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.:Resource Guides:Interviews-Stephanie Creaturo.
Interviews


Stephanie Creaturo   stephanie@npowerny.org


Career Path
What was your first job after college and how did you get it?
My first job out of graduate school was working as a program assistant in a philantrhopic institution. I knew the director of Wagner's career services office and when she was asked to forward resumes to the woman who became my boss for this position (which wasn't posted), mine was in that pile. The director only fowarded resumes of students she had developed relationships with!

How did you get your current job?
Networking — that's how I've gotten all of my jobs. I was extremely interested in technology and the nonprofit sector and I was introduced to my current boss when she was just starting NPower in New York City. I was able to join the team early on and help get the organization up in running in NYC — a total privilege!

What experiences and/or course work in college best prepared you for this job or influenced your decision to do this work?
I went back for a grad degree in nonprofit managment because I needed hard skills in financial management. I also wanted to study organizational development theory and management literature, but wanted to do it in a place where I could also apply what I was learning. While this coursework was important, having a great 'kitchen cabinet' of peers and mentors was invaluable, as was knowing myself and having a clear sense of the work I liked to do and the issues I cared about.

Any regrets? What experiences and/or course work might have better prepared you for this work?
No regrets. However, being out of undergrad eleven years and grad for five, I have learned this is about the journey, NOT the destination. I think had I been more open to that a bit earlier in my career, it would have been more fun and enjoyable. But I am happy to have learned that when I did — some people never do!

Have you attended graduate school or are you considering graduate school? What degree do you have/would you want and why? Are there any limitations to advancement in your field if you do not have a certain graduate degree?
As stated, I have an MPA in nonprofit management from NYU's Wagner School. That was the best choice for me — getting hard skills, like finance, while being able to apply them at nonprofits at the same time. I think, doing hiring and being in the field for eleven years, that it makes a difference if you have a graduate degree. I don't know if there are limits, but it certainly is a value add.


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