Carl Gaines
Senior Communications Manager
Capital One
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
Realized I loved to read and write and that I was good at it.
Decided to pursue something that was completely different and for which I had little or no talent.
Wasted a lot of time.
Went back to trying to do something that fit best with my skills and interests.
Went back to school in an area related to what I'm good at.
Got my current job with Capital One.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Western Albemarle High School
Western Albemarle High School
Career
Senior Communications Manager
I help the Commercial Real Estate Group communicate externally.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Journalism
Writing
Communicating / Sharing Stories
Day to Day
I direct the flow of press releases, search for new deals that might be interesting to promote externally, work with the Commercial Content Studio to come up with content that places our execs as thought leaders. We like to work in teams to solve problems so I'm often meeting with other people to brainstorm.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for middle school students
Read a lot--it can be anything. This includes fiction, non-fiction, magazines, other journals.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Parents:
"You'll never make money doing that and, besides, what if you're not good enough?"
Challenges I Overcame
Financial
LGBT
