Meet Darcy Guac | Finance Writer and Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Darcy Guac and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Darcy, what do you attribute your success to?
By far, the most important factor to my financial success is understanding how to manage my money; this also involves acknowledging, and taking advantage of, the opportunities and privileges I lucked into. Understanding the role money plays means you can then start to use your money and resources to play it your way.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I graduated college in 2016. I call that my Year of Fear because I couldn’t find an entry-level job, money was running low, it was rough. I never did end up finding that first job, because about a month after graduating I took a different path and got a job from a temp agency. While I felt embarrassed to temp at the time – it felt like admitting I was undesirable as a worker – it turned out to be the role I parlayed into a great marketing career. That temp role started me at $15 an hour, working 40 hours a week. Six years and two job changes later, I’m now making a six figure salary as a healthtech marketing manager. Funny enough, both job changes came from recruiters finding me on LinkedIn and connecting me with my past and current employers. It’s shown me that getting a great career (and the pay you deserve!) doesn’t have to come only through you endlessly responding to job ads and application portals. I didn’t apply to any of the roles I’ve had as a young professional, yet I’ve still had an unusually successful career. Optimizing my resume and LinkedIn profile sure opened a lot more doors than I expected it to!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is timely because I’ve actually made itineraries for friends in the last year. I live just outside of Boston and there are so many spots I’d take a first-time visitor. Grabbing lunch or dinner in the North End (aka, Little Italy) is a must. For the architecture buffs, Beacon Hill and the Back Bay have gorgeous brownstones and other castle-like homes. My artsy friends get introduced to the Gardner Museum or the ICA (Institute for Contemporary Art) along with some great eats in the Seaport area like Flour Bakery, Tatte Bakery, and Committee. The one place I recommend to everyone is visiting the Boston Public Library. They’ve got stunning murals, a grand interior design, and a courtyard perfect for reading or people-watching.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are a lot of people and organizations who have played a role in my success: school groups, scholarship foundations, financial aid offices, temp agencies, recruiters, employers, and educators. Out of all of them, I’d most like to dedicate my shoutout to one of my elementary and middle school teachers, Ms. H. She exposed us kids to a huge range of creative subjects atypical for a rural public school, from sign language and architecture to speeches and rhetoric. Ms. H is the reason I was fully engaged in school, creating a ripple effect that buoyed my passion to learning through the rest of my life; this included earning two degrees and understanding as much as I do about money management and investing. Even if my old school district paid Ms. H a six-figure salary, it would have been less than she deserved. I am so thankful to have had Ms. H there supporting my school projects, my spelling bees, and my growth into a person excited to pay it forward.

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