9 to 5: Brenna, Car Salesman

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9 to 5 is an every-so-often kind of feature that showcases women in the workplace. We get to see what their typical day is like and learn a bit more about what other women do for a living. It's pretty interesting stuff! Today I am featuring the always-fabulous, perpetually-funny Brenna. She wrote a LOT, and although I cut it down a bit, I wanted to leave the bulk of it. It's just that good! Enjoy...and when you're done head over to her blog too, it's really great and I know you will all love it (and her!).



Tell us about yourself.

Hi, my name is Brenna from the wonderbrenna.blogspot.com. I'm 28, been married to the same dude (whaaat?) for nearly a decade and am now a stay at home mom to our baby boy, Milo. I was in the US Coast Guard for 6 years as a telecommunications specialist but then I went to the dark side when I got (honorably) discharged and started selling cars. I have 5 years experience wheeling and dealing automobiles. I have sold cars in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Texas. The brands I have sold are Chevrolet, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Toyota, BMW, Mercedes & my favorite- USED!



Describe a typical day at work.

A typical day would include standing in the lot waiting for customers to drive in, waiting for appointments, and getting sold cars ready for delivery. But more than all that theres a lot of trash-talking, coffee-drinking, cigarette-smoking, food-eating, and prank-playing.

We used to play this game that is similar to "pin the tail on the donkey" but it’s "hook the tail on the salespersons pants without them knowing" instead using office supplies and peoples butts. What you would do is fashion a long tail- as long as you'd like!- with paper towels. Bend a paper clip and attach to one end of the tail as your hook and then when someone has their back to you attach the tail to their belt loop. People can go HOURS with a tail on. It’s especially fun when the salesperson takes a customer with the tail on.


There was also a lot of eating that went on. If you're at work for 12 hours then feasibly you could eat all 3 meals at work. When you're bored waiting for customers your hunger can turn into an angry, growly monster so you must FEED! Sometimes happy customers would bring us food. When salespeople are in their cubicles and have that first sniff of something homemade being dropped off they descend like vultures; it will usually be torn apart within minutes leaving behind nothing but an empty carcass of a container.



We would find animals in cars a lot, too. Once a customer came in and traded her old vehicle for a new Toyota. She mentioned to the salesman that she hadn't seen her cat in a few weeks. Sadly, we found her cat hours later when the trade-in went into stock..... It was under the hood, dead. The cat had obviously climbed into this engine 8 times too many. In happier news, I found a giant frog - ALIVE!- and we released him into the wild.

We also played games rolling around in chairs, wrestling, and texting people who weren't there. Most salespeople will hide at some point during the day. You can hide behind the building or you can grab the keys to a car on the lot and jump in for some Air conditioning and radio-listening. This makes a good spot to surprise customers, too... they don't know you're there and feel at ease browsing around since they don't see any salespeople around and then BAM! You jump out and scream "HI HELLO I'M SO-AND-SO AND YOU ARE? WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SHIRT YOU HAVE ON! I WENT TO SCHOOL WITH YOUR SISTER! YOU LOOK 45 YEARS YOUNGER NEXT TO THIS CAR! SLATE GREY REALLY IS YOUR COLOR. DO YOU WANT TO BUY THIS CAR? I KNOW YOUR MOM." Just kidding. Kind of.



Ok Seriously. A day for a car salesman.

1. Coffee.

2. Call and confirm all appointments for that day. If you've set up 5, I guarantee that only one will show. Maybe 2. Don't set an appointment and then flake. This sucks - It ruins a working persons day and usually gets the yelled at.

3. When your appointments arrive (or you take an new customer on the lot) you'll sit with them for a little bit and do some fact finding. This is NOT TO HURT YOU, DEAR CUSTOMER. THIS IS TO HELP YOU. This will help the salesperson know what car to show you- what your needs are, what your budget is and if there are any special circumstances that we need to know about (ie: bankruptcies, need lumbar support due to back injury, would like roof rack for kayaks, need a payment under 200 bucks).

4. The salesperson will pick out a car for you (with your needs/wants and budget range) and let you take it for a ride.

5. If you don't like it... we'll try again. And again. and again. Until we find a car that you like or you say "you have to go home and wash your hair." (That just hurts....we know you're rejecting us.)

6. We will start talking numbers with you. Here's the deal- some cars have more mark up than others. For example- you can take a few thousand dollars off a Chevy but you can only take a couple hundred bucks off a Toyota. Don't expect to sit down and have the car salesman knock off 6k on a 2011 Camry just because you saw they could do that on a Chevy Silverado. Ain’t gonna happen. Just can't.

7. Please don't be a jerk to the car salesmen. Some deserve it, most don't. They are trying to support their families just like you do at work. Don't keep your down payment a secret, don't keep your monthly payment goal-range a secret, don't keep anything secret- IT DOES NOT HELP THE SALESPERSON FIND YOU THE BEST CAR AND GET YOU THE BEST DEAL. I PROMISE. I had so many people that just lied and lied and lied.....and wondered why I couldn't help them. I was up front about everything but my customers would just lie to my face. They all say that car salesman are dirty scum but let me tell you something... we have a saying too, "BUYERS ARE LIARS." Because they are.

8. The best way to by a car is to negotiate a little (be nice) and make an OFFER. If the car is 20k then write down your offer. Say "I'll buy it today for 18k." and if they come back at 19.5k.... say "I'll buy it for 19k RIGHT NOW IF you guys pay the taxes." And if they say... no we can't pay the taxes but we'll give you free oil changes for a year or throw in the rims for free...maybe you should go for it. Just negotiate. But don't expect them to GIVE YOU THE CAR FOR FREE. PEOPLE ARE WORKING THERE FOR A REASON- TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE.

9. Once you've come to an agreement- Congrats on your new car! The car salesman will start getting it ready by having it detailed, inspected, gassed up and all ready for you.

Tips:

1. You'll get the best deal on cars that the dealers have on the lot RIGHT THEN. If the dealer has to GET the car from somewhere else say another dealership you are NOT GOING TO GET THE BEST DEAL BECAUSE THERE ARE COSTS INVOLVED. If you reaaaaallly wanted a black car but all they have is charcoal but they're giving you an awesome deal on the charcoal- GO FOR IT. YOU WON'T EVEN SEE THE COLOR OF THE CAR WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING IT. PROMISE!

2. You'll also get the best deal at the end of the month. We gotta sell sell sell at the end of the month but do not expect FREE CARS. Also, do not expect the super special edition Ferrari to be super cheap just because it's the 31st. Unless you've seen that yellow Ferrari sitting on the lot for 6 months....then you might just be able to get it for a steal.

3. If you're trading in your car, clean it before you bring it in. Just take the trash out, wipe it down a little, run it through the car wash.... it'll bring up the value. If it’s filled with dirty diapers (seen it), porno mags (seen it) and McDonalds bags (seen it) it'll make it seem like your car is a piece of crap- because you're treating it like crap.

4. Also, about your trade, when you look it up on Kelly Blue Book....thats just an estimate. In reality, your car is not in the less than 5% that qualify as "excellent condition" (only new cars do) and dealers have to go by what your specific car is going for at auction these days. So back in '08 when gas was all crazy any small, gas saving car was high in value at the auctions and those super expensive, fancy, gas-chomping Escalades weren't worth jack.

5. You can negotiate on your trade amount but keep in mind that we will have to do some maintenance to your car before we can resell it, ok? We have to buff out scratches, replace windshields, do engine repairs, replace tires sometimes, etc etc etc.

6. ONE LAST THING ABOUT YOUR TRADE- DO NOT SMOKE IN YOUR CAR. IT DROPS ITS VALUE LIKE A HOT ROCK IN A BABYS HANDS. It is SO hard to re-sell a smokers car, it's really hard to remove the smell completely and nobody wants burn holes in their "new car." Ok? Don't smoke.

7. If you got awesome service from your salesperson- WRITE THEM A LETTER. Send them a card they can show to other customers to earn business, send their boss a letter too so if they're late one day the boss will be like "well, I got that card about you being awesome so I'll let this slide."

8. If you don't buy a car from a salesperson and they keep calling you- DON'T DUCK THEIR CALLS. Just pick up the phone and say "hey dude, I'm not interested anymore." They will stop calling you. Its easier for everybody. It won't hurt the salespersons feelings, promise.

9. When you drive past a dealership, many times you'll see guys just standing around outside. I know it can be intimidating to drive up and BAM there’s somebody waiting to SUCK YOUR BLOOD (not) but the salesperson just wants to help you find a new car that makes you happy. Seriously.

10. DON'T BE A PUNK AND COME IN 10 MINUTES BEFORE CLOSING AND WANT TO DRIVE A CAR THATS IN THE SHOWROOM BEHIND 4 OTHER CARS (it's happened to me). DON'T BE A JERK AND TAKE A SALESPERSON ON A TEST DRIVE 10 MINUTES AFTER CLOSING IN A CONVERTIBLE AND OPEN THE TOP AND ITS 20 DEGREES OUTSIDE (it's happened to me). DON'T BE A NASTY NELLY AND COME IN 2 MINUTES BEFORE CLOSING TO KEEP A SALESPERSON THERE FOR AN EXTRA HOUR JUST TO LEAVE AND NEVER ANSWER A PHONE CALL EVER AGAIN (it's happened to me) . AND DO NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT SPEND 5 HOURS WITH A SALESPERSON ONLY TO BUY A CAR THE NEXT DAY FROM SOME OTHER PERSON SOMEWHERE ELSE (it's happened to me). THAT IS PERSONAL- SALESPEOPLE DO NOT GET PAID BY THE HOUR AND YOU JUST WASTED 5 HOURS OF THEIR TIME. HOW DARE YOU. (I'm still mad)


Secrets:

1. I see commercials that say "get into a new 2011 bla-bla-bla for only 329 a month with nothing down!" Here's the secret- that's with perfect credit (which most people don't have) and with TAXES UP FRONT (a few thou' $$$).

2. Keep in mind that if you want a 200 dollar payment then you need to be looking for a car thats roughly about 10k dollars.

3. Buy used. If possible, certified used. It'll save you money. And yes, look at the carfax. No big deal.

Also, some sales guys are dirt bags. ONLY SOME. 99% are trying to feed families, ok?



Here are a couple things that I learned as a car salesman:

1. The world is cold- just because you're honest and kind and go above and beyond, some people will just step on you, stab you & spit on you. STAND YOUR GROUND, DON'T LET PEOPLE RULE YOU.

2. Fake it till you make it- I'm talking about confidence. If you don't have it- just pretend that you do. You'll see that people respond to you differently and you'll start to gain real confidence. CONFIDENCE IS KEY IN SALES.

3. Its still a mans world- DO NOT LET MEN TREAT YOU LIKE A PIECE OF MEAT. Take harassment seriously. & You will have to work harder as a woman- plain and simple.

4. Advice from my husband- "Its better to go in with your balls dropped than to grow them later." Be tough, be confident on that first day. Let them think that they can't mess with you. THIS is something I wish I had mastered when I was younger. Its like a prison-mantra for everyday life! Love it, learn it, live it!

9 to 5: Kelly, Social Worker

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Like I mentioned towards the end of December, I have a handful of 9 to 5 posts (and Slice of posts too!) that I will be finishing up throughout the next few weeks. I took a bit of a break from them, but I'm excited to share some of these wonderful people and places with all of you! Today's feature is the lovely Kelly. Due to the nature of her job she can't share many work-related photos, but if you hop over to her blog you can see a lot more of the beautiful life she lives with her husband. Happy reading!

*if you are a new reader, 9 to 5 is a series highlighting women and their careers! 

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Kelly, but a lot of people call me Scout. I'm 24 years old, and I blog over at The Soul Anchor.  I technically have two jobs within the same company. My regular, full time job is as an Employment Specialist. Basically, I'm a social worker. I assist people with physical or developmental disabilities get a job in the community. My organization offers a lot of different services to MR/DD clients, including group home or supportive living assistance to people who cannot live independently. I also work for my organization in the evenings and weekends as a direct support staff and assist clients in their homes with their daily living needs.

When I'm not working, I'm a youth group leader at a local church and I hang out with high schoolers on Saturday nights and try to invest in their lives and interests (which normally means talking about how to handle crappy teachers or boyfriend issues!). I'm also a wife to my partner, Vincent, who also works in direct care for people with disabilities in a different organization nearby. I'm a Midwestern girl with all my heart. My home is in southwestern Michigan, about 90 minutes from Chicago and very close to the Michigan/Indiana border. I absolutely love the "Michiana" area, and I'm blessed by the community of people here. In the free time that I have, I love to go to farmer's markets, the local parks, community festivals and events, and spend time appreciating nature with my husband, Vincent.

Describe a typical day at work.

From 8:00 to 4:30, I work as an Employment Specialist. I have a case load of clients that I work with and they have a broad range of abilities and diagnosis. A typical day would be setting appointments and meeting with clients to discuss places they've put in applications and where they'd like to search next, putting on mock interviews to help my clients prepare for the real thing, and helping them fill out applications. I'll also spend some time talking to local business owners or managers by just introducing myself and building a relationship with them so that hopefully, when they need to hire a new employee, they'll think of me and my clients and call us to see if we have anyone who fits their needs.

In the evenings and weekends a couple days a week, I work in the homes of our clients who need some supports because they cannot live 100% independently. This is a lot of fun but also requires a lot of respect and tenderness towards my clients. I am entering into their home and sometimes assisting them with very intimate tasks, such as toileting or taking a shower. I follow all of rules of my organization, but I try to make my clients feel as if they're in charge of their life and decisions. I'll cook dinner for my clients, help clean the apartment, go on walks with them, help with their bedtime routines, and assist in giving out medications. It's sort of like being a house mom for adults with special needs.



Did you always want to do this for a living? How did you get into this field? What kind of schooling or background did it entail?

No, I didn't always want to be in social work. Most of my life, I wanted to be a teacher, and that's what I originally started out majoring in at college. However, I found that I enjoyed sociology classes, and I really loved things like awareness, activism, and community development. Before I knew it, I found myself with a Sociology degree, and I got my first job as a case manager for children at a mental health hospital. To be a direct care tech (my moonlighting job), typically only requires a high school diploma. But to be a case manager, you have to have a Sociology, Social Work, or Psychology degree. Anything higher and you need a Masters degree and state certifications.



Is this what you hope to do for the rest of your life? If so, how do you see yourself growing in this career? If not, what else do you dream of doing?

Honestly? No, it's not. It's a good field, but it's definitely what I call a "secular ministry." I'd get paid more money as a full time waitress, and the job is very high stress with a large "burn-out" rate in the field. I'd like to return to working with children, because right now I work with adults, and that's just not where my heart lies. Truthfully, I'd like to have children and be a stay-at-home mother while raising my children. That's something that is very important to me. However, if that doesn't happen and I need to work to support myself, I'd like to either return to working as a children's case manager or perhaps return to school and go back to my original idea of becoming a teacher. However, I know I'm making a difference in the lives of people in my current job, and I consider it a great blessing to be allowed to enter into their lives and hopefully make a positive impact.

If you could tell your 17-year old self anything about your life today, what would you tell her? Is there anything you wish you would have known back then?

I would've told my teenage self not to rush and to take some time to figure out what I really wanted to do. I changed my major five times in college and it was because of my indecisiveness. I would've advised her to volunteer more, explore more careers, and also to stick to her guns. Part of why I changed my major from Education my freshman year was because I didn't want to put up with a difficult professor I knew I'd have over and over again. Little did I know, there's a lot you have to just put up with in the workforce in order to enjoy the good parts of your job. I would've encouraged her to study more and not be so influenced by friends. However... despite my 17 year old self's mistakes... things still turned out pretty much alright. This career isn't what I intended, and I hope it's not where I stay forever, but I definitely have a purpose for being here now and an opportunity to bless others and learn many lessons.

9 to 5: Hallie, Web/Graphic Design Firm Strategy Director & Owner

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Hello, my name is Hallie. I am the Strategy Director/Owner of Pixel Point Creative. Pixel Point Creative is a full service web and graphic design firm located in Erie, PA that specializes in a content management system called Joomla. We create custom websites and graphic design elements for a variety of clients in many different fields. We also create Joomla templates and extensions for the masses.

I am a wife, a sister; an aunt (to four lovely little girls), a music lover, a photography enthusiast, a traveler, and an avid golfer….oh, the list could go on. I enjoy life to the fullest with my best friend, husband and business partner, Daniel. We created Pixel Point Creative out of a dream and made it our reality over the past three years. During those three years we worked hard at our day jobs and by night we worked passionately building our business. We made the leap as full time business owners at the beginning of 2011. Here is a little peak into what Pixel Point Creative is and what it means to me. Enjoy!

Describe a typical day at work.

My day begins at 8:00 am with coffee and breakfast. Then Daniel and I have a meeting to make sure we are on point with our daily/weekly tasks and goals.

We both wear many hats to assure all aspects of our business’ needs are met effectively. I handle everything from accounting, collaboration in design, marketing, client relations to creating and implementing Pixel Point’s quarterly and fiscal business policy and strategy. So with that, my daily tasks entail accounting, marketing strategy planning, template development, research and development, quoting projects, client relations, and creating contracts. My tasks differ so much from day to day. This is just ONE of the things I LOVE about my job!


Did you always want to own a graphic and web design business? How did you get into this field? What kind of schooling or background did it entail?

I didn’t know that I wanted to own a web design and graphic business. But I’ve always known that I wanted to own my own business. I knew I wanted to lead and to do so in a creative environment is a huge bonus! As much as the business world interests me I was also always a creative at heart. My family is full of creative people. My sister is an artist of many kinds; she is a painter, illustrator and graphic designer. My mom is a quilter, a fabric artisan, and a brilliant decorator. My dad is a music man and always nurtured both my sister and my talents growing up and he has quite the hand of an artist himself. So being around creative’s throughout my childhood meant it was in my blood, quite literally. But to find my spot within a creative business was what I needed to explore and has been my challenge for the past three years.

My creative outlets have primarily been music and photography. From playing guitar, going to punk, hardcore and indie rock shows, to sitting at the piano to write a song; music inspires me and is a huge part of my life. I love taking landscape photos and capturing life’s moments through the lens of a camera. The journey to find where I would fit in at Pixel Point Creative happened naturally. I became a human sponge; sucking up the knowledge my husband passed on to me. This has been a large part of this journey. Due to this hard work, a large part of my job now includes back- end design and strategy development for each of the templates we create.

I earned my BA in Business Management while Daniel earned his BA in Communications. My degree and experience serves our business significantly. I have a broad understanding of business operations and what it takes to maintain the health and stability of Pixel Point Creative. Daniel has grown his knowledge in the web and graphic design field through training, classes in graphic design and his freelance work over the past 15 years. Technology changes very quickly and it has been imperative that he continue to grow and learn to stay ahead of the curve. He also gained vast knowledge in his past position as the Multimedia Director at our previous employer in regard to web, print and publication design.

Is this what you hope to do for the rest of your life? If so, how do you see yourself growing in this career? If not, what else do you dream of doing? Where do you see yourself in 10 years, career-wise?

This is absolutely what I hope to be doing for the rest of my life. Our long term goals are to grow Pixel Point Creative into a leading Joomla Template provider as well as, continue to grow our client base for custom design. I see myself staying at the helm so to speak, with the future ability to bring professionals and creative’s alike to join our team. I look forward to the opportunity to impart our knowledge and philosophy to a team that exudes brilliance and enthusiasm and to bring Pixel Point Creative to a higher level while developing a fun, professional, creative, and caring organizational culture within our company. Our short and long term goal for Pixel Point Creative is to continue to promote growth with intention and balance.

We both firmly believe that the arts are essential in education and have created a series of templates to support art programs in schools around the nations. The series is called The Legacy Template Series. Each year a portion of the sales from this series will be donated to a school in need to support their art program. This library of templates will grow with time as will the gift this series will provide. Giving back to the arts through education is an extremely important goal of ours as we move into the future.

If you could tell your 17-year old self anything about your life today, what would you tell her? Is there anything you wish you would have known back then? Was there anything you would have done differently as far as your career, setting yourself up for success, etc?

I would tell my 17-year old self to slow down and live in the moment. I was always in such a hurry to see how the next chapter of my life would unfold that I didn’t savor each moment the way I should have. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely took the time to have fun, enjoy friends and college life but I look back and I always seemed to be rushing through my life. I was constantly looking ahead and at times, I would miss some pretty amazing moments. In my 30s I’ve learned to live more mindfully. As you get older you quickly realize that we are only here on this earth one time. So I learned how important it is to enjoy as many of life’s little and big moments while at the same time being able to plan for the future. So my life slogan is: living well and with intention will create balance and fulfillment.

I wish that I knew that in every moment in life we are exactly where we are meant to be. With this piece of wisdom, I learned that every stage in my life has been an essential stepping stone leading to where I am today. Every step in this journey builds the path for the next chapter in life which enables life to unfold correctly. To sum this up, my impatience got in the way of my success at times. BUT looking back, I wouldn’t do anything differently. My college degree choice, all of my life experiences and each career choice I made provided the practice and understanding I have today. All of which has enabled us to build Pixel Point Creative carefully, thoughtfully and with conviction.

9 to 5: Michelle, Government Contract Proposal Writer

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Today I am quite excited to bring back the 9 to 5 feature after a little hiatus, and what better person to finish up this series with (I have just a few more to share) than my friend Michelle! Michelle is an old friend of mine- she's actually best friends with one of my friends' little sisters, so I've known here for a long, long time. And in all the time I've been aquainted with her, she always manages to make me laugh, whether it's in person or even over twitter. She's fabulous. And today, Michelle's here to tell us all about her career, which I find to be incredibly fascinating. Enjoy! And thanks again Michelle!

Tell us about yourself.

Once upon a time, a petite art student met a tall, lanky water polo player at California State University – Northridge. That art student became an amazing English and Art Teacher – as well as a reading specialist. That water polo player majored in Chemistry, and after college decided to start his own construction company. They got married and had two daughters. Skip ahead twenty-seven years, and here I sit today – one of those daughters, Michelle Conery, writing this to you! I tell you this about my parents – because I feel as though each of them have somewhat shaped my career path, or at least helped shape who I am today.

I currently reside in downtown Tucson – close to my parents and my sister. I love where I live – it’s a studio loft that was renovated from a catholic school (originally constructed in the 1890s). It has a true sense of originality and history, and I can walk everywhere. I have two cats – although I will deny it out in public for fear of being called a cat lady! My grandma actually got me a Mother’s Day card this year and signed it “Love, Captain and Petey.” I don’t really know how I feel about that, but I love my grandma nonetheless.

I moved from Los Angeles to Tucson when I was in grade school, and graduated from Arizona State University in 2006. After several years in Tempe/Scottsdale, I decided to come back to Tucson, and accepted a job opportunity with Granite Construction, as a Senior Proposal Coordinator.

  

Describe a typical day at work.

A typical day at work is completely unpredictable. Working for a national company that consistently ranks among the nation’s “Top 10 Construction Giants,” with over 5,000 employees and offices from coast to coast, Granite employs a national proposal group of eight. The eight of us are spread across the country – with the majority of the group located in the corporate offices in Northern California. If a proposal drops, we need to have the flexibility to be able to hop on a plane and help get the proposal completed within the deadline. Several of the proposal group members enjoy the travel, and spend more than 75% on the road. I made a goal of 25% travel, and for the last year have probably met that goal. The last proposal I worked on was for an environmental copper mine clean-up project in the greater Seattle area. This week, I’m working on a project for the Reno, NV office, and next week working on a proposal for Homeland Security – Border Patrol. Nearly 98% of my proposal work is government contract specifications, basically technical writing to meet specifications of a job. For the recent mine clean-up project, we had to write step-by-step how we will interface with the town during the contaminated soil extraction, work will national forest personnel, and transport construction equipment to the remote site (often times flying equipment by helicopter). A recent project our company is currently completing for Homeland Security is the main border fence surrounding the Port of Entry in Nogales, AZ. Working on a high-profile project as this, proposal questions including the media requests, interfacing with state and federal politicians, safety and security, as well as what we would do if we came across an underground drug tunnel during construction. Proposal writing pulls from a variety of skills – the ability to take good photographs (of people or projects), interview engineers, architects and government officials to “tell the story” of how a project was built, as well as graphic design, and overall project management. As the government tightens its qualifications (largely due to the enormous deficit we are facing) qualifications for their work has gotten extremely competitive and very detail-oriented. These proposals are similar to a 30 to 300 page custom brochure – with technical qualifications, pictures, diagrams and charts, to help convince the client that we are the best value to the government.

 

Did you always want to be a Proposal Writer?

I look at the skills it takes to do this type of marketing – graphic design, print production, writing, editing and proof reading – coupled with basic engineering/construction knowledge. If someone morphed my Mom and my Dad – that would be me! Throw my stepdad in there (a web designer) and I feel like I have maximized the experience from all of my parents. I didn’t think I would end up in the construction industry – but I definitely know exactly how I got here! I think that I always thought I would be a writer of some sort – and applying my skills to a field that offers me experience in another field (engineering and construction) I feel like I am continuing to learn as we build these projects. I enjoy this company’s market sectors more than others because it involves a lot more environmental and safety regulations – working in the nation’s waterways, mine tailings cleanup, landfill capping, as well as airport runway construction and highway infrastructure. We drive on roads every day, and now I have a better understanding of how our roads and bridges are funded, how the city maintains its intersections, parking lots and even bus stops. This year I have gotten more involved with alternative energy systems, including solar and wind farms. We have recently completed our second solar project in Southern Arizona – with the University of Arizona (pictured). Although I don’t get out of the office as much as I would like – I make an attempt to do jobsite visits once a month, and it amazes me at the work that we get to be a part of in this community.

How did you get into this field?

One week before I graduated college, I found a job posting at a local construction company for a marketing coordinator position, which offered a unique twist – marketing for a music festival as well. I thought that was a pretty unique combination, so I decided to pursue the opportunity. I was hired – and spent five interesting years straddling the responsibilities of marketing for a construction company, as well as managing the public relations and volunteer program for the construction company’s non-profit music festival (The McDowell Mountain Music Festival in Scottsdale, AZ). Needless to say, I wouldn’t have been interested in the job if it didn’t have the music component. I had no interest in construction and music is one of my lifelong passions. Over the years, I refined my skills as a corporate proposal writer, graphic designer and overall marketing through the construction company. Through my role with the music festival, I established a strong connection with the community, engaged over 500 volunteers annually, got to know a lot of local and national bands - and made many friends along the way. I will always value that job, it was an absolute blast – and just warmed my heart. I couldn’t have learned more in those few years that I was there. Within the last year of my time there, I realized that although working with the music festival was fun, finding a career path in construction would offer more long-term benefit than holding onto a position with a non-profit or the music industry. So I let go of that part of my life – and moved forward with proposal writing.

After working with the construction company, I briefly worked for a small architecture firm in Phoenix. They had quite the specialty – as one of the top designers in the nation for federal and state prisons, jails, and correctional facilities. I enjoyed my time there – but felt the need to move out of Phoenix – and found the opportunity with Granite in Tucson. Now I feel like I have run the gamut of construction and architecture – writing about high-end office structures in Keirland Commons, five-star resorts, and golf clubhouses – to writing about the prison system, roads and highways, bridges, dams and airports!What kind of schooling or background did it entail?

I majored in Journalism at Arizona State University’s Cronkite School, with a strategic focus in Public Relations. My mom had always enforced the importance of a good writer. “Companies can always use good writers,” she would say. If you have an interest in taking photos, and extracting good content from people, asking the right questions, and thrive under a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment, this type of job just may be for you!

Is this what you hope to do for the rest of your life? If so, how do you see yourself growing in this career? If not, what else do you dream of doing?

I joked the other day with my boss and told him I was going to find a nice eligible bachelor twice my age and be a “stay-at-home-wife.” Then I proceeded to tell him that I would work part time as a hobby if he wanted me to. He said “Michelle, you work double-time as is, we could possibly cut you back to full-time!”

I would like to stay involved in this industry in some capacity. I love the possibility of working on projects across the country and learning about city infrastructure in different states, and could definitely see myself as a consultant or possibly working as some type of urban planner, or working on the government side as a contracts specialist. Although – I doubt the government is hiring right now!

If you could tell your 17-year old self anything about your life today, what would you tell her? Is there anything you wish you would have known back then?

Over the past two years I feel like I have had a lot of reflection with that 17 –year old girl. I was so fearless and carefree at that age. I was filled with so much ambition – and overall swollen with all the possibilities of what my life would hold in the future. I was so confident. I was so upbeat and genuinely happy. Over the last two years, I woke up one day and realized I had lost some of that ambition. I felt somewhat deflated. In the last year I made a fundamental change to move out of Scottsdale, and back to my roots. I got a job with a more realistic workload, moved back around my family, and reminded myself of my hobbies – I am drawing and painting again, and researching new music. What would I tell that 17-year old? I would tell her to hold on for dear life – that that sunny and upbeat disposition is going to be challenged for the rest of her life – that it’s up to her to hold onto that little bit of happiness – because it means the world. People spend their lives trying to find happiness, if they only held onto the happiness that was cultivated before we all became jaded adults, perhaps people would enjoy their lives more.

As far tips to “setting myself up to success” – I would say that continuous reading and lifelong learning is the most important . I know that may sound a bit corny, but when I don’t know something at work I look it up. Don’t know the definition of a word? I look it up! My other tip – is to find a field that you are interested in and apply your skills to that specific field. I started out as an intern at a local fashion magazine, and although it was a bit “fun” --- I realized quickly that it wasn’t going to be the best career choice. Just the other day one of the engineers at work asked me what I really “do” for the company. He said “What would you do with a creative writing degree anyway?” --- Although my degree isn’t in creative writing, I was still somewhat offended. I asked him if he was a good writer. He quickly said “No.” Then I said ---“See! Someone has to write for you and describe to our clients what we really do!”

My other tip for success – with the tumultuous economy – it has been a requirement that a marketing person must be a one-man-band of graphics/business development/public relations/ proposal writing/ internal communications/human resources guru! I’ll I can say is – it is a tough work environment these days. Everyone expects a writer to know InDesign or basic html, and it’s difficult to convince these employers that they may have somewhat unrealistic expectations.

Lastly – one of my favorite quotes of all time is “When you go to work, you shouldn’t have to leave your heart at home.” No matter what you do, make sure there is something that feeds that little soul of yours. It’s what’s most important!

9 to 5: Brandy, Children's Fashion Designer

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Tell us about yourself. 

I’m Brandy a 29 year old Mommy, Wife, and Fashion Designer (well those are my 3 most important jobs). I am the blogger behind Baby Blackbird where I write about my little fashion loving family and all things fashionable for kids. My day job is as a Clothing Product Developer, were I work frantically (and fashionably) to bring stylish clothes to the market. I’m a Mommy to, 2 amazing kids: a super happy one year old girl named Harlow, and hilarious two year old boy named Kingston. And a wife to my amazingly talented and loving husband Chris. My little family lives in Toronto, Canada, where me and my hubby are raising our little family in the heart of a busy city. Currently I am home with my two little’s; blogging, working freelance fashion consulting, and a few other exciting ideas that I hope to launch soon, but will be headed back to the world of retail fashion shortly.

Describe a typical day at work.

Currently I am at home with my kids, but when I was in the office…
My day never really had a typical setting, since fashion works in seasons and cycles my job and responsibilities would also. The one constant thing is every morning was spent answering excessive amounts (100-200 a day is excessive right?) of emails from overseas factories (negotiating prices, status reports, sending approval, and unfortunately dealing with daily issues). Then depending on the stage of the cycle or season: Shopping for ideas, fabric, and trims (it’s a pretty fun part of the cycle, shopping for work!). Check the sales of the current goods that are in stores, research and forecast for up and coming trends, develop and design the first (first of many) drafts of the line of clothing for the season (truly my favorite part of the cycle and what I enjoy most about my job). I work closely with a graphic designer (or in some cases I was my own graphic designer), pattern makers, clothing technicians and assistants to create specification packages outlining every tiny detail of each garment. And review and approve samples (of fabric, trims, color swatches, fit samples) for production of the garments.

This is just a short snippet of a few of the tasks; I know I am leaving a ton out. Really there is never a dull day, and rarely a day where I wasn’t working overtime or bringing work home with me.


Did you always want to work in this field? 

I actually didn’t even get the idea of working in the fashion industry till I was about 19. I had always loved fashion and the construction of garments (would change my outfit several times a day at the ripe age of 4), but never really thought growing up that it could take me to a career. As soon as the bug was planted in my ear (a lovely aunt offered the suggestion and I had a major ‘Uh Huh’ moment) I applied for school (got accepted) and me and my husband (then boyfriend) packed up and moved across the country.

How did you get into doing this? 

After graduating from Fashion Design in College, I decided not to take the super creative route (a really tough choice) and work for designers or start my own line. I wanted to learn more about the business and retail side of fashion (also I wanted a steady salary with benefits so I could have the added security to have a family), so I went the route of mass market design (product development).

What kind of schooling or background did it entail? 

A degree or diploma in Fashion Design/Fashion Merchandising.

Is this what you hope to do for the rest of your life? 

Yes and no. I hope to one day be my own boss, but use my skills in fashion to do so. Currently I do some part time freelance consulting (in Fashion Design and Development) for new clothing business start-ups or design/technical advice. I would love to one day design my own line of clothes, or work full time as a consultant. I am also working on a few other projects, I hope to launch this year (I’m super excited to get these going). And Baby Blackbird, my kids' fashion blog which has turned into my little passion project/hobby it will for sure a big part of my future as well.

How do you see yourself growing in this career? 

The growth is never ending in this field, there are always twists and turns and newness around the corner (fashion changes at the drop of a hat, and the market is a roller coaster). So the growth is constant, but the ultimate goal would be to the head designer/creative director of a wonderful brand OR work for myself full time, bringing all my skills, experience and abilities together.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years, career-wise? 

To be honest I have not thought that far ahead, trying hard to enjoy to live in the moment (since I had kids’ I don’t want to miss even a second). I do hope to be successfully working for myself, through consulting, my own line of clothing or a few other things I have in the works.


If you could tell your 17-year old self anything about your life today, what would you tell her? 

Doing something you love. Happiness is better then all the money in the world.
Relax, the pressure to find ‘what you want to do with your life’ is overrated, you can change careers as many times as you want, nothing is concrete. Also don’t expect to make it rich working in fashion, it’s a ton of hard work and some of the pay is in satisfaction and passion. ;)

Was there anything you would have done differently as far as your career, setting yourself up for success, etc.?

I don’t wish I would have done anything differently, everything happens for a reason, and all the good bad and ugly has brought me to this wonderful place I am today. But If I have to think of something I think and the husband would have moved to New York and worked there for a year or so, more because we love that city and it would have been a wonderful experience working in the NY fashion industry.

9 to 5: Elizabeth Jacob- Jewelry Designer, Vintage Shop and Restaurant Owner

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My name is Elizabeth Jacob and I’m the face behind Yellow Finch Designs and The Vintage Letter. I’m an artsy crafty, jewelry loving, coffee drinking, book reading, yoga running stay at home mom. In addition to my two etsy shops I also have a blog, Yellow Finch Designs Blog, where I post weekly about my life and family. When I’m not working on these adventures you can usually find me helping my husband in the restaurant the he runs and owns. I don’t get down there as often as I used to, but I still believe I play an important role. I help with marketing, decorating, special events and customer service. I pretty much handle the odd and end jobs that it takes to help make a restaurant function.

Our restaurant, Bender’s Tavern, has a very unique story. My husband is the fourth generation to take over this small business and next year we celebrate our 110th anniversary. We have been satisfying customers since 1902 with our traditional and unique recipes. While our menu is extensive, we specialize in seafood that comes in fresh from Boston and are also know for our distinguished wine cellar. We have been awarded the Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence for five years in a row. It is truly an honor to be involved with such a historical establishment in our town.

Describe a typical day at work.

I must say, I don’t have a typical day at work, which really makes my life interesting. Each day depends on what needs to get done and what is high on the priority list. Most importantly, I never forget that my number one job is a stay at home mom.

My typical day starts when I wake around 7:30 with Jessica. We rise and head downstairs to make that much needed cup of coffee and she eats her breakfast. As my two other children mosey on down I get them settled in with breakfast too. My husband is usually the last to rise, but he doesn’t get home until late so we don’t mind at all. After breakfast, the boys play and I play with Jess. She takes her nap around 10:00 and this is when I check my email for the day. This is also the time when I catch up on any marketing that may need done for the restaurant. If I’m lucky, I get in a quick run before the baby wakes!

Jon heads into the restaurant and the rest of my day is spent with the children playing and tackling any other projects or errands that we have. In the late afternoon the boys are allowed to watch a show and Jess naps. This is when I can quickly (and I mean quickly) catch up on emails, post to my blog, work on etsy or use facebook to market for the restaurant or myself. Once my fifteen or twenty minutes are up I head into the kitchen. On most days my husband is down at the restaurant running the floor through dinner and then staying to close the restaurant and coming home anytime between 10:00pm and midnight. I make dinner for the boys, Jessica and myself. Once dinner is done it’s playtime outside while I clean the kitchen. After I join in for a little play time we head upstairs for baths. Then after bath time for all three kids we have bedtime snacks, brush teeth, go potty and books for everyone. Since Jess is the youngest, she is first to go down, and this gives me some extra reading time with the boys. After lots of cuddles, stories and kisses I head downstairs.

Now, this is when my work day REALLY begins. I first start by making a pot of coffee. Yes, it is usually 9:00pm at this point! I jump on the computer and get any work done here first. Marketing for the restaurant, editing pictures, writing blog posts, uploading new items to etsy. I usually get sucked into the computer for about two hours. Once I’m done with this I head to my studio, which is in our basement, and work on any orders that need packaged up and mailed out. I also try to make a couple new pieces for each night I work. Sometimes I get on a roll and will stay up late working on new jewelry. My typical work days, or nights rather, are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Jon is home Monday nights, Thursdays, and Sundays.

While this is my typical day there are also the days where I do need to be at the restaurant. On these days we have a sitter (and we have a wonderful one) come over and I head down to help with large events, which include our wine and beer tastings. I help set up and decorate the rooms, pour wine, package up wine sales and take photos throughout the evening. In the restaurant business socializing also plays an important role. Whenever I’m down there I try my hardest to make rounds and say hello to the customers I know.

If I have a jewelry event, which happens about once a month, I pack up all my displays and jewelry and head out to the location. It usually takes me about an hour and a half to set up my table displays. Most events (art shows, festivals, ect) last about four hours. Once the event is done I pack back up and head home to do a little inventory. While art shows are A LOT of work, it’s nice to get out of the house and display my jewelry.

Did you always want to do this? How did you get into this field? What kind of schooling or background did it entail?

I graduated from Ohio University in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in English and Creative Writing. After graduation I knew that I didn’t want to stay in Ohio and tried my hardest to find a job…anywhere…especially a big city. Luck didn’t seem to be on my side. And then, everything changed. I met my husband. Jon had just moved back to Ohio to become involved in the family business. I knew the night I met him that I better start looking for a job in Ohio. I finally found a good job with Kaplan Test Prep, a subsidiary of the Washington Post. It was a great position for a young woman who wanted to travel, work out in the field with students, and publicly speak to large groups of counselors, parents and students. However, once I had my first child I knew that this wasn’t the position for me. However, I did take with me my marketing experience and people skills that I had developed over the five years with the company.

At this point I was making jewelry at home for myself and friends. It was my husband who encouraged me to take it to the next level. Once I had my etsy shop up and running it was easy to open my vintage shop. No, I just need to find the time to thrift, make jewelry, maintain my shops AND help at the restaurant.

Is this what you hope to do for the rest of your life? If so, how do you see yourself growing in this career? If not, what else do you dream of doing? Where do you see yourself in 10 years, career-wise?

I love what I do and I hope I am still doing these five, ten, fifteen years down the road. I have so much room to grow with my jewelry and vintage business. My ideas are constantly overflowing in my mind and usually make their way to paper in hopes for future adventures. With three small children I don’t have the time to be fully dedicated to these businesses. However, I know once they are in school I will have that time. I have even toyed with the idea of eventually opening up my own shop. I would love to have a modern meets vintage boutique with Yellow Finch Designs jewelry, fabulous vintage finds for the home, vintage and vintage inspired clothing and accessories. Perhaps one day…..

As the years pass, I also know I will take on more and more responsibilities with the restaurant. I’m sure my current roles will continue, but I also know I will become a regular face around our restaurant. I know that I will put my time in on the weekends with hosting, socializing with guests and selling wine. I actually look forward to these new leadership positions. I also look forward to working with my husband on a regular basis! We complement each other and I hope that our guests can sense this unique quality.

If you could tell your 17-year old self anything about your life today, what would you tell her?  Is there anything you wish you would have known back then? Was there anything you would have done differently as far as your career, setting yourself up for success, etc?

Expect the unexpected. Right out of college I thought I would land a great job in a big city and that I would be living the life I always dreamed. What I didn’t realize is that sometimes there are bumps in the road that take you in a different direction. While I never landed that great job in a big city, I found my dreams in a small town.

I would also give myself a little advice. Get involved! I was in a sorority in college and held a position which helped prepare me for the working environment. But I think I could have taken that even further. Volunteer in your community. Not only does it make you a better person but it gives you experience. Take on an internship or externship. Although my internship was very short (6 weeks) the end result was worth it, some of my writing was published in Ohio Magazine.

I encourage high school and college students to take classes that not only challenge you educationally but also socially. Public speaking skills are so important and that’s something that I always underestimated. When I first got my job with Kaplan Test Prep, I never thought I would have to stand in front of 200 people and speak about pre-college testing. And when I first started working at Benders, I never realized that I would actually be nervous approaching tables of strangers and talking to them.

9 to 5: Mallory, Baby Shop Owner

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Hi everyone! My name is Mallory and I was born and raised in New Jersey...still living here. I am 25 years old, married to the love of my life, and am the owner of Seedling, A Baby Shop.  I will be celebrating a year in business on June 18th!  You can learn more about me, my life, and Seedling at my blog, Seedling Life.

Describe a typical day at work.

A typical day at Seedling is usually based around helping my wonderful customers, the best part of my job. I love seeing proud mama's and their babies, and I love helping grandparents, family, and friends choose gifts for the tiny ones in their lives. Other then customer service, you can find me merchandising the shop, updating my windows, searching online for the newest, cutest baby gear, placing orders, cleaning, and book keeping. I also spend a lot of time reading through baby blogs (this is how I found Sometimes Sweet!!) to see what products real moms are using, as well as working on my own blog. 

Did you always want to own a baby shop? How did you get into this field? What kind of schooling or background did it entail?

To own my own store was always a dream of mine. I'm not sure if I ever thought it would be more then that…I mean, how often do dreams become reality? To be honest, the opportunity to open Seedling kind of came out of nowhere; it wasn't something that was years in the making, not something I was sure would ever happen. Things just happened to fall perfectly into place right in front of me, and I decided I was ready to take this on, ready to try and make my dream come true.

My career leading up to Seedling began when I got my first retail job when I was 16 years old, and still in high school. I loved, loved, loved my job- loved the independence it gave me, the great friends I made, and the money was nice too. J  When it came time to decide where I wanted to go to college and what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, I , like so many other 18 year olds, had no clue what I wanted to do. All that I knew at the time was that I was completely sick of school, and I was anxious to get out into the 'real world,' get a job, start working, start making money, and start traveling.   Although I did decide to go to college, it only lasted about half a semester before I decided that I needed to do what made me happy. So I dropped out of college, got a promotion to a full time manager at Banana Republic, and really believed that I could be happy with a career in retail.

I spent the next eight years fully immersed in the life of retail. I learned the ins-and-outs of great customer service; I studied and learned merchandising; I learned about daily/monthy/yearly sales goals; and I learned how to manage a business. I earned many promotions, worked for a couple different companies, and met tons of great people that taught me so much. Three years ago, I made my last move to a kids and baby company, and completely fell in love with all of the adorable tiny clothing and accessories (I mean, who doesn't love the cuteness of baby clothes?!) It was about this time that I also began to feel completely unfulfilled with my job and really started to brain storm on what other options I had as far as work. I wasn't sure what my next move would be exactly, but I knew that I needed a change…badly.

One of my good friends was in the process of opening a store of her own at that time, and I began to really pick her brain. I was curious how this was possible for her, and thought that just maybe, if it was possible for her, it could be possible for me too. After all, this was my dream! On top of quizzing my friend, I did an insane amount of research online, and also began to think about how I could financially pull off quitting my job and opening up my own business. Just for the hell of it, I went to look at t few locations in the adorable down town area of Point Pleasant Beach, NJ. And I found the perfect location. For rent. Reasonable rent. I went into panic mode, knowing that this opportunity could pass me by at any second, and in my heart, I knew that this was it. I called my husband (my fiancé at the time) and my parents. They agreed that it was a sign, and it was time for me to take a leap of faith, and follow my dream.

A week later, I signed my lease, my husband started the renovations, I started buying merchandise, and on June 18th, 2010, Seedling, A Baby Shop opened its doors for business. Although this past year has been a scary and emotional roller coaster, it has also been the most rewarding year of my life, and I would not change a thing.

Is this what you hope to do for the rest of your life? If so, how do you see yourself growing in this career? If not, what else do you dream of doing? Where do you see yourself in 10 years, career-wise?

It would be easy for me to say right now that I hope I can run a successful business for the rest of my life, or at least until I am ready to retire. But, the reality is that a huge factor of being a business owner is the unknown. You can plan, and plan, and plan, but you cannot control the economy or how often people choose to go out and shop. The inconsistency of this business is something that I struggle with on an almost daily basis. I have a great day, and I am on top of the world, I have a bad day, and I question everything. Staying positive and focusing on my great days is all that I can do.

My ultimate, and maybe farfetched, goal for Seedling would obviously for it to be wildly successful and for it to allow my husband and I along with our future children, be able to travel all over the world while I pay employees to do all of my work. Hey, a girl can dream right ;)

 

If you could tell your 17-year old self anything about your life today, what would you tell her?  Is there anything you wish you would have known back then? Was there anything you would have done differently as far as your career, setting yourself up for success, etc?

If I could tell my 17 year old self one thing, it would be to not think so much. You do not need to have your entire life figured out at 17, you just need to do what makes you happy and try to stay focused on your future that lies in front of you. I was so concerned with figuring out what I wanted to so, and so unsure of which path to take, that I didn't act on so many things, so many opportunities. I would tell myself that with age, comes clarity….when I look back, my 17 year old head was so all over the place, so cloudy. I would tell myself to not be so insecure, not to try so hard to find love- that when I least expect it, I will meet the love of my life. And I would tell myself, that in time, everything works itself out. Oh, and that the summer after your high school graduation will be the best of your life- you will find yourself and your friends for life-so savor every moment!

As far as my career goes, I really don't think that I would not change a thing except for the fact that I wish I had made it through college; for myself, and to save my parents from the disappointment I know they felt.  Other than that, my path so far has lead me to where  I am today, and I could not ask to be in a better place. 

 

9 to 5: Sarah Fortune Gill, Public Relations Coordinator in the Funeral Industry

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This week's 9 to 5 lady is one of my favorite online friends, Sarah! I always love following along on all of her traveling adventures via her blog and twitter, and now her biggest adventure (she's about to have her first baby!) is the best yet. Trust me when I say that Sarah is one of THE cutest mamas-to-bes I've ever seen. Or, stop by and say hello and see for yourself! :)

 Tell us about yourself.

I’m Sarah, but I go by my first and middle name in internet land. Raised by hippies in Memphis, Tennessee I received the middle name Fortune, hence my blog, sarahfortune.com. Now thirty years old, I live with my amazing, curly haired husband, Todd, in the college town of Fayetteville, Arkansas. I have to say, I never thought I would end up in Arkansas, but I am completely in love with my sweet little town. We’re expecting our first baby, a girl, this October, so lately my blog (and brain) has been taken over with all things tiny and pink!

For the past three years I’ve worked as the Public Relations Coordinator at a non-profit organization in the (wait for it...) funeral industry. And that’s not even the exciting part. Truth be told, I don’t work directly with death, funerals, or even the deceased. My company, which has been around for over one hundred years, administers the exam people take in order to be licensed funeral directors across the United States. In my position, I help out around the office with typical day-to-day administrative tasks, but the best part about my job is that I organize our company meetings at various hotels. We typically hold these meetings across the country and it’s my duty to find the perfect location. Now THIS is the exciting part.

Describe a typical day at work.

During a normal week, I do the 8 to 5 thing in a small office. When it comes to meeting planning, there is a ton of research that goes into selecting locations before I ever set foot on a hotel property, which I do from my cozy office in Fayetteville. I’m fortunate to love the people that I work with and that I get to wear whatever I want to my laid-back office, which is a major perk if you ask me.

But probably the number one aspect of my job is that I am given the difficult task of trying out prospective hotels to see if they would work for our meetings. Is the food good? Are the beds comfy? How are the bath products? Yeah, it can be rough. Meeting Planning is a huge industry and hotels go way out of their way to make sure that you pick their property. The memories I’ve gained from the travel I’ve done are incredible. A champagne helicopter ride over Las Vegas, dinner on the beaches of Maui, and box seats at the 2011 BCS National Championship game in Scottsdale are just a few memorable experiences I’ve had so far in my career.

I often work closely with the Convention & Visitors Bureaus of prospective cities, who send out my request for hotel proposals and help me determine what might be the best fit for my group. Occasionally though, I’m invited to attend exclusive Meeting Planner “Familiarization Trips” which are designed to show off a certain city or hotel that maybe we haven’t considered before. These trips are intense, lemme tell you. It’s usually a few days of non-stop tours of hotels, where each one literally wines and dines you. I’m talking the best food, the best drinks, the best VIP concerts (I may have watched Ludacris perform by the Palms pool in Vegas once). While it all sounds like a rather lavish ordeal (and it is), experiencing a hotel first hand truly is invaluable when it comes to making a final decision. And for every fun-filled trip I take, there is a meeting that I meticulously plan out every detail of and then make sure it all folds out according to plan. The act of carrying out the meeting is far less glamourous, full of early mornings, late nights, and aching feet from running around in heels all day. But it’s a great feeling to see an event that you’ve worked so hard on for a solid year come to life, hopefully with no major bumps along the way.

Did you always want to work in this industry? How did you get into this field? What kind of schooling or background did it entail?

Honestly, before this job I had NO idea that the meeting planning field even existed. When people ask what it is exactly, I compare it to event planning, but more for the corporate world. I have to choose the room set-up, select the food and beverage, stay within my budget, book travel, line up speakers, and then help it all unfold seamlessly. Although many Meeting Planners went to school for hospitality, my major in college was Advertising and Public Relations. While studying, I worked for myself selling vintage clothes through my online shop, Bittersweet Styles. Knowing that I didn’t want to do that forever, I took an internship right after graduation doing public relations for a local performing arts center. Once that came to an end, I literally opened the newspaper and this job jumped out at me from the classifieds. I’ve been fortunate to have an employer that has been willing to teach me the ins and outs of meeting planning, plus allow me to attend classes and conventions where I gain continuing education credits in the field. So while I knew the things I was interested in, I never had a clear idea of what exactly I wanted to do with my degree. But as with everything else in my life, it all seemed to fall right into place.

Is this what you hope to do for the rest of your life? If so, how do you see yourself growing in this career? If not, what else do you dream of doing? Where do you see yourself in 10 years, career-wise?

It’s hard to say where I’ll be in 10 years, but I would love for it to be right here where I am now. With this career, I feel settled, yet I still get to experience new things all the time. Every day I think about how fortunate I am not only to have a great job in today’s economy, but to truly enjoy what I do. With a baby along the way though, I can see myself wanting to travel a little less and focus more on what I can do for the organization here at home. Beyond all of the exciting travel, it feels really good to work for an organization that, even though most people don’t know it exists, plays an essential role in maintaining a high level of standard in the death care field. Something we’ll all unfortunately have to deal with at some point.

If you could tell your 17-year old self anything about your life today, what would you tell her? 

I definitely took the non-traditional route, so this is a tough one. I was home-schooled for my last two years of high school and then took some time off to travel, work, and live in Washington D.C. for a couple years before concentrating on college. Part of me would tell my 17-year old self to go to college immediately after high school, but if I had done that I wouldn’t be where I was today - happy and content, with tons of great memories.