The Day I Learned A Cloud Was Not Just Something Floating In The Sky…
I remember walking out of my Providence College apartment in late
December thinking to myself, “This is my last vacation.” And it really
was. When else was I going to be free of all responsibility – no
homework, meetings, or major work commitments? And yet, at that same
time, I remember thinking, “This better be my last vacation, I hope I
get a job!”
In early January I came back to school with a mission – graduate with honors, choreograph my final dance routine, and find a job. Living on my parents’ couch after graduation wasn’t an option. Sure they would have loved to have me – someone to let the dog out in the wee hours of the morning and weed the yard – but I knew I wanted to take my college education and run with it! Of course the job market was tough and while I had the passion and drive, I didn’t have much experience - three month internship. Even so, I signed a year-long lease for a New York City apartment, and I was still jobless…
I had always wanted to enter the field of public relations. Ever since I was three years old, I have been dancing and performing on stage. Dance has always provided me with a sense of accomplishment and achievement since each performance was an opportunity to showcase the detailed routines my company had so diligently worked on.
However, as a dancer I have also had my share of disappointment. Despite each carefully crafted routine, there were numerous occasions when publicity efforts for the performances fell short – newspapers failed to run a previously promised article, which in turn resulted in poorly-attended performances. As these events continued to unfold from one performance to another, I began to realize the importance of well-executed publicity efforts for our dance company, both financially and as a means to promote our passion and work ethic.
That’s why I was willing to wait for the right job to come along. I felt strongly about helping individuals, companies and businesses promote their passions and projects. Hence, I wanted to find a company that felt the same way.
Needless to say, I was thrilled when Breakaway Communications called.
In-between a frustrating Time Warner phone call and a delayed Ikea delivery came Kelly Fitzgerald’s phone call offering me a job at Breakaway! So there I was, dirty and exhausted from moving into my brand new apartment, with only seven days left of summer vacation. Work was starting on Monday – as was a real paycheck! With thoughts of Perez Hilton and E! Online on my mind, I was ready to take the PR world by storm.
My, how times have changed as Perez and E! have been replaced by my new “go-to websites” - Techmeme and TechCrunch. Much to my inner geek, I couldn’t be happier.
Every day I come to work and learn new things. Before this, I thought the PR industry centered on entertainment and lifestyle clients, with bosses who’d seen The Devil Wears Prada one too many times. Now I know better.
Over the past few months I’ve learned a lot about the ins and outs of PR. My responsibilities range from updating media lists and researching speaking and award opportunities to obtaining client referrals and tracking social media – all of which broaden my understanding of PR.
Breakaway and the tech PR world have introduced me to new languages - such as cloud computing, hosting and monochrome - new clients and, most importantly, a great work environment where questions are encouraged, challenges are embraced and newcomers are given the opportunity learn.
