Are you think about changing your job and your life? Do you want to choose a career you're passionate about? To get into a job you are more passionate about, no matter how hard it is? For Adonica, success is knowing what you want to do, then having a plan to do it. Are you thinking of a STEM career? Listen to how Adonica Randall stepped into the role and where she has taken it, even with a patent! Adonica pulls no punches - she tells it like it is. Yesterday - and today. Listen in to learn the importance of choosing a career or a business that you're passionate about to succeed in it. You will also learn how to be open to available opportunities to keep your career going even after the pandemic.
Key Takeaways:
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- How to be open to suggesting and asking things to grow your skills and career
- How to discover what suits your interest to specialize in it as a career
- Learn to never bring your boss a problem, always bring the solutions
- How to start a business in something you're passionate about and not make it about money
- Acquire soft skills to succeed in your career and business
- How to be open to the available opportunities when others close
"The biggest skill that most people need is soft skills. You have to know how to have a dialogue and not a monologue." -Adonica Randall
In this episode you'll discover:
The background of Adonica's company name- Abaxent [0:39]
How Adonica's immigrant grandmother and Nichelle Nichols inspired her career choice [1:56]
She talks about the support she received from her family to go to college [3:50]
She describes her degrees in STEM subjects and her patent in MRI suites [6:14]
The meaning of Entrepreneur in Residence, guiding students to integrated entrepreneurship [9:23]
The companies she's worked with plus her most memorable career-changing moments [11:29]
How Adonica was inspired by science and working with talented and giving people [18:47]
She describes the events that led to owning her company and exercising her business experience [22:14]
Adonica advises women to start a business now and do what they love to succeed in it [25:56]
How scarcity mindset and selfishness is leading America to more racism and gender inequality [27:53]
The importance of having leaders who aren't leaders for politics [30:56]
Choose varied information sources, have soft skills, and invest in your passion [34:00]
A CAREER SHE'S PASSIONATE ABOUT
Adonica Randall is President and chief problem solver of Abaxent- a Technology Solutions and Consulting company. She has 35+ years of technical and business experience, she's specialized in development of business startups, service innovation, process improvement, and governance. She has experience across a variety of industries including healthcare, government, manufacturing, and construction.
Adonica is the leader of the only technology solutions company that is a certified minority/woman-owned business by an African American. In addition, she is an associate professor at Alverno College.
A former leader at GE Medical Systems and A. O. Smith, Adonica led the Abaxent technical team that partnered with Johnson Controls on the network technology for Fiserv Forum and the COVID-19 Alternate Care Facility at State Fair Park.
She also advocates for women seeking STEM careers and mentors those interested in becoming entrepreneurs. Randall is a frequent speaker on STEAM, DEIB in technology and joint venture partnerships and has been an associate professor in Alverno College's Department of Computer Sciences.
She also serves as the vice chair of the North Central Minority Business Enterprise Input Committee that advocates for minority-owned businesses to gain access to increased opportunities within corporations.
EDUCATION
In the mid-1970s, she graduated with a computer science/electrical engineering degree from Missouri School of Science and Technology, a master's degree in biomedical engineering from Marquette University and received a patent in MRI suite lighting in the 1980s.
AWARD FOR STEM ACHIEVEMENT
Adonica Randall is the recipient of the Professional Achievement Award from Marquette University's Opus College of Engineering.
RESOURCES
Marquette University Award
Notable Minority Executives
Alumni Awards
Abaxent Website
LinkedIn Adonica Randall
LinkedIn Abaxent