Sacramento Business Owner Stayed Flexible, Now Has An Office Online

Barbara Atzmiller, MS, NCC, MCC, DCC holds a M.S. in Counseling from CSU Sacramento and a B.S. in Business Administration from Avila University. She is a National Certified Counselor (NCC), a certified Master Career Counselor (MCC) and a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC).

What do you think the future of your field is for Sacramento?

"The trick in any field is being flexible and evolving with changes in the field. I closed my counseling office in 2009 and went online. My clients went from being from local to global. I went from teaching and training in person, to producing and conducting tele-seminars and webinars. In each case, as my field evolved, I had to advance with it to stay active and successful."

What is your advice to someone considering getting a degree in business management or entering a field similar to yours?

"As a career counselor who started with a business management degree, my advice is to be flexible and focus on your core skill set. 'Business Management' is a broad term, just having a degree is not enough to be competitive in today's market. Being creative and flexible on how you use your skill set and education is the trick to learn for a lifetime. If you want to know what you need to exceed in a particular field, do a job and labor market search before you choose your major, find a mentor and complete as many internships, while in school, as possible."

What challenges have you faced that your degree has helped you with?

"When I was a program director with a Community Action Agency in the Midwest, my B.S. in Business Management helped me successfully run a three-county emergency aid program. As an Executive Director of Expert Career Solutions LLC, both my business and counseling degree drive my career success. I'm hired as a career professional because, not only do I have a graduate degree, but I have several necessary certifications that validate my qualifications and are desired by large employers. I could not have earned the certifications without the counseling graduate degree."

Megan Bowyer is a freelance writer in search of the best food and drinks that Sacramento has to offer. You can find her at any number of dive bars or trendy restaurants; just look for the short blonde feeding the jukebox. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.