Fate & A Long Winding Path To Account Planning
This week marked the first week of classes at Miami Ad School Account Planning Boot Camp in San Francisco. Yeah - don't try saying that one in one breath. In all honesty, I'm incredibly excited to finally get to work even though I'm slightly terrified about what's ahead. I started having too much time on my hands despite exploring and adjusting to the city. And for me, too much time usually results in boy drama and over thinking previous relationships. OY VEY. Which often leads to thinking about fate. Are we fated to meet a certain person? Follow a certain path? As a future Account Planner, it will be my job to make connections between ideas and behaviors; to find an insight and recognize that it's the right strategy. So what insight can I gather about myself regarding my own career?
When I was a child, I would insistently demand that my father explain the "why" to everything, which drove him crazy. In school, I had trouble with math and science mainly because it meant memorizing facts and making connections without entirely understanding the "why." I generate ideas. I've dabbled in a million creative ventures but could never see myself working only as an artist. I'm slightly obsessive, I'm curious, I like learning about anything and everything. In short, I was meant to be an account planner. Last year I went to a career coach and wrote down my values and what kind of job I wanted. Without knowing it - I described what an account planner does. And somehow my photography (an interest I pursued because I always need to educate myself) lead to working with an account planner. Finally, when people asked why I wanted to be an account planner, I'd respond with "It's the Truth in Advertising" which I've recently found out is the title to the "account planning" handbook. That being said, I think it's important to evaluate your life - take a step back and look at your own patterns. Meet new people, experience new things, keep a journal and you'll realize that maybe the answer you seek is already within you. You just have to find it.
