If you’ve read this site for a while, you’ll know I’ve been considering comms as a formal career path for ages. Here’s some additional background into how I got here.
I started studying photography back in junior high. I fell in love with writing in high school. These are the related things that have lingered in my life the longest. They’re also key things that brought me into blogging, though my love of technology also helped with that.
Over the years, I’ve spent time creating web content, creating and managing social media accounts, writing strategies, blogs, Google and Bing business pages. I’ve created social media audits. Crafted press releases. Google and Facebook ads. Flyers, postcards, billboards, Facebook pages, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram accounts.
And the web! I built and managed websites on WordPress, Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace. I also used Microsoft Front Page and FTP. And, holding an ATA in web design, I’ve built sites with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Also, I’ve managed newsletters. Back in the olden days, I wrote mailings in Quark, Publisher, and InDesign. With that, I loved my design classes focused on InDesign and Photoshop. I created email newsletters in Outlook, but have also used Mailchimp extensively. I’ve also used several CRM tools and built many types of campaigns within that.
Video? Yeah, I’ve created and edited videos in Premiere Pro. I’ve run cameras, audio, and media for live events and livestreams. I’ve streamed them via both YouTube and Facebook.
There are the basics: creating decks in PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Mediashout.
I did public policy and advocacy work for AARP, where I created postcard mailers, flyers, and t-shirts for a telemarketing campaign in Montana.
I worked for a printing company, where I got to do paste-up and other press assistant work, as well as bindery and bulk mailings.
So, I have an extensive background in this stuff. And it’s all stuff I’m proud of. I guess I see this as not so much a pivot, but as a focus. It’s where I’ll focus my skill growth and development. For instance, I’m leaning towards working towards a Communications Degree through WGU. I also want to spend some time diving deeper into data analytics, as I think that’s a crucial part of comms going forward.
