Your hobby becoming your career? Be careful what you wish for!
Writing these blogs has been a way for me to find a different creative outlet other than video editing. They say that when you do something you love you'll never work a day in your life... but what if your hobby becomes your career?
In my case my "hobby" makes me money AND keeps me creative. Well, this can be a good or bad thing. For me, video editing as my 9-5 job, video editing as a hobby, and video editing as my side hustle has really made me want to give up one of the three. But, instead I will write for fun until I miss it again!
* I don't just edit videos, I'm a content creator at my 9-5 job and I call myself a creative director when I freelance. This entails SO much. But we'll get into that another time. *
With all of that being said I really appreciate you if you are reading this! Something that really motivates me is when someone reaches out to me to ask me questions. A student found me online and my story resonated with her. She had to interview someone for her class that is in a profession she is pursuing and she chose me!
She is going to school for communications and film production. We covered some pretty interesting questions like "Are too many or too few people entering this profession?" and "What parts of your job do you find most challenging?". You can read the interview below!
What is your job title?
I am a Social Media Content Creator at Lennar.
Could you describe one of your typical workdays for me?
I have two types of a typical workday. One is where I am in the office editing videos on Adobe premiere all day/ creating content in general (post production). Or, I am traveling and going to Lennar communities to film.
* Funny story about the photo on the right. If you look closely, you can see my iPhone about to fall out of my pocket. Well at some point on a big snowy hill it fell out and it took me over 2 hours to dig and find it 😭. ZIP UP YOUR POCKETS! Ok, carry on 😂 *
What parts of your job do you find most challenging?
The most challenging part of my job has to be the demand to be creative constantly. I feel like creativity comes naturally to me but when you have to constantly come up with ideas it can lead to feeling burnt out. Also, editing for days can be painful but it’s also very rewarding when you’re done.
What do find most enjoyable?
I absolutely love to travel for work. I get to explore new cities and always meet new people within my company. When we travel it’s to film content and I LOVE that part.
* this is what traveling for work looks like *
Are too many or too few people entering this profession?
I think “content creators” are becoming an important part of marketing in general. I also think it’s just the beginning! In my opinion bloggers and influencers are becoming a bit saturated on social but I believe being relatable has more value than just appearances. Overall, someone who has the skills to film, edit, and produce good quality content has a really great opportunity right now to find jobs! Even in the corporate world like me!
If you could start all over again, would you change your career path in any way? Why?
As far as life in the “real world” what I would have done differently is not settle for the first job you get or a job you know you’re not going to like. THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. Please try not to spend your time hating what you are doing. You spend so much of your life working so try your best to consider your feelings and quality of life FIRST. I know everyone’s situation is different, but I know firsthand that sitting all week in a place that doesn’t make you happy will have so many negative effects on you.
If I could start over again from college, the only thing I would change is that I would’ve dreamed/loved to have gone to NYU for school. I never even imagined moving to study and looking back I really wish I would’ve done that. Or at least studied abroad!
I wouldn’t have changed my major or minor. I majored in Communications with a minor in Marketing. I love what I studied! It took me out of my comfort zone by making me talk in front of people and made me practice my social skills! A quote I think about a lot is “Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.” Remember that!
How do most people enter this profession?
The technical answer for this is that I entered this profession via LinkedIn (haha). But, on a more serious note I knew in college that I wanted to do something that involved creativity. Advertising and marketing always stood out to me. I also have always loved cameras and practiced photography and videography all on my own. I taught myself how to edit photos, videos, and how to use Adobe in general.
My advice for someone who is looking for a job is to look that job description up on LinkedIn. Look at all of the skills you’d need for the job and get to learning! You have a great advantage especially if you are still in school to learn exactly what you need to know for a job you want. And if you’re not in school anymore YouTube and Google are your best friends. LinkedIn even has a learning section!
What educational preparation would you recommend for someone who wants to advance in this field?
I’d refer to my answer from question 7 for this! I’ve been out of college for almost 5 years and I am still learning every day. I’m actually currently taking a marketing certificate course from FIU! Never stop learning and growing. There are so many resources out there for you.
For you specifically since you are studying communications and film production, I think you should try to be a PA! The best way to learn is first hand but here are some other resources that you can learn from for production specifically:
“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt”. Hope this helps!!
If you have any other questions for me, drop them at the comments section below!
