While at the time, it may have felt a waste of precious time better spent sleeping in or hanging out with friends, in reality, the test has opened doors for millions of students to pursue their dream schools and careers. For ACT test takers over the past 35 years, you may have Janet Godwin to thank
Traditionally, workers have dedicated their careers to a job and company they enjoy—and settling down to steadily climb the ranks.
But it could backfire.
Godwin’s boss once told her: “If you’re so busy thinking about what you’re going to do next, I guarantee you you’re not putting enough energy and time into what you’re doing today.”
“You need to make sure what you’re doing today is running the best,” she recalled. “You need to learn and mature in your current job before you have your eyes set on something else.”
Now, looking back on her own career, the 59-year-old agrees.
“There’s some truth to maturing with what you have, and not just constantly grasping for the next thing on the ladder,” Godwin says. “Because you might not have built the skills yet to be really ready for that next thing on the ladder.”
While she never expected to stay at the same company her entire career, she says simply being curious and seeking out new challenges is far more useful than trying to map out one’s future resume at a young age.
“Don’t be afraid to learn new things, and don’t be too rigid on what your path is,” Godwin says.
“That’s what I mean about being curious. Because if you think you know where you’re going to be 10 years from now, you probably don’t.”
Overnight, the company’s future looked all but dim as testing centers shut their doors and online testing was seemingly far down the pipeline. But after years of writing questions for students to answer, she found that being willing to ask questions was key to getting through the tough challenges.
“If you think you know it all and have all the answers, you don’t. One of the strongest leadership skills is the ability to ask for help, to know ‘man, I don’t know everything,’” Godwin says. “I might have a CEO title, but I guarantee you I do not know everything.”
