Meet the Team

Tiffany Bassett

Career Design Consultant

English was my best subject in school, so it felt natural to major in English in college. At the time, it felt like this gave me lots of options: I could teach, pursue journalism or law, write a novel, and the list went on! Closer to college graduation, the options suddenly overwhelmed me. With so many options, how could I decide?

This decision weighed heavily on me, so I went to see my academic advisor. He helped me evaluate all the factors that went into my decision of what to do after college, like career trajectory, proximity to family, earning potential, etc. I asked him how I was supposed to make such a difficult decision which, at the time, felt permanent. He said, “You know, I love my job as a professor, but when I go home at the end of the day to see my family I think ‘This is my real life.’” He encouraged me to think of my career as part of a whole life—what he called “real life”—instead of as defining my life.

I ultimately chose to pursue a PhD in English and was relieved that I finally made the Big Decision! But, that decision didn’t turn out at all how I planned. After struggling in that program for a few years, I realized it was time to make a new choice. The choice to leave my PhD was equally as hard as my choice to pursue one. But this time, I had my advisor’s advice in the back of my mind. It helped to remember that my career choices were part of my life, but they didn’t define my life.

Since then, I worked in supply chain logistics for a little while and now I work here, at the Career Design Center as a Career Design Consultant. When I’m not at work, I continue to build out my whole life, including picking up lots of new hobbies which add color and joy to it. In the past few years, I learned to knit mittens, to sew my own clothes, to bake sourdough bread, to garden and to tap dance. Ask me about which hobby I’m going to try next.

Contact

Phone Number
716-645-4632
Location
Buffalo, NY