Doing Things You Never Planned On

Most people grow up wanting to be one thing or another. They go to college to be whatever they’ve dreamed of for the past 10 years, and think little about other possibilities. The reality is - you most likely will NOT end up doing what you spent 4+ years in college preparing for. I know, scary, but lets face the truth, unless you are at the top of your game, no one but you really cares what you end up doing. Fortunately, there is light at the end of the road.

I can only speak for myself and my own experiences, but when I was in college I dreamed of working at a big ad agency doing either creative or account. Either one would’ve worked for me. Also note, I got a degree in communications with an emphasis in advertising. Instead I entered the world in a small agency, who dealing primarily with marketing consulting, not really a huge stone throw away from advertising, but different none the less. Not only that, I’ve been quickly transitioned into the public relations side of the agency. I once considered PR as a career choice while in school, but stuck with advertising, for reasons long forgotten.

So, how do I feel about this? Well, truth be told - I love it. There are a couple reasons to love working at a smaller agency.

#1: The primary reason, is that it is continuously growing, and it’s fun seeing that process happening. Bigger agencies are mostly at their peak, and their only direction is down, supported by the fact that many large agencies are losing business. I see all this new business coming, and I can’t help but get excited to see where things go.

#2: Some people would argue that at smaller agencies you don’t get to work with big clients. I would argue that, in some cases that may be true, however, in all cases you get the opportunity to make small brands into big brands. Now that would be something to be proud of. In my case, I’m lucky enough to see and work with a relatively unknown technology brand known as eCoupled (www.ecoupled.com) slowly but surely become mainstream and change the way wireless power is used.

But PR? Why would I want to do that, when my dream was advertising? Good question and something I thought about and I quickly realized it wasn’t ‘advertising’ per say I loved, it was the ability to tell a story. And PR is just as capable, if not more so, in telling a story.  And it doesn’t cost millions of dollars (in some cases).

The point is, don’t be afraid to go down a different road that’s different than you expected. It is fun learning new things, and going places you might not expected in the past. Take changes, learn from your mistakes. You’ll be happier in the long run.