Meet Your Instructor: My Career Development Journey

Hi Everyone!  My name is Robin Eurgubian and I am a full-time Counselor and Professor here at Santa Rosa Junior College.  Let me share with you my Career Development story....

I was born and raised in Sonoma County and proudly attended SRJC myself! Like many of you, I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do and then later on, no idea whatsoever! I was an avid musician all through high school, playing oboe in orchestra and wind ensemble as well as bass guitar in jazz band and choir. The natural progression, or so I thought at the time, was to be music major. While music was a passion of mine and still is, I began to think about the lifestyle a classical musician usually lives. It is highly competitive. You may have to move to land gigs in major orchestras. Money may not be stable. I started to realize that I didn't love the environment (or vibe) of orchestras (again, very competitive...) to the point where I could handle it for many years. Now, I feel compelled to say that I have several friends who did pursue art and music as their careers, not just a hobby and it was a good decision for them. But for me, I knew it wasn't a career for me. For a while, I had the dream of composing music for the movies but became demotivated by the fact at there wasn't a female composer writing for the movies. We will discuss gender and race in careers later on in the course- and how representation across gender, sexual orientation, race in careers matter! Finally, I toyed around with the idea of Architecture for a bit as well, enough to take a Calculus class. But I knew I wanted to work with people more than plans and so I ultimately joined SRJC undecided. 

 

My first semester at SRJC, I randomly picked out courses, one of which my mom suggested. "Why don't you take Anthropology?" she asked. "Huh?" I replied. I had never even heard the word. But being young and needing the recommendation, I took the course. And guess what? I fell in love with the subject. On my own accord, I took another Anthropology course and another and another. And soon, I became an Anthropology major. Anthropology is the study of humans (their physical evolution, early humans through fossil records, primate behavior, cultural traditions across time and place, how language develops, and an in-depth look into various cultures around the world over time). It was the perfect fit. I ended up transferring to UCLA.

 

I had plans to go to graduate school (degrees you earn after earning your Bachelor's degree) so I could teach Anthropology but without a lot of experience to get in, I took a year off following graduation to work. I ended up accepting a job at the YWCA where I taught teenagers about dating violence. I fell in love with being in front of a class, I loved worked one-on-one with students, and I really loved being part of a good cause. During a community event at SRJC (I just keep coming back...) my outreach table was placed next to an SRJC counselor. As I got to chatting with her, I started lighting up. I loved to help people! I loved to teach! I loved to plan academic routes. This was the career for me. I applied to Sonoma State shortly after, where I earned my Master's Degree in Counseling.  And here I am today, teaching and advising students at my alma mater. My position is in the Transfer Center specifically. I know transfer admissions very well.

But what feels the most fitting to share my approach to my role at SRJC: I am open-minded and patient, caring and kind. I truly welcome you to contact me if you need support. I know things are still very difficult right now so please let me know if I can provide a listening ear or encouraging words. I welcome questions about anything so please do not hesitate to ask. All the best to you as you pursue this course and your larger career journey.