How I Became a Human Resource Professional

Growing up I was always fascinated with the written word. As such I had early aspirations to be a writer of some sort, whether it be a sports journalist, novelist, or globe trotting author of feature pieces. I excelled in English classes and writing competitions throughout my primary schooling which naturally led to my pursuit of an English degree upon entering college.

After taking several classes in my major on campus it occurred to me that while I enjoyed writing and was skilled in the endeavor, I wasn't so sure exactly what to write from a creative standpoint. After a few semesters of debating my future I decided to take a bold leap and switch my major to Business Management, where I thought I could make more money.

I didn't have a particular direction at this point, but fortunately as part of my core curriculum I was required to take a course in Human Resource Management. I happened to have an excellent and well-respected instructor who did a fantastic job of presenting his HR knowledge. Furthermore, within the HR curriculum I was impressed with the balance of traditional business theory and the "people" aspect of the material. After all, Human Resources is about managing people.

The most interesting part of Human Resources to me is that it is such an evolving part of business. Years ago companies looked to "personnel" departments for a very narrow set of responsibilities centered around hiring, firing, and payroll. Today most companies recognize that HR is universally connected to each part of a company. HR professionals are central to organizational development because we are tasked with getting the best team members, enabling them to produce at a high level, and retaining them for as long as possible. People are a company's biggest investment, and therefore being responsible for them is a critical undertaking.

After discovering all of this in college I quickly tailored my business major to focus on HR Management and completed the rest of my college credits very quickly now that I had found a subject that interested me. After graduation I networked a identified a local businessman who owned a construction firm and was looking for someone to establish the HR function within his company.

I took the job and have been at it for over 5 years. I have learned as much or more in the position than through my schooling, but I must say I was very well prepared for someone just out of college. I thoroughly enjoy my role as a Director of HR and the challenges it presents on a daily basis. I get to use my passion for writing every day and even have some time to write articles like this on the side.