People always say, life never turns out the way you think it will. Being the spunky almost-to-be-college-graduate seven months ago, I didn’t think that applied to me. I was ready to live in the big city, with my bachelor’s degree in hand, taking the Chicago PR industry by storm. But I quickly realized I was wrong. After I graduated, I interned at a PR agency and found that clipping client placements all day wasn’t how I wanted to spend my time. Three months later I took a job planning events in the modeling industry, thinking it would be glamorous like the shows on TV. That wasn’t fulfilling either. Then one sunny afternoon I received a call from the Gossip Genie herself, offering me an opportunity at her social media marketing firm. Obviously, I accepted.

I’ve never been in a position strictly social media related. That being said, my first few weeks at Gossip Genie were quite overwhelming. Coming into a new industry, with new people and a new way of doing things was completely frightening. On top of that, I am naturally shy when I immerse myself in a new setting. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? Surprisingly it wasn’t.

My first week, I received my clients and the tools I needed to be a manager. Of course I had questions, but what made the transition easy was the Gossip Genie team. Everyone is incredibly friendly and always willing to help. Every question I had was answered and when I didn’t know how to do something, they did not hesitate to show me. It was also nice that our holiday party was that week, making it easy to get to know people outside of work.

The next two weeks were a whirlwind due to the holidays and I was still getting myself adjusted. I was still learning the in’s and out’s, who to reach out to and how to engage with the right audience. Running social media isn’t as easy as running your own Facebook and Twitter. This is when I realized being a Social Media Manager requires focus, a lot of time (even outside of work) and patience. Finally it all made sense.

Now that I’ve been with Gossip Genie for a month, I feel 100% more confident in myself than I did when I started. I understand my clients, I’m not afraid to bounce ideas off coworkers and I’ve found a routine that works for me. I genuinely enjoy waking up to go to work and not many people can say that. Did I think this is where I was going to end up seven months ago? Not a chance, but as they say, life never turns our the way you think it will and for that I am grateful.