What did you want to be when you were a kid and what do you do now?
Well, after my modeling debut (pictured below) I thought briefly that perhaps I was meant to be a super model. I very much was not.
What I remember wanting to be most as a child was a lawyer or an actor, but as I look back I realize that I have always have had a love for marketing running through me.
I used to rally the neighborhood kids together for bake sales and petting zoos, or get everyone engaged in backyard plays that we took way too seriously. I promoted the heck out those things with flyers full of the best clip art available. As I got a little older I became certified babysitter through classes at a local hospital and made sure everyone got a brochure to let them know.
I started my career as a cosmetologist. I graduated high school early and wanted to make sure I had a career that would get me through college. I ended up falling in love with the beauty and salon industry. But it wasn’t long after starting off in this industry that I found myself helping owners with the business side of things – from setting up online scheduling to marketing new stylists, to creating a social media strategy around MySpace (yes, you read that right), to email newsletters… I just didn’t yet realize that all of this stuff I was so obsessed with was marketing.
When I attended orientation at Purdue before starting back full-time to finish my degree I remember several major-based groups doing tours and talking about options within that major. I saw a group for Communication that listed several of the things I loved doing and decided to go rogue and attend this group tour instead of the major I had initially signed up with. I am so glad I did, because everything started to click on this tour.
Once I found out that I could make an actual career out of doing what I had always thought was a hobby I excitedly knew that was the industry I needed to be in. I decided to major in Communication with a specialization in Strategic Communication/PR and Advertising. I have continued to work in this space since, and guess what? I still love all things communication and marketing.
I know not everyone is able to create a living around work that they love, and I feel extremely blessed to be able to do so.
Erin J. Mullen 