My reassurance to people who feel lost in their career

You know how people say that “everything always works out in the end?” I know that sometimes when you’re in the throes of a backbreaking or dead-end job, or when you’re trying to figure out what the f*** you want to do with you job, it seems impossible that that’s true. But, I feel like my career is proof that it’s true.

Let’s take a look at the loopy trajectory of my career ambitions and job experience that somehow came full circle.

Starting with a throwback from the very beginning. And I really mean the beginning.

Elementary school

I caught the writing bug early and cranked out short stories and essays like no one’s business. One of my favorite pastimes was writing and illustrating short stories. And although they’re honestly painful to look back at now, they were my proudest achievements back then.

In 9th grade

I got braces and had a moment in time when I decided orthodontics was the career for me. I was fascinated by how the tiniest tweak of an angle can eventually bring my teeth from the crowded mess they were to a perfectly straight smile.

I noted how much of an impact it had on my self esteem and wanted to help other people feel the same way.

…. Until I realized that it would involve my least favorite subject: Science.

So that career ambition was short-lived.

Deciding on my college major

Back to my writing roots. I went into college wanting to pursue journalism.I had an internship in high school, was a naturally skilled writer, and was excited by the prospect of writing about current events that mattered.

This led me to an entertainment journalism internship in Detroit that I simultaneously loved and was discouraged by. Although I loved the work that I did, the magazine that I worked the whole summer to produce, write, and even design ended up never being released.

And I was a bit worried about the fickleness of the journalism industry. Everyone had always warned me of this, but this singular (and definitely not representative) experience seemed to prove it to me.

But then the Leo in me discovered ✨broadcast journalism✨

I joined the student news club at UMich and got a taste of writing for tv, as well as on-screen broadcasting. I was naturally really comfortable on camera, so I felt like I found my place.

So I got an internship at a local news station in my hometown. I was suddenly working under someone that I grew up watching on tv, which felt like a dream.

But then…. another redirect

In this internship, I helped out with planning the “park parties,” making me reflect on my tim serving as the VP of a student fashion show organization. It was honestly something I randomly fell into and thought it was just a fluke that I liked it.

Until I had another surge of inspiration when assisting with event planning for the news station.

So the fall semester in college, I went deeper into event planning and started working for a wedding planner. I still loved the event planning aspects but realized that wedding planning is definitely not the path for me.

Moving to Atlanta post-grad

I made the decision to move to Atlanta without knowing a single person, without a job, and without a roommate. I was just chasing the prospect of getting into the entertainment event space there. (A callback to that internship in Detroit).

And no suprise. It was hard. I had 4 part-time event-related jobs/side hustles for a while. I was busting my ass to make ends meet and trying to make a name for myself in the city.

I planned an album release party, a one-year-old’s birthday party, and did all kinds of event management for catering and restaurants.

And then, I finally found my first full-time job!

I stepped on the brakes for full-time job apps for a while but then one day I saw a job I felt compelled to apply to. I took the screening call on my way to a catering job, and several weeks later, I had a job as an Event Marketing Coordinator… that ended up being way more marketing-focused.

And I loved it!

Getting in the blogging game

While I spent some years crafting my marketing chops, I decided to start an interior design blog on the side, inspired by having my very own place to design from scratch for the first time.

Not only did this inspire me to become a certified interior designer, but more importantly, it taught me the fundamentals of blogging and SEO. I painstakingly wrote every article. optimized it for SEO, and saw my traffic shoot up 600% in just 6 months

This is where it all came together!

I realized that I found the sweet spot: content marketing.

I felt like I finally found something that I didn’t just love a piece of. I loved all of it. And it contextualized what up until this point seemed like a random ass career trajectory.

To me, content marketing was the perfect blend of marketing and my original love of writing. Even my on-camera chops don’t go to waste. And the event planning gave me the grit I needed to eventually start freelancing on the side.

And here I am, several years later, working for a startup that I love and freelancing on the side to help other small businesses create incredible content.

The point being, even if you feel like your career is literally all over the place, it’s going to deliver you exactly where you need to be.

(Minus the orthodontics route haha, I could’ve done without that little brain fart)