More Versatile Than We Think: A Mother’s Perspective
During the mother-son dance at my son’s wedding, I came out of a spin, stepped on his foot, and our timing fell apart. We looked at each other, laughed, abandoned the routine we had practiced, and just danced.
Sometimes the most valuable skill is the ability to adapt when things don't go as planned.
I used to think certain fields were built entirely around rigid skill sets. When I first stepped into the world of audit, risk, and compliance as a graphic designer, I assumed their work was all corporate policing, rigid checklists, and endless spreadsheets. It did not take long to realize how wrong I was. Modern governance is complex information architecture and high-stakes problem solving.
Hearing them talk through their challenges sparked an unexpected realization. I found myself thinking about my son's career journey, the specific way his mind works, and how naturally his analytical skills would translate to this space.
In college, a professor introduced him to geography, not the grade-school version of memorizing state capitals and coloring maps, which was admittedly my first thought. Instead, he analyzed dense datasets to solve real environmental issues, studying how infrastructure materials drive up city temperatures and exploring how solutions like rooftop plantings and moss walls can counter the heat. He loved it.
Fresh out of school, he spent months analyzing raw LiDAR imagery to detect minute structural anomalies. He cross-referenced massive datasets against strict tolerances, catching flaws before they could turn into liabilities.
Just six months in, the pandemic hit. He was laid off, and his opportunities in geography dried up. At the time, neither of us would have thought to look at risk and internal audit. Yet looking back now, his spatial reasoning, data discipline, and natural respect for standards would have aligned seamlessly with internal controls.
He adjusted course and transitioned into civil engineering, where he thrives today. It is a field where building codes do not bend, mistakes carry serious consequences, and success means understanding how a rigid structure holds up in a shifting, unpredictable environment.
Auditing a control environment requires the same mindset as evaluating a physical structure. Both disciplines wrestle with the same fundamental questions. Where are the unseen stress points? What happens when real-world conditions change? And how do we design systems that protect people before a failure occurs?
Too often, we put career backgrounds into rigid silos. We assume someone needs a conventional background to succeed in audit, risk, and compliance, overlooking how deeply critical thinking and data interpretation carry across disciplines. When teams invite unconventional perspectives, they gain fresh eyes that spot patterns others might miss.
Our skills are far more adaptable than we think. When we look beyond traditional credentials, we do not just fill roles, we build teams that are more creative, more resilient, and far better equipped for the unexpected.
