People flex their muscles. People flex their brains. But after interviewing Navdeep Jassal, a category manager for Post Consumer Brands, I learned that flexibility extends to careers as well.

Navdeep started out at Southwestern Community College in Iowa which she completed concurrently with high school. After graduating from university in just 3 years, she set out on the women’s studies path where she spoke on panels about the women’s right to choose. Her first career switch led her to California into the telecommunications industry and after the economic downturn in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attack, Navdeep found herself in the world of category management where she now works. 

Read on to see firsthand how community college allowed Navdeep the opportunity to be flexible in her career and succeed along the way.

Q: Can you tell me about your experience at community college?

A: I started to go to community college while I was still in high school which allowed me to continue to stay engaged since the coursework had gotten old and tired. Community college allowed me to meet older people and hear about their paths and journeys and how they got into higher education, which was extremely inspiring. 

Q: How did community college aid in transferring credit to career?

A: Community college allowed me the flexibility to do all these things and try all these different paths over the years from women’s studies to analytics for Post. Community college was my foundation.

Q: What can we do to check our biases about community college?

A: Think of community college as what it is: an opportunity. It helped me get ahead - a big WIN for me. In fact, I recently bought a new car for myself and the guy who sold it to me was considering community college. I encouraged him to start out at a community college and get his feet wet and figure out what he liked to do. He’s taken me up on it. Him and I have stayed in touch. I’m always around to mentor young people. 

Community college is more than just credits on a transcript. It is an opportunity to figure out what your interests are and give yourself the flexibility to explore all paths available to you.