impact that we hope to see in states and also nationally? In addition to that, I'm responsible for a couple of additional pieces. Here at the foundation, I'm our lead for measurement. So I spent a lot of time thinking about not only my grantees but everyone's on the team, and how are those tracking towards our larger goals? I'm also have started up recently, a new strategy focused on nutrition and making sure that more families have the adequate food supply that they need in order to be healthy and happy. And because my portfolio is national, I spend quite a bit of time traveling to visit my grantees and to connect with them and to really ensure that they are feeling supported in their work. A buzzword that has come up in recent years is this notion of trust-based philanthropy, in which you are leading with trust, and so I really try to embody that in the work that I do and really getting to know the individuals that I'm working with and ensuring that they are successful.
Speaker 1:In addition to that work, I also serve as an adjunct professor at American University in Washington DC.
Speaker 1:I teach in their College of Education, so it's virtual, and that work is particularly important to me, as I'm able to really help educate the next generation of individuals who want to get involved in the policy space, and so lots of the students that I've had since I've been there in 2021 have been really K-12 teachers who want to pursue, who are pursuing their master's or doctorate and then want to go on to work within the policy space, and so that, for me, is, given my background working in DC, working in the policy space, it's a really nice way to build that bridge right and to help individuals think about how do they want to maximize the work that they're doing from the classroom to a more systemic level.
Speaker 1:So something that I truly, truly enjoy and really love giving back and connecting with students in that specific way.
Speaker 1:Lastly, I'll also say I also have my own consulting firm, so AG Consulting and that body of work which I co-founded the company with my advisor from my doctoral work, and him and I have really engaged in this effort in the past several years to really provide an analysis of what does Latino leadership look like at the national level.
Speaker 1:And in particular, we focused on really two groups recently, but both of those groups have really run kind of these large scale either internship or fellowship programs for Latino students and young professionals, and so we're trying to help those groups further understand the impact of the work that they're having and really looking at what does the future hold for Latino leadership, not only now but in the years ahead. That consulting work, that body of work, really started in my dissertation work in which I worked with my ed advisor and we really launched a survey to really understand what does Latino leadership look like. Survey to really understand what does Latino leadership look like. So we've really built off that work and have fortunately been able to make it into a small but mighty business.
Speaker 3:See, and so that's great. Right, it sounds like you're not sleeping, but doing all the things in the world. One of the things that I really I connected with when I met you was the fact that you are very intentional about designing your own life and your career and not just doing one thing. Right, Because we are multi-layered individuals and we have so many different passions and gifts and skill sets that we can put into the world, but a lot of times we don't explore them, for whatever reason. So first just want to definitely appreciate and commend that. Let's start with the consulting right. So you're pursuing your PhD and at the time that you started this PhD program, did you think you were going to be a full-time professor, or was the goal to always launch your consulting firm? What was your thought process there?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it's interesting. So, you know, I got my doctorate at the University of Maryland and I was in a cohort of five other students and it's interesting because we all applied in our application saying that we wanted to be faculty. But after the first class we all went out for dinner and we were all like nah, right. So it's like a little hidden secret, right, at least at where I was, that that helps you kind of get in the door. But I knew right away that a full-time faculty route was not where I wanted to be. I mentioned how I really have a passion for and love teaching. It's something that I think I'll be an adjunct forever, right, it fills this part of me. And, to your point about that, we're complex individuals, we're multifaceted, right, but I don't think I could do that all the time, right, I think the most that I've ever taught is is kind of two semesters back to back, and that's because after a while I personally get burned out and need a break and need to recharge, right. So I knew that that was not in my future. And also, I think to be real right, where the financial piece, right, like for me, I didn't see, uh, the return on investment in terms of what? For assistant professor, right In terms of those roles, it didn't. For me wasn't where I saw myself and also lifestyle right. At that point, when I was going through, the information that we received was you have to go where the jobs are right and you know there's. You know I grew up on the East coast my entire life. I'm in the Midwest now but, like there's some parts of the country I don't want to live right and that's real. And so that also came into play in terms of what is the life that I envision for myself.
Speaker 1:So I knew from the beginning that my path was not to teach full-time as a faculty. But I knew that why I was pursuing the degree. I think first and foremost for me it was to be a better advocate for the communities right For low income, for Latino families, right. Folks like that had the same background that I did first gen right. Like that to me was the purpose to be a better advocate, to be a better researcher, to write better policies, right To evaluate policies better, right To be in that researcher, to write better policies, to evaluate policies better, to be in that particular role. I think secondary was to monetize the degree. So let's be real, seeing that return, but seeing it in the way that I wanted to.
Speaker 1:So, for being a faculty member, the main things are teaching, research and service right. Those are the three things that they often talk about. I still do those things right, but not under the guise of a full-time faculty role. So for me, knowing that I could pursue these things separately right and monetize my degree in that way was the path forward. So I had that vision very early on to be able to know that I wanted to teach afterwards right. So when I was going through my doctoral journey, I got teaching experience right and so I said here are things that I need to do so that when I'm done I can say I've taught graduate level right. And I had taught before my doctoral program a bit, but I taught a lot more right. And I got to, you know, learn from faculty about teaching practices right, knowing that I wanted to do that afterwards and that I could monetize it. I got experience doing research right, knowing that I wanted to do this consulting firm afterwards right. Knowing that I could bring in key people like faculty, like other students, right. So having that vision very early on, knowing how I could make the degree work for me and for those that I cared about the most in a non-traditional way.
Speaker 1:Right, and not being afraid to do that right. Not being afraid, like I was told very early on from, you know, in my journey, where it was like this is the way that you should do it, right. You should be a research assistant, right, making $25,000 a year right. And you know, I had been working full-time for a couple of years when I applied for my doctoral degree and again I knew that I wasn't going to be a full-time student again, that that just was not going to work. So I went to school full-time but also had a full-time job, right Again.
Speaker 1:That's how it worked for me and I had that vision because financially I just could not, right, and I wasn't going to go, and at that point in my life, after having made money, I just couldn't go back. Right, but I wasn't afraid to put that vision forward. And people said you know that may not work. And I and people said you know that's that may not work. And I said it may not work for you, right, but I'm going to put the path forward, right, it's going to work for me, right, and, and so that's what I would say to those right who are considering, I think, not only a doctoral degree. But what does what does your life look like? It doesn't have to look one way Right, and as long as you have that vision right and work hard right, you can craft whatever life that you want right, in whatever way it works for you specifically.
Speaker 3:See, and I can appreciate that right Like as someone that I have usually had a full-time job, then started some consulting, then also wanted to do some podcasting, right Like, my mind works in different pieces, right, and I try to do different things, and for me, I've been fortunate enough to be able to design my career in a way that I've always wanted. I'm wondering kind of where you first saw that approach, right, like did you see folks that you can look up to that had a version of this type of life? Or like where did you get this from?
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so you know, I think, a really transformative experience for me. You know I went to undergraduate. I did my undergraduate in Pennsylvania and grew up in the Eastern part of Pennsylvania, in Allentown, but you know I, I I then moved to Washington DC where I spent close to 15 years and really the bulk of my career up to now, and I moved there through a fellowship with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, chci, and so during that first year I met a mentor to this day and I remember it was one of the first events that they had for the conference which they have each year in September. And I remember meeting him. He's an alum from the 80s and I remember speaking with him and he had gotten his doctorate from Columbia, but he wasn't a professor, he had been working in philanthropy right At that moment in time. He had been an elected official, he had launched a. You don't need to follow one route.
Speaker 1:And when I met him and got to know him, he reinforced that and he shared you can do many things right, life is long, right. You don't need to get a PhD and then be a faculty member for 30 years and then retire, right, you don't have to do that. So that's kind of the first person that I met that really turned that light bulb on for me, and he said it depends on what you want and how you craft it. A second person is my doctoral advisor. We're close, right, we're very close now and close colleagues and friends.
Speaker 1:I learned more of his story, in which he wasn't always a professor, right, he had been working in research prior to that, right Within the higher ed space, and you know, he's he, he, he is from a different country, right, so coming to the United States learning his story, and so for me, you know, that was particularly telling too right, that you can change whatever career you have across time, right, it doesn't have to be linear, right, and life is long. Right, it depends on what your passions are, right, and again, where do you see yourself, right, and how do you line up your passions with those kinds of activities and how are you willing to work for them? Right, in different ways, right, working hard and working those long hours.
Speaker 3:See, and that's so important, right, like finding people that you can take pieces of what it is they've done for their careers and their lives and applying it to however it works for you, right, like you're not necessarily going to replicate every piece of it, but there are aspects of it that may very well align with what you want to do and the impact that you want to have in the world. So, you know, definitely appreciate being able to find those people, and some of them, as you said, come in different points in life, right? Some are while you're, like, right out of undergrad figuring things out. Some are while you're about to, you know, become a doctoral student, right? So, like, they come at different places but they all play a role. So it's just important for us to be able to find those people.
Speaker 3:Is this the type of life you would have designed in your mind when you were younger? Like, walk me through one kind of your upbringing, where were you born, raised? That type of work, and then, when you were like a teenager, did you see yourself as a professor, as someone in philanthropy, as any of that Good? Tell us.
Speaker 1:Excellent question. So I am Dominican. You know family, both mom and biological dad, are from DR, from Santiago, but I was born in Washington Heights, so you know, spent some time there as a baby and then also some time in DR, but mostly brought up in Pennsylvania. And you know I I mentioned that I'm a first generation student, right. So first in my family, to go to college, graduate school, and you know I didn't.
Speaker 1:College was never really really an option, right, I mean, it wasn't something that was discussed much right, growing up, you know, until you know, I had this conversation with my cousin and you know, for me there's these, there's these moments in life that you look back on and you're like that's a moment that my life changed. And one of those was when my cousin sat me down. I was in fifth grade. You know, fifth grade, you're a knucklehead, right, you're out, you don't want to listen, you may not want to do your homework. And I remember he sat me down and he told me you know, you have an opportunity to change the trajectory of the family, right, and he met my immediate family. You know I have an older brother and a younger sister. And he said, you know, think about your sister, right, and think about how she's looking at you as a role model and you have a real chance to do things differently and to go to college right and to want to be a professional. That's the first time I can remember the mention of college, right, but that wasn't a done deal, right?
Speaker 1:Middle school was a difficult time. Since I was young, I've kind of had a stutter right. That I've dealt with, and so it started showing up quite a bit then. That led to some mental health issues. Back at that time In high school, the high policy we were consistently in corrective action, which meant there was always this fear of, like, the state coming in to take over the school, right, so schools that are not good. And so for me, you know, using the arts during that time, using theater and choir as an outlet, helped me to kind of think about and position myself as wanting to go to college right.
Speaker 1:And even in college, right, I know I was interested in sociology, right, in social issues, right. How can we improve society as a whole? Right, and so I pursued sociology and it wasn't until I had an experience at City Hall in the town where I went to college, williamsport, Pennsylvania in which I started to understand the importance of policy and how policy could be a tool to change society and change the outcome of different issues. That then led me to DC for my public policy fellowship, and I would be lying if I told you I saw myself as a professor right, ever right, or working in philanthropy. I didn't even know what philanthropy was until my time in DC.
Speaker 1:Right to be honest, and I think about what would I tell me at five years old, right, if I told them that you would be a professor? It would be crazy, like I didn't even know what that meant. Right, Absolutely. And that, to me, was somebody else right. That wasn't someone that looked like me or that had like my background in terms of income or my stutter, or was Dominican right.
Speaker 1:So I think, over time, it's really the people that I've met that allowed me to see myself in these roles and that giving me the confidence to pursue those roles right, whether it is getting involved in high school and seeing people you know years ahead of me that were doing these things, whether it's getting involved in college or CHCI or all these other roles.
Speaker 1:Right, how I saw myself as a doctoral student was another doctoral student right, who told me I had that potential right and said they saw me as someone who could get a PhD right, who was committed right, who would be able to achieve those things. That was something that was out of the realm of possibility. And so I think you know a common notion right that I think or a phrase is if you see it, then you believe it right and if people see it in you right, it helps reinforce those things right and the things that we don't see within ourselves that others see helps reinforce that. That's been at several stages of my life, critical junctures that I've had those people without I wouldn't be here right that have seen something in me that has allowed me to push forward.
Speaker 3:No, you're absolutely right. Right, like it takes both us seeing people that are doing the work and having people see something in us that just sparks us at different points. Right, so you'll have people that, like I was actually just speaking about this recently like my fourth grade teacher gave me so much confidence, right, just by telling me that I was really good at forming arguments and like a way that was positive, right, like she's like, wow, you could really like tell a story and argument and like argue about anything in a positive, like you could be a lawyer or something, right, and I'm like right, but I'm like nine and I at that time, that was my first class in English. Right, like I was a Dominican immigrant, so that was my first time in an English class. And this person's telling me, not only do I speak the language, well, I'm able to formulate real, articulate thoughts and you should consider being a lawyer. And I was like what, that's a thing that I could do? Right, but like there's so much value in that and people seeing so much greatness in us before we're able to see it.
Speaker 3:So, you know, I think this is now the second time that you mentioned CHCI, so we'd love for you to both articulate kind of what is CHCI and at what point can people get involved in it right, and the way that you were involved. And then two you're also really good at finding professional development continuously and different fellowships and things that continue to expand your network and presence in the field. So we'd love for you to talk about both CHCI but then also just generally why do you do these fellowships, what are you getting out of them, and highlight any that you think are appropriate.
Speaker 1:Yeah, thank you, thank you. So I think fellowships, I think, are I see them as critical, no-transcript You're continuing to build your network through these experiences, right, some of the best relationships, right, are built across time. Right, so you have a joint experience, whether that is a week or several months together, and then that then carries on across time and you're able to collaborate with individuals in different ways. So to me, the time invested there is invaluable, right. I've been able to call on my fellows for personal reasons, for professional right and in many different ways. Right, so you're building your network and meeting people in different ways. Right, there's a lot of research that talks about as we get older and as we age, it's harder to meet people, it's harder to make friends, right, because we become isolated right Once we leave these spaces, right, in particular school. So fellowships are a way to continue meeting people, to continue your development in different ways. So I'm a strong proponent.
Speaker 1:I think for me, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, chci life-changing, transformative. I went to a predominantly white undergraduate institution, small, private, liberal arts Lycoming College. It was a great education, but up to that time I hadn't seen other Latinos who were pursuing their degrees right, or who were focused on leadership or involved in student senate or doing all these different things, much less Latinos, who were older than me, who had done those things right, who had done, who had gotten degrees in different ways. Right, that just wasn't prevalent and close to me where I was, chgi changed that. It is a program that brings high school students or undergraduate students or, in my case, college grads, to DC to learn about policy, policy, right, how does policy work, how does it not work? Right, and how do things get done or not get done in Washington DC? Right, the epicenter of politics. And so for me, I didn't major in political science, right, I mentioned, I majored in sociology, but I got to learn about how policy gets done and what are the inner workings of political science, right. And so that for me was on the learning component, right, which I mentioned before. I learned all about that. But I also developed these lifelong friendships to this very day right. People that I'm closest to right in my life came from that experience, whether when I was a fellow or when I was on the alumni board. Right, those experiences, that network that has really transformed me and supported me in so many different ways through CHCI, so that I think for any Latino students right who might be listening to this, who are in college right now, that would be one that I would recommend highly, highly, right.
Speaker 1:You can come to DC. You spend nine months, right From August till May, working on the hill or a government agency. You get seminars on what it means to be a Latino leader and you get to learn right and you get to explore all these different things. Additionally, through my experience with CHCI, I learned about other fellowships right For professionals. You know, I think it's between 30 and 45. The US-Spain Council is a week-long experience in which professionals go to Spain and learn about the intricacies of policy within Spain.
Speaker 1:Who are the key players, what are the key sectors? So you're talking philanthropy, government, business. Those experiences strengthen your understanding, right? So while there are domestic fellowships, like CHCI, which give you that understanding of what's going on, there's also these international fellowships that provide you an opportunity to go out and learn about work in other countries, right? What's happening and what does that mean for the United States? Like other countries, do this differently. Huh, wow. So now I can compare, now I know about the United States, now I can compare what happens nationally or internationally with different countries.
Speaker 1:Great opportunity for folks who are even curious about philanthropy, want to know about philanthropy. It is a great way to make connections. So I did their fellowship back many years ago, before I was even in philanthropy. But I just wanted to know what is this all about Like? What is philanthropy Like really Right? So that, I think, is a great way for folks who are either working in the philanthropic space or are interested Right Again. Expanding your horizons, learning, making connections that's what it's all about. That's how we continue to improve as individuals, but that's how really we continue to improve as a community. If you're moving forward, then you're helping to lift up others too. Moving forward, then you're helping to lift up others too.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean, you're absolutely right. You know fellowships absolutely matter. It is really important for us to continue to professionally develop, to build our network, to understand how our industries are moving and growing and share best practices and worst practices, both nationally and internationally. Right, like you mentioned, the Lideres cohort for Hispanics in philanthropy like that was a really transformative experience. And then now I'm able to meet other people in philanthropy that look like me, right. So like that to me was very valuable, especially when it was at a time when I was newer to philanthropy, and meet others that are also on the ground doing the work, right, so it's just a good kind of mix of folks they bring together.
Speaker 3:I've also done like the International Career Advancement Program, icap. It's a really great cohort of people that are really in looking at ways to better different communities throughout the world. Basically, we look at things in terms of what is now. You know some bad words when you think about, you know, diversity, equity, inclusion, but like people that are really thinking about how to make communities better for all. That program specifically has, you know, a good number of federal government folks, some people in philanthropy and others. You know you get to spend some time in Aspen, colorado, and you get to make friends that are going to last forever, right. So you know it's a great opportunity and colleagues are like you can now look out for each other and support each other.
Speaker 3:So, yeah, definitely echo everything you just said about fellowships and their importance. You know, I think we'd love to hear a little bit about. You mentioned, you know, going for your doctoral degree. You mentioned some of your work in your undergrad Wondering at what point did you decide to go get a master's and subsequently, at what point did you figure you know what a PhD is going to be the route?
Speaker 1:Yep, that's a great question. So you know I had applied for my master's degree when I was in undergrad. So I applied to CHCI, I applied for my master's at several universities and then I also applied for TFA right, and I had gotten into all of these different routes right. So I was tremendously blessed when I was deciding between the degree and CHCI. You know I had a fully funded degree opportunity for my master's and I remember my mom being like, you know, it's free, right With this piece around finances, right, and as a first-generation student, right. Or I went to my undergrad largely because of the quality of the education but the financial package that they provided, and for many Latinos it's like wait free or it's like go where it makes the most sense financially, right. And so that was a tough choice, right, to kind of turn down that degree that was for free and pursue that route in CTI. It took some time for my mom and family to understand, but I knew that that was the longer term investment, that I knew that it would change my life in ways I couldn't quantify, and it did. And so I knew that I was going to pursue a master's when I started the fellowship. That was clear and I actually deferred admission for my master's program to do the fellowship. And then, after being in the fellowship, I said I wasn't going to go there, that I was going to stay and work an extra year, which was great. So I took two years in between my bachelor's and master's and at that time I had been exposed to all these different issues. Right, college access was something near and dear to my heart, and so I did.
Speaker 1:While doing my fellowship and some other work at different nonprofits in the DC area, learned about the importance of college access and I was like here's where I want to focus. And then so I started the application process. I had many options, right, and I got into several programs. I got into some Ivy League programs and then I got into the University of Maryland, college Park, which at that point was top 10. And my advisor, and now dear friend, was a giant Right, and so he was someone I just wanted to work with in many different ways. But I think a lesson here is I'd gotten into the Ivy League institutions and there was a certain price for each of them. Right, maryland at the time was tuition free. Right, they were giving assistantships where you worked on campus, got that experience, and then that also, that paid your tuition and I felt like their program was a bit more rigorous.
Speaker 1:But ultimately I came down to the choice of do I pursue this Ivy League opportunity? And I think, as a Latino first gen, you're like, oh, if I can get an Ivy League degree, that's a game changer, right, but what does that mean for my debt, right? What does that mean for the future, for my ability to do things like buy a house right, or buy cars or do these different things, versus going to Maryland, right, which I thought was more rigorous. So that, to me, was a. I talked about these moments, right, that you remember and that you're like which way do I go? How is this going to change? That was a moment in time. Right, I stayed in the DC area. Right, I went to the University of Maryland College Park. Stayed in the DC area. Right, I went to the University of Maryland College Park. A great degree, great education. Got to get close to who is now a dear colleague and friend. Right, got to build my, build a community right there.
Speaker 1:And when I was pursuing my doctorate right, my doctoral degree, I believe I was able it was easier to be accepted at Maryland because I was a master's student, right, and the faculty remembered me and that facilitated me being able to work full-time right and go part-time.
Speaker 1:I feel that if I was not known for my master's degree, I don't think that that would have been the case, right. I don't know if I would have been accepted there. I don't know if, when accepted, they would have allowed me to work full time Right, and so I think it was very intentional Right. And you know, I think people ask me, you know, when I tell them this part of my journey, do you regret not going to these Ivy League institutions? And I say no, right, I think you get to where you're going to be. Case in point, a couple of I mentioned my cohort of doctoral students that we went in together. A couple of them were at the Ivy League institutions right, as master's students that I mentioned before, and we all ended up in the same doctoral program, right. So that, to me, was even more validation of me making the right journey and me making that right choice about getting to where I needed to be and what the future held in that particular way.
Speaker 3:I think that's you know, right on point.
Speaker 3:Like, we have these decision moments and for you to weigh out, like, what does it mean for me to go to an Ivy League institution as a first-gen student, right? Does that outweigh what you mentioned earlier in the episode about thinking about changing the lineage of your family and the finances of your family, right? Like, do you want to do that while being in more debt, or would this degree put you in a better position to actually accelerate that goal? So it's just remarkable that you were able to make that decision in that moment, because that can be a really tough one to overcome and, as you said, it led you to a program with people from all backgrounds that came from Ivy League institutions, that came from different spaces, but, you know, you ultimately end up with a very similar, robust education. So that's great. You wear many different hats, right.
Speaker 3:But part of the show here is trying to have some salary transparency and what people can actually expect to make in different fields at different points in their careers. We'd love to hear, kind of, what would that look like and I know for you that's a multi-layered answer because you don't have one source of income but, like, what could that look like? Yeah?
Speaker 1:you know I think it varies, right. So first I'll talk about within the philanthropy space. You know there's many different, I think, versions of philanthropy set up. Right, you have like a small family foundation, you have corporate, you have, you know, different regional foundations. You have large scale, right. All of those have different bands and different structures. And so you know, I think, when, when typically the smaller and more localized ones have a lower salary band, right, so we're talking, I think you know, $100,000 and less right, I think, is where those are at. The bigger ones right are the more prestigious family foundations. You're talking kind of a higher salary range, so like between $150,000, $150,000 and $200,000, right, so, depending on where you are and your seniority in that field, so that's, I think, something to consider when folks are looking at it.
Speaker 1:You know, I think for me for the longest time again, first-gen low-income, it was like if I can just make six figures, then I am good, right. And then when you get there you're like, ok, if I can just make whatever it is the next level, right. So you're always driving for more Right. And so I think, yeah, so I think philanthropy for folks who are interested in kind of higher salaries, I think it's great. I think if we compare to like policy from the space in DC that I was, I think there is a change to like policy from the space in DC than I was. I think there is a change right and it allows for kind of more compensation, I think, in that regard.
Speaker 2:I mentioned, I love teaching.
Speaker 1:I love being an adjunct professor. Well, I would not do that as my full-time, right, and I you know folks who are serving in adjuncts in different places. That's a tough gig. Adjuncts typically get paid by class, right, so it's not typically hourly, it's by here's the lump sum for the class, for the semester, right? So you're talking about preparing for class. You're talking about teaching, you're talking about grading, you're talking about meeting with students, right. Sometimes you're talking about engaging in faculty conversations around certain issues, right. So that, I think, is a different structure, right?
Speaker 1:I've taught at a number of different institutions and I think you know the range I've seen has been like a couple thousand, like three 4,000, up to like 12,000, right Per class, right. So, again, you're thinking about that being your full-time gig and you're teaching across a number of institutions. That could be difficult, right, and you're teaching across a number of institutions that could be difficult, right, because you're not sure of like what, how much, when you add that all together. Now, if you have a full-time job and you're doing this as like a passion, but also additional income, not bad right, like, if you're not solely living off that, if you're perhaps saving that or putting it towards something right, it's a nice additional chuck of change, right, but even then you really got to love doing it right, because if you sit down and do the math for the hours you're like, wait a minute. You know that's tough. The consultant is a little different, right, and I think for folks there's a couple of routes, right. I think there's folks you know, like myself, who do it on the side and have all these different pieces right, and there's folks who do it as the full time right, and the difference is there is you can set different kinds of rates, right, that are hourly, right, for your time, right, you can really hone in and professionalize the aspects of what that looks like and depending on what that rate is, I've seen, you know, $100 to $200 an hour, right, depending on what the work is that you're doing. So that I think if you sit and kind of add those things up, right, you could make a good chunk of change. In those cases you'll have to think about things like healthcare, things like retirement, right, since there's no employer, you have to think like taxes, right. What does that mean? Calculating all of that that's now on you versus the employer, right? So that I think is and there's a financial component that comes along with that.
Speaker 1:The thing I like about it having a full-time doing it on the side I'm able to that's additional income that I'm bringing in right that I'm able to not solely rely on right but to use in different ways, and so that I think is great. And the way that I've done it is it's typically per project right, so I'll kind of lay out the scope and say here's what's going to be done and then attach a dollar amount to that. I think if I would expand that I would make it hourly right, because that's the next step. I haven't done that right, and I think for both the teaching and the consulting that would be kind of where you take it to the next level. But because I have my nine to five, I haven't had the need to do that. But if I would, that's how I would do things a bit differently.
Speaker 1:One thing I'll say here as well that my mentor told me back when I was in the fellowship.
Speaker 1:It said you need to have multiple streams of income. I was like what do you mean? He's like you need to be able to make money in many different ways and you need to monetize aspects of your skills and that, I think, is how I've applied this Right. I mentioned teaching, research and service. The teaching monetize. The research is monetized Right. The service I love to do Right and giving back by serving on boards and, you know, having conversations. But I found that the way to have multiple streams right. I think none of those I would want to stand alone, I don't want them combined, but it's still. I'm being able to be monetized for aspects of my work and aspects of my skills that I think about. Yes, like this is how I saw, you know and this is how I'm living that right. And when I talk to folks, I say you got to have multiple streams of income right, and you got to figure out, within your bandwidth, within your skills, how do you monetize different aspects of that in order to build that?
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, I think that's exactly right, man. You know that's how I've approached life Different pillars, different things, different interests. You find ways to sometimes connect them. Sometimes they're just completely different, and that's fine too, but you I love the phrase monetize your skill sets in different ways. That's great. Are there any forms of media this could be books, podcasts, subscriptions, anything that have shaped you personally or professionally that the world should check out?
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, I think I'll offer a couple of things more on the personal side, right, I we've been talking a lot about the professional but, like, unless you're you're personal, you're you're at Zen, it's hard, it's hard to want to monetize, it's hard to to grind on these different ways, right? So I mentioned a couple of things. One you know, I've gotten into meditation, so I think the calm app right, calm, that's what I use in particular is a great way to start the day off. I'm a morning person, so it's a great way for me to start the day centered, right, and to be able to go through the day and through breathing exercises and to feel solid and sound, right, I mean, without that, it's hard to show up and do everything else that you need to do. In addition to that, I think, in multiple spaces I've been in, I mentioned a predominantly white institution my fellowship in CHCI graduate school. I think you feel like imposter syndrome and you're like I don't think I'm supposed to be here. Is it me? There is a number of podcasts that focus on to break down imposter syndrome, right, and what does that look like and how are you supporting yourself and how are you showing up in different ways, right. So I've listened to several, but really any podcast that focuses on imposter syndrome I would kind of go to for folks to kind of listen to, especially as you're navigating these different spaces and you're trying to move forward and live your life in a positive way.
Speaker 1:Two more things that I would offer. I recently read a book. It's called no More Mr Nice Guy. Right, I think, for me, on the personal side, right, I consider myself a nice person, welcoming, friendly, but I think, across time, I think, certainly in the professional, I've had to sharpen my elbows, right. So what does that mean? Right, when you're advancing in your career and you're trying to carve out and visualize and design the life that you want, sometimes you got to have those difficult conversations, right. So what does that mean? What does that look like?
Speaker 1:And then I think, lastly, and this is kind of more of a recent trend, when you're, when you have those conversations and people don't get it, you got to let them right. So I think Mel Robbins, right, talks a lot about this, and so Mel Robbins and the Let them Theory, right, she's written a book, she's done a podcast, really tremendous resource to help when, when, when for you to stay grounded and if folks are not where you are, you got to keep moving forward, right, like you've got to let them be who they're going to be and you've got to keep being you. One more thing sorry, that just came to mind. Another podcast that I really, really enjoy is Pivot right, and and and it's by a couple of former NFL players, right, that that basically bring somebody on each week and talk about a point in their life when they had to pivot and make a change, and we all have to do that again and again and again.
Speaker 1:And what they learn from that change, right, because as much as I have seen my life in these different ways, a lot of things have come my way that I didn't expect, right. And now, what do you do when you need to change and you have to pivot, and what do you learn from that? That, I think, is something that we could all use as we pursue this journey and want to design this life that we want to design and want to be the person that we want to be, I think, both professionally but also personally.
Speaker 3:That's great. No More, mr Nice Guy. That was a great book. I read that actually. Actually it was recommended to me a while ago and it was a really informative, transformative book for the personality that I inherently have. But just to be mindful about what does that mean, how does that come across, how to use that to your advantage and how to just be mindful of some of that. So that's great. Thank you for that. Just across the spectrum of all the things you do, we'd love to just hear kind of, what are you most proud of in terms of the work that you're doing and the impact that you're having?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So I think for me I mentioned the importance of people I've had in my life and when I see people that I've been able to have a conversation with a conversation like the one that we've had today, and just share, you know, parts of my journey, and they're then able to then go on right and do amazing and incredible things, that, I think, is what I'm most proud of.
Speaker 1:Right, that, from being people in my family to interns and fellows that have done CHCI, to people through graduate school, that to me, is the most impactful thing, because to me is what it's all about. Right. Going back to you know why I wanted to pursue the work I've done and my degree. It's like about the people and the issues that I care about right, and making sure that they are uplifted and successful right. So, at the end of the day, the fellowships and the accomplishments are cool, I guess, right, but it's not really about that. It's about the people and how you're building a community and lifting up others, right. So that, to me, is the most important thing and I think what I'm most proud of and again, that's when students graduate and get their degree and right, or when people get that job or get that fellowship and you're like I'm proud of you right. That, to me, is the most important thing and that's the true impact of the work that you're doing and the legacy that one has.
Speaker 3:That's awesome. Is there anything else we haven't discussed that the world should know about? Dr Guzman?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think I mentioned this, but I think really being able to sit down and visualize, I think, personally and professionally, where you see yourself right, and not letting other people tell you this is who you're going to be right or this is how you're going to do it I gave the example of my doctorate, where it's like, traditionally, here's how it's done, and I was like, well, that's cool, but I'm not going to do it that way and I'm still going to finish right. So having that drive, that confidence right, that the way that you're doing it is the way that works for you it may not work for them, but it works for you right that is something that I would impart on those who've listened to this. And, yeah, and really take the leap right. I think I mentioned imposter syndrome and sometimes that holds its back. But I mean, why not you right?
Speaker 1:Why not you for that job? Why not you for a professor? Why not you for consulting? Right? That I think is. And if you need someone to back you up, you let me know and we can sit down and chat about it. But why not you?
Speaker 3:I love that. That's what career cheat code is about doing the thing. Why not you? Let's get to it, people.
Speaker 2:I hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did and believe on the mission we're on, please like, rate and subscribe to this podcast on whatever platform you're using, and share this podcast with your friends and your networks. Make sure you follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn at Career Cheat Code and tell us people or careers you would like to see highlighted. See you next week with some more cheat codes. Peace.
