I had an e-mail from a childhood friend of mine the other day; she's just graduated from university with a degree in International Relations (which makes me feel old, I remember babysitting her and her younger sister), and asked about my initial experiences and potential job fields after IR.
When I did IR in university, I had absolutely no idea I would be going into SEM as a career. I fantasised about government work (when I was seven, I told everyone I knew that I was going to be the first female Prime Minister of Canada... thanks Kim), or something in public relations. Sure, I had fiddled with website design, but a career in the "internet"? Nah. I gravitated towards government and policy, but there was always an element of the internet involved in what I was doing. Campaign brochures needed to be put online, engaging with constituents was now done increasingly in cyberspace, and reputation management was a "must-do". In the days before social networking became the norm, it was very much a hunt and peck approach to all of the above. As I'd had a bit (and I must emphasise the minute amount) of experience with HTML and website design, I fell into an SEM role.
The element of government that started to irk me from the start was a culture of stagnation. I used to joke with some of my colleagues that we had become institutionalised in our roles, never changing, never pushing forward. Adoption of new technologies or new techniques, especially in my role at the Government of Ontario, was unheard of. It took two years for an initiative to be implemented, and I understand why it took that long - I just didn't want to move at a snail's pace, I wanted action.
Fast forward to Dublin, Ireland, and I'm suddenly managing a PPC campaign within the travel industry. I'm getting up to speed on the latest trends and techniques in SEM - still a bit slow on the uptake, but challenging nonetheless. A year later, and I was working between London and Paris, practicing my French skills and attempting to get people engaged in best practices. The next logical step was agency-side, and I haven't looked back. I can be a thought leader within the industry, I get to network with people who actually understand what I'm talking about (okay, and some who don't - that's the fun part), and practice skills I never thought I'd use (economic theory, statistical analysis, national trends, population behaviour, etc).
The industry is so young and fast-moving that strategies and techniques change on a daily basis. New innovations are commonplace. I love public speaking and sharing ideas, so going to conferences, learning and now speaking at Search Engine Strategies in Toronto are just a couple of the great things that this industry provides. Sure, it's a lot of hard work, but it wouldn't be challenging and mind-expanding if it wasn't. My favourite part of the job is helping clients achieve their goals, and introducing new ways to communicate and engage with their customers. I'm lucky to have clients who "get" search and are engaged in the accounts, which makes my job great.
So, dear friend - it only gets better. You put into practice your IR training, and develop it into something challenging, intelligent and engaging. I can't ask for much more. Good luck!
