Career Day: Following My Dreams!!

“Find out what you love to do, and you will never work another day in your life.”

Well it's one week and counting until my move to Miami and I am beyond excited and nervous! Setting out on my own is something new in my life. For me living in Tallahassee was safe. My mom and dad are from Tally and I've spent many holidays and summers here. My parents also went to FAMU so I've been coming to FAMU homecomings, home games, and other activities since I can remember. After 6 years of living in Tally, it is time to move on and discover life on my own. Before the decision to move to Miami and work at my dream company, my life was filled with safe decisions. I chose my major in undergrad because it was "safe" and an involved a secure industry, health care. I chose to get my MBA because it would make me more diverse and because of my sparked interest of business and marketing from a past internship. Last summer I went on another internship at a large corporation, and that was another "safe" decision. Needless to say I was miserable and knew that  corporate life was just not for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not downing others' corporate careers. My dad has a very successful career in the corporate world and he loves it! But I realize that it is not for me. The internship helped me see that this career path was not where I would want to be in 5 to 10 years. It also gave me the time to research a career that I would actually love.

I knew that I enjoyed marketing and began to research agencies. I then saw that marketing agencies are most times paired with public relations and that they can specialize in many different industries like food, sports, hospitality, etc. Of course the ones that interested me specialized in the fashion and entertainment industries. It brought me back to the days of the Hills when Lauren Conrad and Whitney worked at Peoples Revolution, a fashion PR company. I found many different agencies that were superior, but one particular agency really attracted me. H&S (I won't use their entire name) is a marketing/pr agency that specializes in luxury brands in fashion, lifestyle, travel, hospitality, special events, and of course entertainment. Some of the clients include Sony Ericsson, Grey Goose, Crumbs Bake Shop, Marriott hotels, and Jimmy Choo. The company also is considered a "corptique." This is a boutique-style agency that has more hands-on responsibilities with clients and corporate backing to ensure job security and benefits. This is just what I need! 

I literally stalked H&S lol. No but I really did! I found email addresses for employees, made contacts from LinkedIn, and kept track of all events and new clients of the company. From last September I was determined to land a position with H&S. After many persistent emails and even phone calls, I finally landed my first interview in February. The interview process included two interviews, a writing sample, and a presentation and took about 2 months to complete. WOW! A few days before my birthday I received the good news that I was selected for an internship at H&S. From my research, I have learned that marketing/pr agencies usually only hire from within. When involving the entertainment & fashion industry, I will have to work my way up the company ladder. And I am definitely down for the challenge. This is my dream career and I was taught that the only way to success is through hard work and motivation. Even Oprah had to start somewhere! I know that working at H&S will be exciting, fun, but most of all rigorous. Don't worry, I will share all of the crazy stories with you guys! I don't regret passing up corporate job offers to follow my dreams. Corporate life will serve as my "fallback" if things do not work out. However, I am determined to become full time and continue my career in marketing and public relations. My ultimate goal is to have my own marketing/pr agency in the future. I long for the Samantha Jones career! So stay tuned, I intend to make my dreams a reality! 

(Below are articles from a site that helped me jump start my career. It is important to stay current on the career area and industry that you wish to work in. I cannot stress enough how research is vital to the success in any career! I hope that my post helps others and that this inspires someone to chase their dreams too!)