30 Days at AR Design
It’s hard to believe that it has been over a month since I started my position as a Project Manager with AR Design. Now halfway through my second month, I’m excited to reflect on what I’ve learned.
Taking Risks and Changing Career Paths
I was working in the television news industry when I made the decision to switch to a career in digital marketing. I felt that I needed to change paths in order to feel more fulfilled in both my work and my personal life. Deciding to leave a career that I spent my entire education and various internships training for was tough, but ultimately the best decision. I encourage anyone reading this, no matter how far into a job or career you are, to be fearless when it comes to your happiness, and to make bold decisions to push you towards where you want to be.
A Fresh Start
From the moment I stepped into the office, I was immediately encouraged to share my thoughts and opinions on client subject matters, and told to observe each employee as they worked so that I could get a full understanding of each role within the company. I appreciated this because part of starting off at a new job is learning the workflow expectations, and understanding where you fit in to the already formed team.
Learning the Ropes
Getting up to speed with understanding the tone and needs of our clients has been extremely important. I have learned that certain phrases, color palettes, and graphics may work perfectly for one client, but will be completely off-brand if presented to another. When we create social media campaigns, we are acting as the voice and face of that business, so I’ve learned how crucial it is that we create visual and written content that accurately expresses the company’s image.
Creating, executing and delivering perfectly designed content to our clients is the backbone of our business. I’ve been working on training my eye to scan and perfect even the smallest of details on everything we create. We are a design agency first, and everything that we put out must reflect that. I am proud to work for a company that truly cares about our clients, and takes pride in creating the best product possible.
I am proud to work for a company that truly cares about our clients, and takes pride in creating the best product possible.
One of the main differences between working in TV news and working in digital marketing is, in news, you work day by day, meaning we dealt with the news of that day. Now, there are multiple projects happening at the same time. The organizational skills learned while working in the news have translated well into my new position, and I am able to handle spontaneous tasks quickly and efficiently. There is no room for reporting or publishing false information in the newsroom, and there is certainly no room for error when you’re representing a brand.
Settling In
I put a lot of pressure on myself to succeed, and I wanted to learn as much as I could about my new job as quickly as I could. Since starting at AR Design, I’ve trained myself to relax a bit, and take each day as it comes, because there are always new challenges and tasks that come up. I’ve learned the importance of being adaptable and being willing to teach myself new things. Tutorials and how-to articles have been my best friend as I navigate new programs and equipment.
Looking back to how I felt on my first day to how I feel typing this, I am more confident and comfortable. I feel lucky to work at a company that has a creative and collaborative work environment.