The Tale of Two Careers

If you would have told me 10.5 years ago when I graduated college that not only would I be a wife, mother of two, and the bread-winner in my family, all whilst working in two industries that I did not get my diploma in, I would have told you that you were crazy.

I spend 40 hours a week and sometimes travel and have been for the past 10 years at one of the leading Biomedical Device Manufacturers’ in the world.  I love my job.  I love the people here.  I love the culture.  I love my boss.  I love my peers.  I love my easy commute.  I love that I don’t have to kiss anyone’s ass to “make it” (as I would have in the former industry I worked in).  I also spend 20 or so hours a week building a business that I set out two years ago to be a full-time income by the year 2023.

I spend my mornings, nights, part of my weekdays, and all of my weekends being a full-time mommy.  Somewhere in there I try and give 110% to being a wife, a daughter, a daughter-in-law, a niece, a friend and a granddaughter.  Needless to say there aren't enough hours in the day.

In this post I want to focus on my career…well…my careerS.  Is it possible to have two careers?  Can I juggle both whilst dealing with the commitment to my family and friends?  Which career comes first?  These are all questions I’ve had as we start 2015 and I begin building my business even more this year, taking my equipment and art to another level and pushing myself to learn more and be better.

I started thinking about this in December as I was writing my annual review of myself for my boss.  It asked me what my goals for my career were and what I need from my boss to get better.  Over the last few months I hadn't focused much on my full time career; I always deliver on time or early, try and step it up a notch with what I provide, always take on new tasks and challenges with a smile on my face…but I hadn't spent much time growing myself.  I realized that in those same months it’s because I began taking myself up a notch in the Photography world.  I stared at the blank page and blinking curser, confused on what to write.  It’s like at that moment it finally hit me that I won’t be at my full time job forever.  So what’s my career goals then?  Do I just continue down my same path until Photography can be my full-time job or do I actually actively pursue both careers with 110% of my heart and soul?  I had to close down the document on my computer for a few days and really think this over…

Last summer, as I was questioning if I should really give up photography or not, I met some new people (other photographers) and also acquired some life-long “fans” (as I would call them).  Photography is very much meant for people who constantly strive to be better, find every little thing they did wrong with a shot, and then push themselves to get better and be better.  This suits my personality well because I always feel like I can grow, be better, learn more and that this process will never stop and I’m unquestionably hard on myself by nature.  It will be like that until the day I never pick up a camera again.  So with the help of other photogs and the cheering from my small “fan” base, I decided not to quit and to keep going.  But to keep going I had to take it up a notch.  Really grab the reigns and start learning my camera better, the software better, lighting better…and it worked.  It made me more confident and really pushed me from an amateur into the very beginnings of a professional photographer.  Since then I've been working hard to get my galleries up and running on a nicer page, my website updated, a studio management app put into place to help me with invoicing, client management, quotes and questionnaires.  I've also been pushing myself like crazy to get better with my camera.  Because of that, within a few months I outgrew my trusty t3i “mom-camera” (name assigned by the photog’s in the industry, not me) and upgraded to a Canon 6D and with a Sigma 1.4 lens.  What does this mean to those of you who aren't photogs?  It means my camera f***ing rocks and I finally have a grown-up piece of equipment to match what I’m striving for. 

The only thing that I unfortunately can’t work on right now is my client base.  I still go almost 100% off word-of-mouth and referrals because I just don’t have the time right now to a.) promote & advertise myself like crazy – this requires me to work at this job full time and I can’t with another full time job + a family and b.) find the time to do more shoots than I currently do all while working full time, being a mom, wife, etc.  I also set a goal that I didn't want to actively seek out strangers on my own until I felt like my work was up-to-par and competitive with other photographers in my market.  My prices are slightly lower for a reason – I’m still learning.  And my client base is small for a reason – I’m still learning and not confident enough in myself to compete in a market with people who are more talented than me.  It will probably take another year under my belt before I can really start going after clients and competing in my market at another level.  I’m also still in the very beginning stages of learning how to run a business.  Learning to run a full-fledged business while bettering your craft and advertising yourself is a 40+ hour a week job in itself.

It’s two days later and I've opened up the document about my career goals for my boss.  I decide that I do need some career growth at my full time job because I've been doing what I do for 3 years and it’s time to take it up a notch as far as my knowledge and the pay.  I, however, know that I want to take on a role that fits and not something that will bleed into my personal life (and my photography career) like previous positions I've held.  I take a blend of what I already know and what I've been working on this past year and decide that I’d like to go for a Project Manager career path, if my bosses allow it.  This plays to my strengths and to my experience, but it is also something new and challenging to work towards.  I already know (and have always known) that I don’t want to be a Director or a VP or anything of that crazy sort.  I’m too soft and emotional to be able to handle those battles…so going this route seems more natural to me.  Will that be the route my boss and HR choose for me?  Who knows…but it’s a goal.

I’m hoping 2015 will be a growth year for both of my careers.  It’s kind of strange having two careers…most people just say they have “two jobs,” but I don’t see it as that.  I’m investing myself and my time and so are the people around me.  It’s only fair that all of that pays off for both me and them.