Most people believe that finding the right companion they will spend most of their life with is the recipe for happiness, and spend countless hours trying to do so. What they fail to consider, however, is the time they will spend with the other half is approx. just over 1.5x the time they will spend at their jobs. I’m no scientist but humor me and use the numbers below as an ideal scenario. The 69 hours remaining will most certainly be broken down into volunteering, eating, exercising, etc., so it will be further reduced, but I leave the choice to you on how you want to spend that time.
In other words, based on the number of hours available, people should find two loves; one for sunrise to sunset and the other from sunset to sunrise. It might be difficult to explain to your spouse or significant other that you are trying to find another love, but when you come clean, I’m sure they’ll understand, :).
This is no easy task. The cards you are dealt in life will dictate your ability to devote time to finding your two loves, but persistence pays off BIG! I understand that people have different circumstances which at times make it difficult to think about things such as sacrificing a high income for personal fulfillment or waiting to find the right opportunity while juggling the need to pay off huge student loans, but WHEN YOU GET A CHANCE TO DO THAT, CARPE DIEM!
I had been working in software development and sales for the majority of my twenties but I never felt satisfied. It wasn’t because I had horrible bosses or coworkers, or that I wasn’t making enough money, or that I was spending too much time behind a computer monitor. In fact, it was the opposite of all that. I worked with great people who I became good friends with. I made a decent amount of money and I spent a good amount of time outside the office as well.
So, 3 years ago I decided to explore what else is out there and I found Search Engine Marketing. It was like a love story rivaling that of Romeo and Juliet; OK, maybe not that epic and certainly not one with a tragic ending, but you will find similarities between my relationship with Search Engine Marketing and a traditional love story with a happy ending.
I had a chance meeting with Search Engine Marketing at my previous job. It lasted a couple of months in the form of a web-site redesign project among other things. When we first met, I was intrigued beyond my wildest imagination. I didn’t even know it’s name but I knew it was the one! Was it Search Engine Optimization? Was it Paid Search? Was it Analytics? With so many questions, I couldn’t wait to get to know more about it! Knowing that my time with Search Engine Marketing was coming to an end, I decided to prove myself worthy of its presence in my life. But first, I had to figure out what it was that pulled me in this direction. So, I reached out to people in my network to find out what it is and what it takes to be involved with it. This is where I met Cupid, aka Jamie Blomquist, who shared with me other aspects of Search Engine Marketing. I used that exchange as a way to talk to more people at SEER, as well as understand more about it.
As I talked to more and more people, it became clear to me that within SEM, Analytics is definitely the career path for me. I started research on what skills and certifications I needed to make myself more attractive and read as many articles as possible to immerse myself in the latest and greatest. Within one and a half years of my meeting with Jamie, I earned my GAIQ certification and shared the news with Jamie and Crystal. They both confirmed that it was a step in the right direction.
From that point on, I looked for jobs as well as anything that would allow me to be united with my second love (I had already found my wife). I looked for projects on Odesk.com and Analysis Exchange. I couldn’t find much. Months went by and it started to feel that I had to wait longer. It was a test of my commitment to it. Then one day, out of the blue, Dana puts on the Cupid hat and emails me about an opportunity with SEER as an Analytics Associate. It was arguably one of the best days of my life; so much excitement, so much hope, I was jumping with joy. I remember watching Wil’s video about who he is looking for and telling him in the video, as if he could hear me, “That’s meeee!!!!” Then, a few other conversations with SEER, the matchmaker, until I found out that Analytics was also interested in me. We both said I do and I started at SEER on August 11, 2014. That is one anniversary I will never forget, :).
To be in Analytics at a company like SEER is a dream come true. Being able to go in a direction that you are passionate about and having the support needed to rely on is a feeling that I cannot describe in words, only experience it and be very grateful for.
