Vandana Mathur started her career working as an analyst with the Department of Corrections, and then moved to another role in the Department of Children and Families. Her degree is in English literature, so when she changed roles again and became an administrative analyst in the Division of Operations at the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) she began a completely new learning curve.
In April 2023, she was a few months into her new position as a supervisor for transportation, mobility and research when she found out she’d been nominated to attend the Operations Academy Senior Management Program at the University of Maryland. She had no idea what it was, but she knew that not everyone at the NJDOT was an engineer or an expert in roads—she certainly was not.
“At the Operations Academy, there were other analysts like me. Some people were in law enforcement, some traffic engineers, and people doing other things too, so I quickly learned I was not the only one who was new in their job,” she said. “We started talking and understanding what others were doing, so I realized I was not the odd one out. It was really helpful, and I knew that we were going to learn together.”
Her current job is her first in a supervisory role, and one of the discussions in which she participated focused on leadership style. As a new person, it helped her clarify in her own mind what kind of supervisor she wanted to be, and how it would work best for her department.
Vandana felt that the presentation that she had to give toward the end of the two-week session was very useful. She and her group worked well together, and while they put the project together, they shared insightful information that turned into a great overall learning experience.
“Where else could I have met all these people?” she said. “On a personal level, I gained a lot of good friendships. I can still pick up the phone and call anyone. And professionally, I learned more about my job, what others do, and how we can help each other.”
That’s a valuable piece of information, because Vandana learned that above all, no one works alone in any department. Because she was so new in the transportation industry, the Operations Academy helped her build the relationships she has needed to help her succeed.
“The best way to learn is to make friends and build relationships, and that is what I did,” she said “I feel very lucky; I have had the luxury of learning so many things. It’s not just about a job or money, it’s about serving the public and I’m very proud of what I do.”
