Social Butterfly Takes Charge
Life Lessons
09.11.2008
I wanted a great job, loads of money, five assistants...you could say I was a tad bit naive. After school, I landed two REALLY glamorous jobs - first as a floral designer and then as a visual trimmer for a department store.
Yes. Arranging flowers and dressing naked mannequins in store windows were professions that the Hester Scholarship Fund (i.e., mom and dad) paid for, neither really utilizing my B.A. in political science.
These "fluffy pursuits" - decorating, designing and planning - were all things that I love and can do well. But another is writing. In high school and college, I was a reporter for the school newspaper. I loved being a journalist! I loved being on the beat and finding stories to tell. And the fact that I'm a social butterfly (in pearls) meant if there was something to know, I knew it.
I left my job as a department store visual trimmer and moved with my family to a small town. There I made a career change and became a staff journalist for The News of Orange County. Think of it as Peyton Place with all the trimmings - home of nationally recognized writers (Lee Smith and Allan Gurganus, to name a few), an Indian Chief and an Orange County Judge (who I discovered were both my cousins) and a downtown pharmacy owner, who actually made real medicine from scratch and was a member of the town board. Not only did I have to interview her, I'd go there to get my meds.
You could say that this was my first real job out of college. After a few years with the newspaper, I spread my wings and ventured out as a freelance writer, penning feature stories for The News & Observer , The Charlotte Observer , Southern Living Magazine , The Independent and The Philadelphia Daily News . But I had another dream job hovering in my future. PR. My social butterfly lifestyle led me to a very cool CEO, who shared my love of journalism. He recognized my potential and passion and gave me a change.
Thanks Ken...
