14. Why “What Should My Major Be?” Is Not The Most Important Question with Luisa Alberto

Your major doesn’t determine the job you have in 2, 5, or even 10 years from now. Nor does it determine what kind of business you create (if you decide entrepreneurship is in your future). I’ll be totally honest, the hard skills you learn in high school and college will only get you so far. What determines your success in your career --and in life-- is discovering your truth, building relationships, and having empathy with those you encounter, plus the other soft skills you probably aren’t learning in the classroom. 

 

In this episode, I’m talking to Luisa Alberto, Founder & CEO of High Five Finance; a Virtual CFO agency that provides bookkeeping, tax planning, and advisory services for women business owners. She leverages 15 years of experience working closely with visionary CEOs in Ops and Finance, business ownership, and consulting to help her clients cut through the chaos and optimize their current financial position so they can achieve their goals. She graduated from Boston College (Go Eagles!) with a major in Philosophy and a minor in Latin American Studies & Faith, Peace and Justice.

 

Luisa shares how her inquisitive nature led her from a liberal art major to an internship at the FairTrade Certification Organization, and eventually, to running a successful online financial agency. She also shares the importance of learning soft skills over hard skills, why investing in a mentor or expert in your field will get you farther, how to articulate your unique experiences to stand out from the crowd, and the biggest lesson learned that helped lead to the creation of her business.

 

What We Cover:

• What CFO means and why businesses need one
• How numbers play a role in whether or not a business is able to achieve its mission
• Why your academic background doesn’t determine what business you create
• Why soft skills are essential for a successful career (and life!)
• The importance of finding a mentor and asking questions

 

“A lot of our success isn't tied to the skills that we have necessarily, it's tied to the relationships that we build. So if you don't learn how to build relationships, if you can't learn how to connect with another human and share with them what you care about and why it's important. I mean, that's really what makes success.” - Luisa Alberto

 

”You can't go wrong building those soft skills because people want to hire good people who can hold a conversation and build trust almost immediately over somebody who knows how to create a balance sheet.” - Luisa Alberto

 

”Most adults don't have it figured out. I think it's because we're ever-evolving people. So every experience we have teaches us something new about ourselves, about the world, about the thing we thought was going to be the thing. The more open you can be to just having as many experiences as you can that feel right in that moment, the better equipped you'll be for all the changes that will happen.” - Luisa Alberto

 

“How equipped are you to deal with big shifts and change? And what can you do in your life to feel like you are confident in yourself, you're confident in what you love?” - Luisa Alberto

 

“Getting really good at articulating how [your experiences]makes you special is a leg up in any sort of goal that you have or want to achieve in your life.” - Luisa Alberto

 

Connect with Luisa

Website: https://highfivefinance.com/click-me

Money Maven Membership: https://money-maven-membership.mn.co/

 

Thanks for listening, and if you like what you’ve heard, subscribe and listen to The Bold Student Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Don’t forget to spread the word by leaving a review or sharing this podcast with your friends!

 

LINKS MENTIONED:

 

If you’re a high school student in 9th-12th grade or the parent of one, I work with a small cohort of students annually and help them develop the core traits I discussed in the podcast and apply to selective colleges. You can apply to work with me below:

 

Apply to Work with Cathleen 

 

I cover mindset and manifestation in more depth in my 5-month program for 9th-11th graders, The Admitted Mastermind.

 

The next round starts in September, and you can apply here.

 

Follow Cathleen on Instagram & DM with any questions @lifeandcollegecoach