Today we have the fourth post in the series curated by Stephanie Florence, 40:20 Vision’s contributing / Millennial editor, reflecting on how childhood dreams affect the people we become. Read the other installments here: Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3.
~
Stephanie Carls — From Practicing Law to Creating Content
“I went through a couple of iterations on what I wanted to be when I grew up. I grew up around sports. My family owned a large sporting goods manufacturing company and my sister and I were required to work at the family business. Looking back, it was a great opportunity to see a company from the ground up. During this time, I held a variety of positions. Know the alphabet? Great, you can file. Old enough to work in the factory? Great. You can mark wire for faceguards. I even got to drive the forklift. (Shhh…once. While my dad was not around. Oh the fun we had.)
The next positions included customer service, receptionist and marketing. Understanding the different types of positions it takes to run a business, helped me begin to find my place.
In 8th grade, I did a report on what I wanted to be when I grew up. I chose a lawyer so I could work directly with the family business. After a summer internship working with the company lawyer, I felt like it wasn’t for me. I then started concentrating on things that I felt I was good at. I started accelerating in high school classes that involved computers, graphics, creativity and communication. This is where it started to fall into place. I attended college and majored in Communication with a focus on Corporate Communication and a double minor in Business and Advertising. I was bound and determined to become the amazing business woman my mother is. But then I found another passion…video. I thought it would be fun to add in a couple media classes during college and fell in love with the idea of being a side-line sports reporter. I loved the classes, but I doubted myself enough to stop moving forward with this next “dream”.
Moving along to graduation, my first couple of jobs, and where I landed today. I’m not a lawyer. I’m not a side-line sports reporter and I’m not running a multi-million dollar business. I’m me and I’m made up of my experiences. Those experiences made me realize what I’m good at…what I’m drawn to. I’m the Client Success Manager with Rivet Works, Inc. helping to inspire and influence our clients to gain measurable results in their content marketing strategy. I love the fast-pace of startups, communication, technology, advertising, and that dream of being in front of the camera has still followed me and I’ve been able to help make my own side business from it.
Have I become what I wanted to be when I grew up? I feel it’s been an amazing journey of finding myself, finding my passion, and making the best out of all opportunities. I feel like I grow every day with amazing mentors by my side. I never want to stop growing.” –Stephanie Carls, 30-something, digital marketer and YouTube content creator
Payal Shukla — From Storyteller to Media Maven
“When I grew up I wanted to tell stories. Whether it was poetry, short stories or new 
endings to my favorite childhood books, I was always telling tales to anyone who would listen. Though the audience didn’t matter much, the subjects of my stories always had one thing in common – they inspired me. My favorite literary heroes, my parents and friends all became the focus of my fables. As a little girl I felt it was my responsibility to share their unique stories with the world and I’m lucky to still be telling stories of people who inspire me. Today, as a PR pro, it’s my job to share the unique stories and journeys of my clients with the media, the consumer and everyone in between. And hopefully – from time to time – those stories inspire others the way I was lucky enough to be inspired as a girl.” –Payal Shukla, 20-something, tech PR professional
Did a younger version of yourself lead you in a particular direction in your career? We’d love to hear your story in the comments or in your own post. Stay tuned for Part 5 in the series.
on Twitter
on Facebook
on Google+