Kenny Gonzalez
Skyline College
San Bruno, CA USA
"Find things that you love, that you are good at, that are needed and that you could get paid for. These things are not mutually exclusive, you just have to find the right people that believe in you."
Career Roadmap
Kenny's work combines: Education, Design, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Phillip and Sala Burton High School, San Francisco, CA
Bachelor's Degree
Psychology, General
San Francisco State University
Graduate Degree
Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling
San Francisco State University
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Career Counselor:
Bachelor's Degree: Psychology, General
Graduate Degree: Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
I changed my major 5 times, but eventually got a bachelor's degree in Psychology.
2.
I was encouraged by a counselor to continue with education and pursue a master degree in Counseling: Marriage and Family Therapy.
3.
I had completed all my clinical training, but decided not to pursue therapy and instead went into academic counseling.
4.
I did academic counseling for nearly 20 years in a community college setting.
5.
I got fascinated with the concept of Design Thinking.
6.
I realized I could make a big impact if I could help students with early career discovery and exploration.
7.
Today I utilize all my education, training, and passions mashing career counseling with design thinking and calling it Career by Design.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Family:
As I young boy I felt a great deal of pressure from my family members. I was told that I would become a doctor, even though no one in my family is involved in the health field.
How I responded:
Find your skills, interests, and values and nurture them. Find multiple people doing what you love. Get into the middle of that herd and you will be surprised where you will end up. Creating personalized career strategies that will you define their road. Figuring out the time/effort necessary on career exploration activities. Bringing awareness that you cant' do it alone and know where to go for help.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
First generation, immigrant that dealt with gangs/violence and raised by a single mom with a 6th grade education. I used education as fuel not only to get out of poverty, but also to inspire others to do the same.
My family and I left Nicaragua during a period of civil unrest and became political refugees in the U.S.
I grew up with a heavy gang presence in my community. Many were involved in wrongful or delinquent activities including drugs and violence.