How embracing your strengths can lead to a fulfilling career
Cindy Charles wanted to be the next Alan Greenspan. She double-majored in economics and math at a small midwest college, put herself on a path to a PhD, and envisioned herself running the Federal Reserve one day.
She noticed the few other women studying math alongside her were doing it to pursue careers in academia. Even then, Cindy knew that, while she was passionate about economics and math, she did not want to teach. She began to wonder, 鈥淲hat do I do if the job at The Fed doesn鈥檛 work out? What will I do with this education?鈥�
Rising Through the Ranks: From Accenture to Schwab
She got to work pursuing alternative careers and practicing recruiting on campus. Without any formal computer science training, she landed a job at Accenture (). In the 11 years she worked there, Cindy rose from consultant to senior manager and learned a ton.
Consulting years are like dog years. You learn a lot in a short period of time.
鈥淐onsulting years are like dog years,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou learn a lot in a short period of time, and you鈥檙e always thrown into things where you鈥檙e not totally sure what you鈥檙e doing.鈥�
So she leaned on the math training she had in school and applied all those problem-solving skills to this venture.
Doubling down on her strengths has become a go-to strategy for Cindy throughout her career, and it’s consistently brought her success.
From Accenture, Cindy went to , where she spent 16 years, first with the Customer Account & Technology team and then ultimately becoming the managing director of Data Technology. At Schwab, Cindy encountered an unexpected twist: while a new leader on the data team, she ended up filling in for a departing manager. Over the next several years, she was promoted to Managing Director and played a critical role in the integration of Schwab and TD Ameritrade following their 2019 merger.
Blending Hard and Soft Skills to Drive Excellence
The challenges at Schwab were similar to the rapid changes she would soon face at Zayo. In March of 2024, Cindy transitioned to her current role at Zayo, where she and her team are rebuilding the company’s data architecture from the ground up.
Once again she finds herself in a role that didn鈥檛 really exist when she graduated college; but it鈥檚 a role that allows her to work within her area of passion and expertise, a role that utilizes her skills in math and engineering, as well as her soft skills of understanding business and people.
It is that combo, of hard tech and soft science, that makes data technology more compelling.
鈥淚t is that combo,鈥� she says, 鈥渙f hard tech and soft science, that makes data technology more compelling.鈥�
Keeping consistent with her lifelong theme of wielding her strengths to navigate the unknown, Cindy is currently leading her Data Engineering and Architecture team into the land of generative AI. She encourages her crew to focus on the skills they do have, rather than shying away from the unfamiliar. Exemplifying Zayo鈥檚 principle of driving excellence, Cindy hopes that she and her team can set the gold standard for 鈥渄oing more with less鈥� by utilizing the diverse wealth of tools now available 鈥� tools that can accelerate some components of the work that are time-consuming or monotonous.
It鈥檚 Cindy鈥檚 unconventional journey that has shaped her into the data rock star she is today. For Cindy, success has come not by following a predetermined path, but by staying curious, adaptable, and confident in her ability to solve problems 鈥� no matter the industry or role.