Mindy 'Bean' Schindler: 'Everything is a business'

Don't ask Mindy 'Bean' Schindler which careers can benefit from taking business classes. You're better off asking which careers wouldn't.

On second thought, don't ask her that, either. Chances are, she won't list any.

"Everything is a business," said Schindler, an instructor in the business management division of Linn-Benton Community College. "College is a business. Your bank is a business. The most important things in your life are a business. Never forget that. If you don't understand at least how the foundations of business work, you're kind of doing yourself a disservice."

As chair of the Practical Business Management program at LBCC, Schindler stands ready to help everyone understand those foundations. 

The program is a newer, two-year degree that essentially takes a bachelor's degree in business and condenses it into two years. It's made up of three certificates: retail management, event management, and entrepreneurship and small businesses. 

A two-year commitment versus a four-year is especially popular with students who want to be entrepreneurs, because they're eager to launch their ventures, she said. It's also great for students looking to advance in their current industry, or for students who want to leverage the business side of their career plans, such as the artist who is thinking about opening a gallery.

The program also includes two years of Spanish. The Spanish-speaking population in Linn and Benton counties continues to grow, and being able to cater to your clientele is critical, especially when it comes to event planning, Bean said. 

"It's really a degree path that can help someone's career," she said. 

Although most do, LBCC students don't have to take the full two-year Practical Business Management program. They can cherry-pick just the classes they need, or they can sign up for the full program and then stop when they have the certificate they want. 

Either way, they get a full-fledged education, Schindler said. A four-year degree may go into more business theory and spend more time on topics, but it usually centers on accounting and economics and doesn't touch all the practical parts of business management. In contrast, in two years at LBCC, students can soak up some 20 business-related classes, including human resources, marketing, project management and social media. 

"Things like that are really going to help them to be able to succeed," she said. 

Schindler has been with the community college for six years. Before that, she was a rising star in the telecommunications industry but discovered the best part of the job was building rapport with people and helping them learn. That made teaching an attractive option.

She wanted to stay in the mid-valley and be closer to her family rather than continue to move for her job. She had heard good things about LBCC and decided to apply for the open position she saw on the website. 

"They were always highly spoken of by former faculty," she said. "(People said) they did a great job with their students and they really cared. Teachers actually got involved with their students and helped them with their life goals." 

Schindler said she's found all of that to be true. She's now one of the people helping her own students achieve their dreams.

"I want them to uncover the best version of themselves and the ability to be able to use that to be successful in whatever career endeavors they choose to embark on," she said. "I happened to find the perfect job for me."