Kill your FOMO
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Kimberly Lowell wasn’t going to let the chance of a job at BRND WGN pass her by, even if she was in her final year at university. So, how did she manage to finish her studies whilst starting the job of her dreams? Our newest marketing executive to jump on the WGN tells all.
I’ve always suffered from FOMO. At the beginning of the year I was busier than I have ever been: I was still attending lectures, juggling assignments, writing my dissertation, going to dance classes and trying to stay sane by spending time with family, plus socialising with friends. But still the thought of ‘what next’ was keeping me awake at night…
I knew what I wanted ‘next’ to be. I wanted to work in marketing. And I was determined to. So I researched all the local marketing companies, did all the relevant courses I could, read everything possible about my dream career and started preparing applications to intern. I never thought it would be possible to undertake real work experience whilst still at university. But it was.
I tailor-wrote all the CVs I sent to marketing companies, asking for the chance of work experience. Especially BRND WGN’s, where I had enquired about the executives and knew what jobs each had made happen. As I pressed ‘send’ I hoped for the best, but expected the worst.
I should have been more confident. It so happened that a junior position became vacant the day my CV was received. And BRND WGN was looking for someone just like me: a student who was keen to work part-time for the first six months, learning on-the-job before going full-time. Someone who was passionate about marketing, but was especially creative and had hobbies outside of work, study and play. After a series of interviews, it turned out BRND WGN chose me back, and I couldn’t have been happier.
Although the past six months may have lived up to all expectations, they haven’t been easy. Adding work to a manic life has been stressful and exhausting. Trying to keep up with everything meant at times I functioned on just three hours sleep. But I was determined to not let anything slip, to pen a great dissertation, graduate with the best mark I could get and not let my new career distract me. I was also determined to learn everything I could at BRND WGN, enthusiastically and swiftly, to hit the ground running when I started full-time as a junior marketing executive.
I managed this because I was blessed with a supportive and well-organised team. A team that made my induction into the WGN as smooth as possible. They are teaching me everything they know, letting me get stuck in on really exciting projects - they are patient, understanding and welcoming because they have been in my position too. In fact, the whole company has made me feel like a Wagoneer from day one, and it’s been a fun ride so far.
As I morph into a full-time Wagoneer I can proudly say I’ve managed to hand in my dissertation, finish my end-of-year exams, attend rehearsals for dance shows and eventually perform on the Isle of MTV stage and the new Travellers music video. This is my first full time job and the transition from student life felt weird at first, but the overwhelm was minimised by my gradual immersion.
And I recommend all you students out there worried about doing the same taking a leap of faith. But try to find an agency that also encourages you to grow as a person too, including the passions you pursue in your free time because, all work and no play breeds FOMO!
