Well, two weeks ago I hit the one year mark at Group360 Worldwide! It really has flown by, faster than I thought it would for sure. I would have never thought of myself as starting a career in Plano, (15 minutes down the tollway from where I grew up), but I have had a chance to work on some pretty cool things so far!
My very first project to work on was the t-shirts for the Snapple sponsored “Steal the Base” kid challenge at Texas Rangers ball park! I actually remember going to a game and seeing the little kids on the jumbo-screening and being so proud. It was just a t-shirt, and I used to help with t-shirts in high school and in my college sorority, but I guess it was just cool to see something I did that so many other people also experience. And of course I was too high up to get a good shot!
Another big gig I’ve worked on, that also was a major bilingual piece was 7UP’s Latin Grammy promotion, with Enrique Iglesias as the face of it. Dr Pepper Snapple Group sure does love it when they get to work with artists! And even though we didn’t meet Enrique (darn!), we did get to do some fun creative, and talk to “his people,” which if you haven’t worked with artists before, it’s a big process because not only do you need your company, you client, and Latin Grammy’s approval on everything you put their name on, but the artist has to approve just about every piece with his name or image on it. Lots of cooks in these advertising kitchens, folks! But rightfully so, because it was a HUGE project! My company alone worked on the artwork that went on packaging, point of sale pieces, merchandise, street party signs, and even merchandise “swag”!
Anyways, besides these jobs, there have been lots of small lessons I have learned along the way. College was definitely the right choice for me and for many, if you want to get into most careers these days, but honestly, I would say the bulk of what you learn happens on the job. And as a college student, I would hear that and almost get frustrated that I was drowning in loans but the learning didn’t start till after! But that isn’t true either. The basis of the learning starts in school, and many companies will not look your way unless you have a degree! One of my biggest lessons and experiences so far is the one that I am taking on now.
A week before my 1 year mark at Group360 our CFO came in to discuss a reorganization that the company was about to be undergoing. Evidently, they were bringing it more people, moving positions around and promoting people. I was one of them! I am now going to be a Lead Project Coordinator, and for the first time in my life (if you don’t count lead hostess or toddler cheer coach), I am managing people! It’s going to be quite a journey, and for the past 2 weeks, it has been going well. But I will say there is A LOT more work and A LOT more responsibility now. I can only hope and work that I can be the best I can be at it!
I don’t know if I will be working at Group360 in 2 years, or if I will be in Dallas for years to come. Heck! I don’t even know what I am wearing to work tomorrow! What I do know, is that I have worked on some cool stuff, with some great people, won an iPad at our company Christmas party, and that I have been really lucky to have Group360 be my first place of “big girl” employment for the past year.
Here’s to my one year, being young and the years and careers to come!
Mediatation 