Guest: Stacy Carter

In this episode of the Become an IDOL Podcast, Stacy Carter shares her inspiring journey of transitioning from a career in education to becoming an Instructional Design Specialist for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration organization. Tune in to hear:

• How Stacy's perseverance and resilience led her to her dream job after three years of determined effort.
• The valuable lessons Stacy learned about the importance of building confidence, optimizing her LinkedIn profile, and practicing interviews.
• Stacy's insights on the joys and adjustments of working in a corporate setting after years in the education field. 

Connect with Stacy Carter on LinkedIn

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Discover how to kickstart your instructional design career in 2025—watch Dr. Robin Sargent's free webinar here

Listen to this episode below: 

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Enjoy the Episode Transcript below:  

Dr. Robin Sargent  

Welcome to Become an IDOL. I'm Dr. Robin Sargent, owner of IDOL courses. This is the place where newbies come to learn and veterans share their knowledge.

I have here with me today, Stacy Carter. She is an IDOL Academy Alumni, and Stacy, would you please do a better job of introducing yourself and your background? 

Stacy Carter

Sure. My name is Stacy Carter, I'm originally from New York City, but I currently reside in the DC area. I was a career educator for 23 years, so I taught for 15 of those years. I was also a building administrator and a district administrator. So and now I am currently an Instructional Design Specialist for the US Citizenship and Immigration organization for the federal government.

Dr. Robin Sargent  

Oh, fascinating. So when you were in the other role, in your previous role, how'd you find instructional design? What made you change your mind and want to get out of it? I want to hear that.

Stacy Carter

Sure. So I knew that I wanted to do something that was slightly related to teaching. I wanted to take all of that, all of those skills that I had developed. I was a great trainer. I was great at designing professional development for teachers. It was something that I enjoyed doing, and it allowed me to flex my creativity. And when I realized that it was time for me to retire from teaching— my body was worn out. I was having health issues. I realized that I wanted to do something in the same vein, and I did my research, and I was like, well, I like doing training. I like creative things. I like design. What can I do?

And I came across a website where it's like career changing teachers. You can take a little test, and it tells you what things you could be possibly, you know, suited for and instructional design was the first one that came up for me. And I was like, Oh, what is this? And I dug a little bit deeper, and I said, Oh, I could be good at this. And I took about six months and researched different programs, training programs, different routes to take in order to transition. And I came across IDOL, and I read the reviews, and said, You know what? I'm gonna give this a try. 

 Dr. Robin Sargent  

And what year was that? 

Stacy Carter

It was 20 -- I was 10th. I was the 10th cohort. So that was 2022 if I remember correctly,

Dr. Robin Sargent  

Yeah, that was 2022 Okay, so you enrolled in the 10th cohort, which I believe was a March cohort of

Stacy Carter

April, March or April, yeah, 

Dr. Robin Sargent  

like March or April of 22' and so then, how long did it take you before you started interviewing?

Stacy Carter

I actually started interviewing. If we started in April. I had my first interview in June. 

Yeah I had my first interview in June, and it went really well. I actually made it to the finals in the first interview I ever did, and I didn't get it. I got down to two people, and they chose to go with someone with more graphic design experience than me. I had two other interviews that summer where I got to the semi final round or the finals round, but did not get any of the jobs that I interviewed for. So the first year I didn't get an instructional design job, I was crushed, and I had to go back into the school. I had to go back into education that fall. But I told myself I was just going to work and teach, but on the side, I was going to continue to upskill, learn more, you know, stay on IDOL and continue to, you know, get all that good information.

And I would do it again when the spring hit and did the same exact thing second year, nothing. I had tons of interviews and no offers. So I was definitely deflated. And I said, maybe this isn't the right thing for me. Maybe this is just isn't the right time. Maybe it's becoming too saturated, you know, maybe I'm supposed to be doing something else, you know, I just couldn't figure out what it was. I did all the things that you all told us to do. I optimized my LinkedIn. I had a decent portfolio, like, what is going wrong?

I went back in and taught for that entire year, and nothing that summer. I gave up for a little bit. Gave up for about a good six or seven months, and then I tried it again. Now we're in year three at this point, and this is probably the worst teaching year I've ever had. I was sick the entire year. I had a horrible administrator. The kids were really rough, and I had just enough push to get me out the door and say, I'm going to try this one more time.

If I don't get it this time, then I'm going to go to Dr. Robin, and I'm going to start screaming, and I'm be like, what in the world is going on here? I'm going to call her and find out what I'm doing wrong. What is it?

And so again, spent the entire year. I had an interview in February with a federal con -- It was an agency that does federal contracting. I interviewed with them in February. Their headquarters were 10 minutes from my house. It was a federal contracting job, remote work. It was everything that I wanted. I was like, this is perfect. Had a great interview, and they disappeared. Oh, and I said, what happened here? And then the interviewer would pop back in periodically and say things are moving really slowly. This is the federal government. You know, things like this happen. Are you still interested? Yes, I'm still interested.

Meanwhile, I'm doing like, 5, 6, 7, interviews. I think I had about 20 or 30 interviews this past summer, and I know I was in touch with you, and I was messaging you back and forth and saying, hey, you know, I have this interview-- that interview.

And unbeknownst to me, in like July, the same agency called me back and said, Are you still interested in this position? And I said, yes, and they said, we'll send you an offer letter. Yes. That's exactly how it happened. So I interviewed with them in February, they were gone. And then in July, they called me back and said, We had another opening. Are you still interested? And I said, Yes, thinking that I would have to interview all over again. They said, no, we'll send you an offer letter. 

Dr. Robin Sargent  

Wow. And so you've been working in this role since July of 23 since

Stacy Carter

Since September,

Dr. Robin Sargent  

I mean 24'

Stacy Carter

September of 24 so yes, I'm in my what fourth month? Yeah, so they hired, I signed my offer letter in July, and because it's federal government, you have to go through security clearances and all of that good stuff. So it took about two months for them to do my security clearance. So I was on edge. I may get it, I may not get it. What happens if I don't get it? Oh, my goodness, I'm going to have to teach another year, but it took them about two and a half months. But I got my security clearance, and I started on September 19th

Dr. Robin Sargent  

Oh my gosh, now this is a story of perseverance.

Stacy Carter

Yes. yes, it is. Yes. It was best thing I ever did. I work from home four days a week. I have autoimmune issues, so when I'm not feeling well, like today's, my back is out, and I am just incredibly grateful to have a job where I can still work, even if I'm in my pajamas. I have managers that are incredibly understanding, like, you know, if I tell them, you know, I'm not feeling well, can you work today? Yeah, I can work, but I may just have to, you know, I may have to do it from bed. Okay, no problem. They let me make up my hours. It's incredibly flexible. I work from 6am to 6pm somewhere in there, as long as I get eight hours in, they don't care, you know. So it's been it's been great, and my managers are wonderful. I love my team. I love the work I'm doing. But it took three years.

Dr. Robin Sargent  

When you look back, Stacy, because I think everything happens for a reason. When you look back, what do you think was the reason that it took so long?

Stacy Carter

I think-- I'm with you. I believe that everything happens for a reason. I think that I just needed a little bit more time to prepare myself. I had good interviews those first two years, but there was far more that I needed to do, and it was far more that I needed to work on. For example, like building my confidence when you've been in a job for so long. I had really bad imposter syndrome the last few years of the job really tore me down. So I wasn't feeling very confident. I wasn't interviewing very well. It got to the point where, literally, my confidence, my self esteem, it created like a little neurological problem, and I was having problems speaking and articulating myself and expressing myself, it became like a neuropsychological problem, and I had to overcome all of that, you know, and be able to, like, feel confident and speak with authority. That didn't happen until, like, this third time around. So I just needed more time to prepare, and I needed to build confidence and feel like a professional again, because I wasn't feeling that way.

Dr. Robin Sargent  

It was your growth cycle. 

Stacy Carter

Yep, exactly. 

Dr. Robin Sargent  

And it sounds like it was worth it.

Stacy Carter

It was, it was painful and it hurt, but I found the perfect job with all the requirements that I asked for, it just took a little bit of time to get there, you know, I got the job I was supposed to have.

Dr. Robin Sargent  

Yeah, and what are some of the things that have surprised you, because I know you had thoughts about what this would be like when it happened, and now it's happened. And so what are the things you're like, I mean, you're living in basically something that was a dream for three years. 

Stacy Carter

Yes, wow, every day is is a new day and a new surprise for me. I never thought that I would be able to enjoy work again, and I actually enjoy getting up in the morning, putting on clothes, turning on my computer and getting into the work now, I have tons of projects that I'm working on, and I never thought that I would be able to actually use some of those skills that I learned in IDOL. So using my Articulate skills, I'm learning Captivate now. So now I have both going for my Captivate certification in the spring, so I never thought that I would actually enjoy learning and enjoy going to work again. So it's been really surprising that that feeling is back, and being valued for what you contribute to the team is something that I haven't experienced in a really long time as well. So it's refreshing to have those feelings.

And lastly, I just it's been so long since I've been in corporate in a corporate setting, so that has definitely kind of taken a little getting used to as well. Because being an educator for 20 plus years, you know, you're used to a certain way that things are done, and now it's like, oh, we don't do things that way. Okay. Oh, we don't have to ask for permission to do X, Y and Z, oh, I don't have to ask for permission to do this and that. Oh, I'm okay with just making some decisions on the spot and then sharing with other people why I made those decisions. They're like, Oh, okay, that works. I like that idea. Great job. Great use of authority, great use of autonomy, blah, blah, blah, you know, all those good things.

Dr. Robin Sargent  

So I've had people hearing your story are wondering, like, what are some of the things that kept you going? Like, obviously, that is a very determined mindset. And so I just wanted you to share some of the wisdom that you got through this process of resilience.

Stacy Carter

Yes, I think the one thing that kept me going is is that like this can't be the end for me. I don't think that I can't be okay with just settling. I'm miserable, I'm unhealthy, and this is not the way it's supposed to be. You know, there is a there's a place in life where you can be happy with what you do, and you can be healthy and not letting go of that piece. You know, it's like this is not how it's supposed to be. You have a right to be happy. You have a right to feel fulfilled, and you have a right to feel confident and secure and to enjoy what you do, and you have to hold on until that comes. It's not going to be easy. You know, especially nowadays, where everyone is looking for work from home jobs and everyone is transitioning.

It's the mass exodus in education everyone is looking to transition. So it's not going to be as easy as it was maybe, you know, 5, 6, 7, years ago. So knowing and understanding that it is going to be a process, that it is going to take a lot of time, and that you have to have patience with the process and really like use your resources, ask the questions, prepare, do the practice interviews, do all of those things. Those things matter.

I've learned that slowly over those three years. The first year, I was like, Oh, I can do it my way. It'll be fine. And didn't work. So second year, I tried a little bit more. The third year, I just went all in and said, You know what? I'm going to optimize my LinkedIn. I'm going to have my resume rewritten. I'm going to practice the interviews. I'm going to take those practice questions that they gave me in IDOL, and I'm actually going to write them out, and I'm going to practice them. I had my elevator speech written in a notebook next to me.

So taking all of those things and putting them all together, that's what really did it for me. So actually listening and hearing when they say you need to do all of these things, you need to take that seriously as well.

Dr. Robin Sargent  

You think you would have expedited if you would have done all the things? Or do you think, you know, it's hard to say, right? Because you needed your journey.

Stacy Carter

I think I needed the time, yeah, I really think I needed the time to build me, to build me up and to get my place, get myself to a place where I could feel confident and ready to interview,

Dr. Robin Sargent  

Almost getting in alignment with your ideal situation?

Stacy Carter

Yes, exactly.

Dr. Robin Sargent  

Yeah, so I want to ask you one last question, and that is, you know, what do you want to tell us and say to those people? I mean, we already shared so much about your journey and your resilience and how you overcome and really, like truly, just, believed in yourself and invested in yourself. So what would you say to those that want to become an IDOL?

Stacy Carter

Do the work! That's really the most important thing you have to do the work. This is not something that you can do, that you can like-- half do. This is not something you can kind of dibble and dabble in, you have to do work-- all of it. There's no shortcuts in this. You have to do the work. You have to be dedicated to the work, and you have to take it seriously. And then lastly, like, you have to believe in it. And you have to not you have to really, like, know, in your heart of hearts, this is what you want to do, and understand where why you're doing it and where you want to go, so understanding your 'why'. And being clear about what it is that you have to do. That's really the most important thing, like you have to do the work.

Dr. Robin Sargent  

I absolutely enjoyed hearing your entire story. I think you are so spot on with doing work. I think even with you and your 20 years of education, you still found that, like the work was required and the building of yourself, and it really is a full transformation, not just a transition. And I just think you should be so incredibly proud of yourself, and I know I'm proud to have you as an alumni. So thank you so much for sharing.

Stacy Carter

Thank you for everything Dr. Robin, I couldn't have done it without you guys. IDOL has I mean, oh, wow. I could not have done this without the support of IDOL and everything my coaches, the mentors, work. I couldn't have done it without you guys. So I really appreciate you guys.

Dr. Robin Sargent  

Oh, seriously, like, this is why we do it. I mean, it's stories like this and being able to, like, be a part of an incredible goal that you've reached and journey that you made. And so, yes,

Stacy Carter

Yes, it's wonderful. I finally got my mug. Yes, three years later, but I got it.

Dr. Robin Sargent  

You got it still means something. Yes, it means a lot. Yeah, yes. Do you want to tell anybody where they can can find you or anything like that. You're working on online or anything like that. 

Stacy Carter

My portfolio is www.stacyjcarter.com, it is a work in progress as always, so, like, I'm building my Captivate portfolio at this point. So but yeah, you can find me there.

Dr. Robin Sargent  

 Wonderful. Bye. Thank you. 

Stacy Carter

Thank you.

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