Professional development

At the end of the day…just because you can, doesn’t mean you should

It’s important to not only consider the subject matter that interests you, but also the right match to your personality and your passions. Consider all aspects as you make that career choice. And, allow yourself to make some mistakes or change your mind along the way.

People that know me well would never guess that I was a computer science/math double major in college. I enjoyed my studies. Math always came easy for me and computer programming was a welcomed challenge. When I started interviewing my senior year, I considered many types of positions: sales, marketing, software engineer — all for high tech companies. I took a position as a software engineer at Data General. It was the most responsibility I could find right out of school, and that appealed to me. Within months, I was close to miserable, spending 8 to 10 hours a day programming at my desk. I am an extrovert and enjoy people. Just because I could do the job, didn’t mean I should do the job. After the first year I moved into technical support, more toward people interaction. Within two more years, I moved into marketing and sales which is when I really started to thrive.

What role did you take or major did you select that was a bad match for you?

At the end of the day… is an expression meaning an assessment of essential facts and truths. It’s a summation of the pros and cons of any situation and a straightforward statement of what really matters. It’s also the title of this blog series by Brenda Hodge, Nuance Healthcare’s Chief Marketing Officer, with insights about leadership, empathetic customer relationships, and marketing techniques.

Brenda Hodge

About Brenda Hodge

Brenda leads all aspects of Nuance's marketing function working to develop the go-to-market approach, building the Nuance brand to drive growth, and expanding client relationships to increase loyalty. She joined Nuance from Optum where she most recently served as Chief Marketing Officer for the Provider Market segment. Brenda’s career spans multinational sales and marketing leadership roles at companies such as GloStream, Allscripts/Misys Healthcare Systems, and SAS Institute.