November 27, 2013

What My Life Looks Like Now

Yes, I am still alive. Still here on the internet. It's now almost December and my life is flying and I still can't believe our trip to Paris, or summer for that matter, even happened. So much has happened since I spoke about how hard 2013 has been, and it's also been almost four months since I started a job that I am so unbelievably grateful for, and I've been relatively discrete on here. I'm ready to open up about it now (as much as I can while maintaining the level of professionalism and respect I feel for my company and colleagues). 

First, let's rewind back to the end of July. I had quit my first out of college, entry level "investment job" and took a month off to travel with Christian before he went back to school. I was gearing up to start my culinary arts program. The day I paid my tuition, we were in Denver helping my in-laws move to a new home. I had sent my tuition check a few days before we left for Denver, and had noticed that the check had been cashed on moving day.

That evening, after a VERY long day of non-stop moving and hauling boxes, I sat down in our hotel room to catch up on the internet world. Usually it consists of checking blogs I love (or don't love, too), going down my twitter feed, and meandering for a few minutes through facebook. I was excited to check my email that day, hoping I would have some information about my upcoming courses for school. Instead, I saw an email that was probably one of the most shocking things that had ever happened to me.

This past January, I sent my resume to a lot of PR/ad agencies and firms in Rochester, hoping to be considered for a job. I obviously didn't have much success, hence the investment job ----> culinary school. So when I got an email from a woman (my current boss) asking to interview me for an events coordinator/public relations position at the agency I'm at now, I was floored.

The rest of the story happened so quickly I barely could process it. After two days of skype interviews, I was the newest employee at New York's largest integrated marketing agency outside of Manhattan. It wasn't what I had planned for myself, and to be frank, it wasn't something I thought I'd ever be able to attain. I just didn't recognize that sort of potential in me. But, I'm so happy I took the leap of faith to start my job that brings new challenges and excitement every day (there truly is never a dull moment). 

So, after the news that I'd be starting a new job, we jetted off to Paris with butterflies in our stomach.

The day after we got home (let it be known that I was a little bit jet lagged), I started my new job, where I was immediately thrown into a massive annual event we were spearheading. I wore nice work clothes for an hour before changing into workout gear to head out to the venue where the event was being held. It was thrilling, intimidating, and exactly what I had always dreamed of doing.

Now, I'm starting to get a handle on my job and all that it entails. The people I work with are my biggest mentors. I work with strong, capable men and women who have taught me more in the last 4 months than I learned in the 4 years I was at BYU (no offense BYU Comms, I still love you to death). 

I get a lot of people who ask what I do on a day-to-day basis. The honest answer is that it varies.

On the PR side of things, I am writing PR plans and press releases, as well as doing a variety of media relations like media pitching, t.v., radio and print interview coordination, publicity value analyses, print and tv advertising coordination, press release distribution, etc.

On the events side, we do everything from vendor relations to decor, catering coordination to venue management, presenting creative concepts and seeing through an event from start to finish. A lot of our clients are non-profits, which means we do a lot of fundraising events like galas. We also do some corporate work and I'm currently working on a festival (the same one I started working on my first day) that happens every August.

So. Now you know what I do and why I love what I'm doing. My colleagues are smart, kind, hilarious and experts in their field. I, on the other hand, am still learning how to do what I do, but I'm grateful to have the opportunity to learn in a collaborative environment. 

a small view of my desk (check out my custom nameplate- seriously love!):



1 comment:

Karen said...

You are one of the few out there lucky enough to love your job! Never forget that, and keep doing what Dave Barry calls "clawing your way to the top!"