- Share This Post
- Pin It
- 1
-
Sparkle (0)
My next victim is Lorie. Lorie is adorable, funny, witty and can tell a great story. She also had the esteemed honor of being one of the first people to link to me. And when I was all “OMG! Someone actually reeeeeeads me!†she told me that I was “like crack†and that she started reading and couldn’t stop. So, really, Lorie can do no wrong, for I am her crack, and there’s nothing better than being someone’s gateway drug.
What did you want to be when you 'grow up' or perhaps, what do you want to be when you 'grow up'?
Since childhood, I've wanted to be just about anything you could imagine, including a mermaid, a heart surgeon, a lawyer, a CIA agent, and a Navy fighter pilot (yeah, I watched Top Gun one too many times). By the time I was applying to colleges, I wanted to be the next Katie Couric, and I had that in mind when I chose a school. But then somehow once I got to college I was studying radio, TV, and film, which is totally not the same as journalism. You heard it here first: I was scared to death of Medill (the journalism school at Northwestern). So I graduated with a degree in RTVF, with "concentrations" in film theory/film history and screenwriting.
Are you doing that now?
Not even a little bit. I was definitely not cut out to work in film in any way, shape, or form, and if I'd known myself as well then as I do now, I'd have studied something else for four years. I did learn some really cool stuff, though, and having a film degree makes me look cool for about the first ten minutes of a first date. Then he finds out that I kind of haven't seen any movies.
What did you do (or where, if you are willing to share) for your first job out of college?
I began working in development (aka fundraising for scholarships, endowment, etc.) at a small college about an hour from my hometown. My job was to write and produce mass mailings to raise money for the college, and to manage the student phonathon and senior class campaign.
Was it the job that you wanted to do?
Nope. I'd vowed never to return to Virginia, so there was that. I was still harboring fantasies of being a famous screenwriter in LA. I'd gotten a phonathon job in college after this horrible period where I got dumped on my birthday, my roommate moved out, I was depressed and poor and bleargh. I needed the money, and I needed to stay busy so I wouldn't dwell too much on my horrible life. I was good at phone fundraising but never imagined making a career out of it. I graduated from college by the skin of my teeth, all messed up and sad and plan-less and in debt up to my eyeballs. I moped around my parents' house for a month or so after graduation until my mother forced me to apply for this job (and a similar position at another school). I loved the place, nailed the interview, and have been working there ever since (although I'm now on my third job and my fourth office).
A horror story from that first job or a horror story from a job that you got soon there after:
There were lots and lots of horror stories. Maybe the most infamous horror story is the one where I got trashed at my first professional conference, a mere six months after starting work. I barfed in the bathroom and began to verge on passing out at the bar. My boss had to walk my drunk ass from the bar back to our hotel room, and evidently (although I barely remember this) I spent the whole trip clutching her hand and begging her not to fire me. Little did I know that she was also a bit inebriated, and just held her alcohol better than I did. I also did not know that she was completely awesome and nonjudgmental, and has turned out to be my best mentor and one of my closest friends.
What do you do now (again, or where, if you are willing to share)?
Now I'm at the same place, but now I'm a director overseeing research, data integrity, and certain parts of our
