Staff Spotlight: Connie Hirsch
Summary
In 2019, Connie joined Youville House as Transportation Assistant. In most settings, this title means, “Driver,” but over the years, Connie has put her unique stamp on the role.
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of taking a ride with Connie Hirsch, you have probably noticed that she’s a dynamic conversationalist. Whether she is navigating the congested, one-way streets of Cambridge, the windy roads of Somerville, or the complicated bypasses and interchanges scattered around Boston, she is never lost, either in three-dimensional space or in the free-roaming, upbeat conversational excursions she relishes sharing with her passengers. You might have wondered to yourself over the course of such a drive and such a conversation: How did Connie get so good at driving and chatting?
“If anything, I talk too much,” Connie says, “I’m a shy extrovert, which made me an odd duck in my previous careers, but seems to fit in in this third act of mine.”
Few of Connie’s career ventures have been without unexpected detours. In the 1980s, she moved from her hometown of Cedar Grove, New Jersey to Boston to attend college. She planned to become a journalist, but after obtaining her degree from Boston University, found that she was too shy to pursue interviews. In the early 1980s, the dawn of digitalization created many job opportunities for data clerks and computer programmers. Connie took advantage of the moment and found early employment as a data entry clerk at Beth Israel.
Later, a chance conversation with a friendly karate instructor landed Connie an interview with Lotus Software, a major company at the time. This marked the beginning of a decades-long career as computer programmer. Connie started at Lotus as a data entry clerk but taught herself programming in the evenings. Soon, she rose up in the ranks as a software programmer. After ten years with Lotus, she transitioned to another programming position with the publishing company Houghton Mifflin.
Connie looks back on her programming career fondly. “As a programmer I was learning and solving problems,” she says, “and I also made friends that are still in my life.”
Due to ever-changing programming protocols, Connie found it increasingly difficult to stay up to date as she entered her third decade in the business. After her team at Houghton Mifflin was dissolved, Connie found herself “out in the wild” as a contractor. To help make ends meet she started driving for Uber and Lyft and discovered she had a knack for “social navigation”: “As a driver I was still solving problems, but they were more straightforward,” she says, “and there was the added benefit of more social interaction with passengers.”
In 2019, Connie joined Youville House as Transportation Assistant. In most settings, this title means, “Driver,” but over the years, Connie has put her unique stamp on the role. These days, she leads morning aerobics classes, helps fill in unexpected holes in the daily activity schedule, sorts and delivers mail, and is always willing to lend a compassionate ear to the many residents who enjoy talking to her.
“I’m in the happy position of having a job that I really like that’s completely different from the things I’ve done before,” says Connie. “One of the extra benefits is spending time talking to residents, whether it’s hearing about a problem they’re having or just interacting in some way. I’m a part of the community, and that is a very special part of this job.”
A particularly good opportunity to build community is during group trips – whether it’s a lunch outing on the harbor or a visit to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. “I love being able to join residents on trips,” says Connie. “Parking can be a challenge, but once I solve that, I can come in and join the group for lunch or play tour guide as we explore a museum.” Connie typically offers rides between 8:00 AM and 2:00 PM on weekdays. Be sure to check the monthly calendar for group trips and sign up in advance to get a ride!
