My So Called Career!

This May it will be six years since I graduated from Rochester College with my Bachelors degree in Marketing. I'd like to give you a description of my adventures in corporate America (sorry this is kind of lengthy).

It really started in my senior year at Rochester. I was doing an internship with Ameritech in their Interactive Media department. My boss, Tony Laxa, was a great guy to work for. We had a lot in common and would golf on occasion. In came SBC, who bought Ameritech and quickly let everyone in the department go. If given the opportunity I would have stayed there for a long time.

For a minute or two I worked in the proshop at Cherry Creek Golf Club.
Free golf!!!



The job at Cherry Creek led right up to graduation. After receiving my degree I was hired by Alladvantage.com as an Interactive Coordinator. That's a fancy term for go-for boy! Only three months into the job the company went belly up.

I went to work at another golf course - Boulder Pointe Golf Club. Free golf!!! I made a life long friend there in Dick Badgero. He was the ornery old guy and I was the young punk kid. For some odd reason we just kicked it off. We'd play golf a couple of times a week together. We still talk and play golf to this day. I count it a blessing that I had a chance to cross pathes with Dickie!

With the majority of my career experience in the interactive marketing industry I felt my best chance to get a job was at another interactive agency. Enter BlueChip Interactive. I was a Interactive Communications Specialist. Yet another fancy title meaning I was to do anything my boss didn't want to do. This company, like the last interactive one, went out of business.

At this point I'm 0-3 in my career.

I then started working as an assistant to a Financial Planner. This was a good job. I'm not one for finances though. I could barely keep my check book balanced. I couldn't imagine planning someones financial future. I knew the financial industry wasn't for me when my boss, the financial planner, got his bi-annual tax papers in the mail. He was as excited as I get when I get my ESPN the magazine in the mail. For the first time I left a job under my own power.

My next job was with Onstar. No, I wasn't the guy on the commercials you hear. I started out in a group that enrolls people when they first get their new car and their trial period of Onstar. I only worked in that group for about a month and got promoted to a sales team. One of the features of Onstar is a cell phone. I sold the minutes to the cell phone. It's funny looking back at how much the minutes were - $1 per minute in some cases. CRAZY!!!

While working at Onstar, Kelly and I got married. The toughest part about this job was the hours. I worked 3:30pm-11:30pm. So I didn't get home until midnight. This wasn't the way I wanted to start my marriage. Kelly was unbelievable! She worked a normal 8-5 job but she'd stay up every night to see me. Never did I hear her complain. Man I love her!

So for the second time in a row I decided to leave a job. I started at BBDO Detroit, DaimlerChrysler's advertising agency. I was working on corporate marketing. I worked in this group for about 2 and a half years. I really enjoyed the people I worked with. But like most things in my life I started to get the mind set of "the grass is always greener on the other side." It came in the form of wanting to work on a specific brand (Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge).

I then started working on the Jeep account. I was thinking it'd be the "sexy" advertising I wanted all along. What I learned was it was actually less of an advertising job then my corporate marketing job. Plus the I didn't neccesarily get along with most of the people I worked with. In a God move, I was let go from BBDO. I'll spare the details!!! It was hard to see God working when it happened but he was.

I was let go on a Monday morning. When I was hanging out with some buddies Tuesday night one of them told me about his job at J&L Industrial Supply. All I knew was he sold tools. What he explained to me was the opportunity to make a little extra money in the process. So I sent him my resume on Wednesday. Got a call from one of the managers on Thursday. Had my first interview Friday and my second interview Monday and was offered the job Tuesday. I accepted and started the following Monday. Add it all up and we didn't miss one pay period. THAT'S GOD WORKING RIGHT THERE!!!

Currently I am an Account Manager at J&L Industrial Supply. I sell industrial tooling to companies that do metal cutting like tool and die shops. I came in not knowing the difference between an end mill and an insert but I'm actually not doing that bad.

So all is well right...not so fast! I came in to work last Thursday and found out that J&L had been bought. Well that's not all that bad unless the company that bought you is your chief competitor. That's right. My #1 competitor, MSC, bought J&L. Jeepers!!!

Right now we don't know anything that is going to happen. Are we going to lose our jobs? We are supposed to move on as business as usual. Yeah right. What you don't know is just about all of my customers I call on buy from either J&L or MSC.

So my "career" has been an adventure. I'll keep you updated on any changes.

Ashley