Milestones

My road in life took a while to figure out.
At the start of my senior year of high school, my parents moved and I had to switch high schools.
That experience knocked me off my planned path, which was to go to a 4-year college for a PR degree.
Instead, I got an advertising job right out of high school and took college classes on the side.
After working for a few years, I realized that computer technology was going to be the future.
I went to DeVry and got a certificate in computer programming, but I didn't especially enjoy it.
At one point, I took a huge pay cut to get my foot in the door at an agency I wanted to work for.
I ended up rising up to an executive level at that agency; I've been working in marketing since.
The mentors and contacts I've made have been invaluable; I work with previous mentors today.
Keep following my journey

Career

Chief Marketing Officer

I oversee marketing strategy for an ad-tech platform that targets and measures mobile ad campaigns.

Career Roadmap

Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Design
Technology
Communicating / Sharing Stories

Day to Day

On a great day, it would not be unusual for me to conduct a webinar for 400 people in the industry on topics like "how location is used in mobile ad technology" or "the top five myths about mobile ads." Over lunch, I'd be doing internal training for our sales team, teaching them about new products and features, and discussing how to keep our story crisp and consistent when they're making sales. Afternoon, my team and I work on new materials to position the company and bring clarity to our story.

Advice for Getting Started

Here's the first step for professionals

Be willing to pay your dues and get the experience. Don't take a job just to have a job if it's not going to help you reach your goal; give up your ego and take the entry-level job in the field you want to work in. Younger people want to step right into a great job straight out of college, but everyone has to put in some grunt work. Don't dismiss any of your early experience as "irrelevant," either. If you're paying attention to what you're doing, you'll be a better employee down the line.

Recommended Education

My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Peers:

"Your ideas are too big. They'll never work."

Challenges I Overcame

Financial