Nerd Out with Ashley Thomas

Alternatively watch it on Youtube

In this interview Ashley Thomas, Google Learning & Development PgM, talks about how she got into L&D, what the difference is between ID in the government vs Corporate America and the challenges that L&D professionals, especially women, face when moving up the ranks in corporations.

I've been in learning development for over a decade. It's amazing how time flies. For me, I always think of the hero's journey with Joseph Campbell. There have been so many ups and downs throughout my career. I was a government contractor with the DOD. I started out in higher education. I was an English major. I got my master's from Berkeley. I got my master's in higher education administration. I was in student affairs dean of students res life. And then I realized that's not for me. So throughout my career, it's been just these ups and downs. And having been laid off in corporate education like two times, I think I've trained myself to really figure out the value prop but also accept the fact that there are certain things out of our control.