1. What was your dream career as a child or young adult? Are you working in that field now? Why or why not? What field are you currently working in?
i had a lot of vocational interests. i graduated rather early and started working on my general ed credits until i was old enough to move out of state. a "friend of a friend" had worked out an internship-type opportunity for me to work for a vp at cbs/columbia records in NYC. by the age of 19 i was living in NYC and working as an assistant, and attending school for a business degree.
the truth is, while i did want to learn about (the music) business, i think my desire to have fun and live far away from what i knew was far more compelling. after a few years, i knew it was time for a change in more than one way. career-wise, i was enjoying and learning much along the ride.
however, my life was heading in the wrong direction, behaviorally and spiritually. thankfully my grandparents helped me decide to go to a Christian college and start a new life and direction.
i never knew exactly what i wanted after that. i moved towards the west coast (eventually) and i started working for a high tech company at nights, still going to school during the day. very soon after, an engineer took me under his wing and asked me to apply for an engineering tech position. i added a couple statistics classes to my course load, and began designing and evaluating experiments for the manufacturing processes. i loved the beauty and powerful insight that (statistically significant) data evaluation lent to the decision making process, and i learned a great deal from this job--something that marketing/sales isn't known for teaching their people about.
as much as i learned over that year, the Lord provided again for me, when there was a new position created to be a part of the global sales team, working as a liaison between the customers and our engineering/manufacturing channels.
this job provided the skill set for me to join the sales and marketing team for another high tech (software) company. i did technical and corporate marketing (different positions) before leaving the company (after a number of years) to open my own small marketing company. at the time i left, i was working upward of 70 hours a week and suffering from major burnout. i was traveling and working so much that my life was a blur during those last years. i needed a big change. God provided again in ways that exceeded my expectations.
i currently do technical marketing, business to business, and consumer marketing campaigns of all flavors, based upon my customer base. i mostly work with long term clients, but have a handful of new/fresh blood that breaks up any monotony. we do our own in-house creatives and sub-contract with a couple other companies to provide additional complimentary services.
occasionally i do technical writing. i love what i do, and i feel incredibly blessed to be able to say that.
2. Did you go to college to pursue your career goals, and if so, how long? Are you working in your field of study, and for how long? Can you see yourself in that field for the rest of your career?
i eventually earned a business degree, and a sales/marketing focused MBA. i started with a meandering and ill-focused educational approach, but as my career focused, i was able to tailor educational focus as well. unfortunately, i took a lot of extra classes. : )
i could easily work in this career (and be reasonably happy doing so) for the rest of my life. however, i don't believe that's what God has planned for me.
3. Are you working in your field of choice, but intend to change careers? Why? Or, are you working in a different field, but still plan to go into your field of choice? What things have held you back?
there is enought breadth in what i do that i could conceivably do this for a long time and not be remotely bored. there are almost an unending number of variables, and i love the ability to control the pace and variety of my workload. also, i love having the freedom to cater to my interests now.
some of the most exciting things i'm working on are because they're interests that represent more than making rich companies even richer, such as small start-ups and business that allow families/individuals become independent of difficult (or inadequate) employer/employee situations. i have a couple mom-and-pop startups that are coming up on a year, and i also work with a few local churches.
on the flipside, it's hard not to become overly focused on the aspects of working for yourself that can be fearful such as being responsible for payroll and smoothing out the ups and downs of revenue. i have to be very disciplined about money. it requires a great deal of faith and confidence that i don't always have on my own.
sometimes the truth/weight of being single and solely responsible for the decisions, the income, and all the other moving parts that affect not only myself but others is really scary. but it's gotten easier, too. God has used this fear to teach me a lot about trusting Him, as well as forcing me to be more dependent upon Him.
4. Are you currently looking for a career change or direction in your life? Do you feel you know what God wants you to do? What tips can you offer as far as finding the correct path?
i'm not sure if i'll ever be completely out of this industry, but i'm definitely planning for another act.
for almost two years i've been slowly developing a business plan for an equine enrichment/therapy program targeted to all-age kids dealing with the issues of abuse, neglect, trauma, and the like. i feel like my life has led me to this place, though my own experiences. i joke often about how horses have healed me, but the truth is God used horses (and animals, in general) to help heal me, and i am passionate about what such a resource could offer to kids that need this kind of therapy. the majority of programs like this aren't Christian based, or are focusing on the disabled.
i have a couple potential investors, but i'm far away from working out the small details (and some of the large ones). i've never planned to stay in this area indefinitely, so decisions about location are rather pressing at this time.
also, i never wanted to do this all by myself. i've been praying (and waiting) for more guidance as well as the right kind of partner for this venture. as strongly as i feel God has led me to this dream, i know that He still has a lot to reveal to me.
