In early 2019 I took a leap of faith and moved to Los Angeles to pursue my own, American dream. There, while working two jobs to make ends meet, I made a painful realisation: the industry that I had been born into, the industry of hospitality, is not the one that makes my heart skip a beat.
While still in the city of angels, I stumbled upon jetdrops’ job opening and I sent my CV. A couple of Skype interviews and a transatlantic flight later, here I am, sitting on my desk with my fancy new title: Communications Specialist & PR Executive.
Some people might say I kicked “an opportunity of a lifetime” by coming back to Athens, Greece. I returned extremely driven and determined to get out of my comfort zone and pursue my desire: a career in the communication field. It is a personal challenge, an investment on my own self and I am ready to face all the consequences with unapologetic confidence.
I still remember how nervous I was while preparing for my first day. I wanted to look professional and considered as an equal team member from my colleagues. My black work pants, a casual white shirt and my blue loafers were my best allies. Soon after arriving in the office, I realised my outfit plays a minimal role and everyone here speaks through their work.
After a typical “first day in the office”, where I met the rest of the team and got a brief introduction to my duties, I recall my bizarre feelings while walking home: it probably was a mixture of utter excitement and… panic; a mixture that even today, cannot fully decode & understand.
This was not your typical 9–5 job, full of judgemental supervisors or surrounded by people who hate their jobs. jetdrops is an environment of regulated individual autonomy that operates with a common purpose: build projects that make the team proud and the client happy. And if not anything else, I had come to respect their commitment and work of ethic. Thus I could not help but feel intimidated since I had yet, nothing to offer to the table.
Despite the fact that I have very little experience working in an advertising & communications agency, terms like “press release”, “media kit” and “brand awareness” were not foreign to me. However, understanding their practical meaning has in fact proven to be extremely crucial.
My manager and mentor, Dora Papakonstantopoulou, has been a catalyst that will determine my future in this field. My learning process has been expedited; reporting, research, project management and aligning with internal and external stakeholders have been in my place since day one. Before my second week came to an end, I had already organised and facilitated the internal process of an upcoming campaign’s brainstorming.
Having such an overall sense of responsibility is the kind of position I have been dreaming for and, despite my limited experience, I am determined to validate my efforts. My choice of leaving la-la land was a risk that was meant to be taken and I fully agree with Jim Rohn:
If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.
* This article was written from Leyla Apostolopoulou, the latest addition in our team!
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We are jetdrops, an advertising agency looking for challenges. Do you want to challenge us? Reach out to us at info@jetdrops.com.
