The 405 Club

The majority of my professional experiences have been in various marketing capacities, and I thought that was it for me. I thought I figured out what I was going to do for the rest of my life by the time I was 20. And then I didn’t get a job in it, despite my internships, despite my networking, despite that Duke degree, so after months of searching, I took a position casting a reality show for MTV. And I loved meeting people, thinking creatively, not working traditional hours, and just getting out there. It was the thrill of being social, of outside the box thinking, of creating something tangible each and every day (a tape, filled with all the audition tapes I filled in the candidates’ homes) and the ability to see what I helped to create on television.

When that wrapped, I took a New Media marketing position, but swore to myself that it was the final test — was it marketing, or was it something more creative. While I remain passionately interested in creative marketing, specifically web viral campaigns, especially for music and entertainment, I’ve realized how much I love the creative process that was in my previous position. At my most recent position, many of my earliest responsibilities were to maintain a list of music blogs and blogger contact information. I turned a brief thing, into a daily occurrence — filling my Google reader with blogs and online news sources on everything, but most notably music and entertainment. And I realized - THAT’S WHAT I WANT TO DO.

The idea of producing content, articles, videos, anything, for use on a web news source is what actually interests me. I’ve learned more about myself and what I need to thrive and to be happy over the past year, than over every year up until this point. The most important thing I’ve learned over the past year is to try and remain optimistic. I know, I know, it’s easier said than done, and it’s near impossible when things are the way they are, and there’s little to be happy about.

Before graduation and before the market took a hit, I thought that every name on my resume would open up so many doors that I’d be faced with the burden of choice. I now realize how naive this belief was, and I’m actually pretty embarrassed and ashamed to admit it. But, in looking at my resume and tweaking it so many times that I think my eyes are about ready to bleed, I see that I am smart, and I am capable, and that, most importantly, I have potential. I’ve realized that it’s not me, it’s external circumstances.

For positions that didn’t work out, I don’t tell myself “You failed,” but rather I acknowledged “That failed me because it wasn’t right.” Not letting myself fall into the metaphorical pit of despair is what gets me to work harder and move further.

One thing I learned in the classroom at Duke was that it’s hard to succeed if you don’t believe you can. And how can you believe you can if you’re being your own hardest critic?

Some tips that get me through the times of unemployment, that may be easier said than done, and may be easier for me to impart onto others than to abide by them all myself:

• Take this time to learn something new. Looking for a job may as well be a full time job, but the only thing that’s going to make me more marketable is if I learn more. I know web skills are critically important, so I’m learning html and how to build a site. I even bought my own domain, and am learning things like Search Engine Optimization and other cool terms I previously deemed too tech-y to need to know. I’ve always wanted to learn French, and now a friend and I are debating the merits of a class over Rosetta Stone.

• Figure out what you really love. What’s a career that you’d actually wake up each morning and say, “Damn, I love my job.” I realized when I compared my two most recent work experiences side by side, the reason why I preferred one significantly over the other was because the amount of creativity that went into my day to day in one. I walked away each day, after the longest hours I have ever clocked in the workforce, with something tangible to show for my efforts. I felt inspired because I was thinking creatively and doing something that wasn’t really traditional, but working alongside incredibly passionate individuals.

• Give back. There are people out there who do have it significantly worse than any of us, and while maybe it might be to difficult to donate money, donating time to a cause you care about is just as worthwhile. It feels really personally fulfilling to do something selfless and positive for others, and hey, the good karma isn’t a bad thing either if you believe in it, and I choose to.

• Travel. Sometimes the most inspiring thing to move forward professionally is to get out of Dodge. Thanks to cheap resources like MegaBus, BoltBus, airfare sales, and friends’ couches everywhere, I’m seeing what makes me more effective in New York is getting out of New York for a weekend. There’s nothing like seeing an old friend, going to that museum exhibit you’ve always wanted to see but never had the time, or pretending to be a groupie and seeing your favorite band in a change of scenery, to recharge the batteries. After a weekend in Durham, I came home, and first indulged in a nap and a stupid comedy movie on HBO Comedy, but then built my site, had three clips published, and really got the ball moving.

• Don’t be afraid to walk away when something isn’t working. I am not a quitter. I stick things through to the end, but sometimes, there’s a little thing called a premature end. Sometimes things don’t work out. Sometimes your boss uses you as a whipping post. Sometimes you have a minimum wage position that’s costing you most of your salary to commute to. And sometimes you’ve taken on so much that you’re losing sight of what really matters to you. Walk away. Sure, better judgment and the majority of the people you know may think you’re a lunatic from walking away from a position at a time like this. But if it’s dead end that means it’s not going anywhere. Learn something new. Spend your afternoons networking. Write. Tutor. Look for something better.

-By Catherine Fuentes, 405 Club Member & Contributing Writer