A collection of tidbits that affirm that I belong in a career in research and strategy
For a while now, I've known where I would best fit in within the job market. This awareness is not necessarily something I came upon while in the classroom or by taking a career aptitude test, nor an assumption from reading countless job descriptions or visiting the corporate websites of ad agencies and market research firms I was pursuing employment at; rather, this is a clear understanding gathered from those that actually do the work I want to do.
In networking with research-centric and -adjacent professionals, reading their books and LinkedIn posts, and listening to them talk on podcasts, I feel like I've passed by mirrors and tripped over invisible strings reflecting and connecting my interests and the way I think to the brains of others. I've learned that the personality traits and skills that we share are actually the exact reasons that they do what they do—and the exact reasons why I know I am meant to, too.
I believe I have found "my people." I've spotted them from afar and have even sat across from some of them, but I haven't quite found my way to joining them (yet).
So until I can try one of their job titles on for size, I'll keep listening, outreaching, and learning, keeping track of all the touch points I have to the kind of career I aim to have.
"I actually really didn't know what planning was when I went to university,... but one of the subjects I really loved was consumer behavior." – Lucy Batchelor, a planning and strategy intern turned junior planner turned strategist at The Works ("Episode 2: Lucy Batchelor," The Junior Mafia podcast)
I, too, didn't really have a real conception of what I should do after graduating until, well, after graduating. By my senior year, I had pieced together that I loved exploring human experience, but it wasn't until I started job searching and networking that I learned what career paths would be most suitable (and most joy-inducing) for me.
"One of my favorite things is trying to figure out why people–why humans–do the things that they do and why they don't... That seems to be such a part of planning. It's the best job in the agency because you can take that fascination and immerse yourself in that rabbit hole of 'stuff.' What motivated [my] switch [to planning] was exactly that fascination with human behavior. ...I love ethnography, I love behavioral economics, I love consumer psychology, and sort of science-based things..." – Nate Kwok, Planner on his first four months in his role at DDB Group Australia ("Episode 1: Nate Kwok," The Junior Mafia podcast, 6:10-6:50; 24:00-24:14)
I mean, if that synopsis doesn't make you want to push your way into an agency and dig into some research until you find some insight gold, I definitely can't relate with you. I really am longing for that kind of environment where I could let my brain run wild and get paid for it.
"A strategist needs people to understand and to serve. Strategy is people work, not lone-wolf work." – Mark Pollard, strategist (Strategy is Your Words, 66)
While reading, I doodled lots of quotes into a notebook (and even took in-line notes right on this book's pages, which I rarely allow myself to do), but this one sums up the idealistic essence of what I hope strategy work actually is. I am always trying to understand people and put myself in their shoes, and I think the way I approach writing and communicating aligns to this work as well.
"I think you're a natural ethnography person." – a strategic planning director turned entrepreneurial researcher over lunch in the spring of 2019 (who also said I seem to have a "planner brain")
I've been lucky in that a large majority of the people I network with seem to recognize my skills and personality (and sometimes even see their own selves mirrored!). It is feel-good validation—which acts as breaks of sunlight in the otherwise dreary atmosphere of job hunting.
"As a planner, you're basically the owner of the customer." – an associate director of strategy during my in-person interview at a small agency in the fall of 2018
I liked this simple explanation. At this point I was still just learning what strategic planners do and it was intriguing to find out that an agencies' creative work wouldn't really have a path to follow without the strategists paving it for them through research.
"I love working with people, understanding motivation and empathy, and coming up with ideas." – a strategic planning director during our informational interview
Obviously, these aspects are present in a lot of different jobs, but I feel like advertising often gets a bad rap. Through my conversations, I've heard about the humanity of the work, and bridging the two is a challenge I want to try conquering.
"A 'planner'/'strategist' would be best for you." – a copywriter (and general advertising industry mentor) during our first call in the fall of 2018
This person was really the first to put strategic planning on my radar. I told him about my interest in working at an ad agency but that I didn't know exactly where I'd be most effective; after learning about me, he pointed me in this direction and has been putting me in touch with other professionals ever since!
"I love the story behind a huge data set." – a director at a market research firm during an informational interview in the summer of 2018
I think that being able to make information understandable to those who need it is a superpower.
"I like understanding the 'whys' behind advertising success." – a research design and management manager during one a phone chat in 2018
This is really what it comes down to for me: getting answers about questions about people. Taking the endless curiosity we all have as children and making sure to hold it close throughout one's life.
First published: 1.31.2021
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