College Experiences That Helped A Membership Experience Manager At University Of Michigan Succeed
Annalee's undergraduate experience taught her the importance of identifying desired work environments and aligning them with career goals; this clarity, exemplified by prioritizing "a humorous workplace," helped Annalee successfully navigate her career, leading to a fulfilling position where the work environment matches her preferences.
Career Exploration, Work Culture, Marketing, Higher Education, Self-Reflection
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Annalee Shelton
Membership Experience Manager
University of Michigan
California State University Northridge, 2006
Pepperdine University, MA Social Entrepreneurship and Change
English
Education
Sales and Client Management
Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. Identify your ideal work environment: Annalee prioritized a fun and humorous workplace, which significantly impacted her job satisfaction and career path. Reflect on what aspects of a work environment are most important to you.
2. Align your skills with organizational missions: While Annalee's specific role didn't perfectly match her undergraduate studies, she focused on aligning her skills (marketing) with organizations whose missions resonated with her values. Consider how your skills and interests can align with different organizational missions.
3. Separate 'role' and 'mission' considerations: Annalee advises to consider desired daily tasks ('role') separately from the broader organizational goals ('mission'). This strategic approach helped her make informed career choices. Try to distinguish which aspects of a job matter most to you; the daily work or the greater purpose?
Transcript
What did you do in undergrad that set you up for success in your career?
I got really clear about the things I liked to do, the type of work I liked to do, and the things I cared about. That really helped me because in a lot of the roles I've had, the direct role wasn't exactly what I was called to do. I wasn't called to do data marketing in undergrad.
What I did get clear about was that I wanted a humorous workplace. When I was applying for the job I have now, I almost didn't apply. But in the job application, it said something like "must have fun at work."
I remember looking at it and thinking, "Well, these people are a bunch of data geeks. They don't have fun. That's a lie." But I was interested enough, and I was clear enough about myself, that I thought, "Okay, I want to be in a place where people do have fun at work."
So that is a priority of mine. I will apply to this place. Lo and behold, I got into my first interview, and someone cracked a joke about something. It was probably a super dad joke, very dumb, whatever, but it was fun. It really was fun.
Because I had said to myself, "This is my priority," I was better able to say, "Yes, this is the place I want to work longer term." In undergrad, being able to get clear about the type of work atmosphere I wanted to be in was really valuable.
I also took stock of the roles I wanted to do and the type of institutions I wanted to work for, and I did those separately. For example, now I do marketing, but I do it at a data archive. I don't really know anything about data except what I've learned on the job, but I do know marketing.
Because I knew this was a fun work environment and I knew it was a marketing role, those were things I cared about. On the other side, I've worked at places where I didn't necessarily know the role, but I really aligned with the mission of that organization.
Because I aligned so much with the mission, I wanted to see what role I could fit myself into. Being able to get a sense of those during undergrad – like what do I want to do day to day, what mission do I want to be a part of, and what do I want my workday to be like – those were all really important things for me to figure out. They have served me really well in the 10-plus years since then.