Today we’d like to introduce you to Bailey Kimball.
Bailey, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am a recent graduate from the Grossman School of Business at the University of Vermont. Once graduating, I wasn’t quite ready to settle down with a full-time job somewhere right away. I had what I call my “quarter-life crisis” and I spontaneously decided to apply to an internship in London. To my surprise, I got it! I was the Public Relations intern at a firm in the Financial District. Without ever having visiting Europe before, I packed up and moved out there for the summer by myself. Although it was nerve-wracking, it was the experience of a lifetime. I was working full-time and learning so much about the PR world. I took the opportunity to travel every weekend, and went to Germany, France, Spain, and Greece. This opened my eyes to the opportunities that are presented when you always say “yes” to things. Because of this, I began interviewing for a real job in Boston, New York, and Los Angeles. When an opportunity to work in Advertising in Boston presented itself, I said yes. Without knowing much about the area, I packed up and moved out to Boston. I’ve learned and grown so much within this first year, and will continue to adventure whenever the next opportunity arises!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
What I have found that people don’t tell you coming out of college, it is not smooth sailing. Your first year out of school is going to include many struggles along the way. Sometimes every now and then, sometimes, a few in a month, and sometimes what seems like a new struggle every day. Moving to a new place without knowing many friends or family there was difficult. Starting my first real job was difficult. I had to pick up a nannying job from 6:45 – 8:30 am, prior to working a full workday, just to make ends meet. It can be lonely. I went from living within a 5-minute walking distance from all of my college friends to a 45-minute drive from a few acquaintances. I would spend money that I didn’t even have going out with people I didn’t even know. You learn quickly how to budget, how to put yourself out there with people to ‘grab a coffee’ or ‘check out a museum’ with people. You learn to operate a work environment, with many different experiences you have never had been exposed to before. It is a 180 from school but after a year now, the growth coming out of all of these events will be stronger than any of the struggles I had to go through to receive it.
Please tell us about Boathouse Group.
I am an Account Manager at an advertising agency, Boathouse Group, Inc. Essentially, I work with a specific set of clients to make sure their needs and requests are all met by the company. This means answering emails, phone calls, scheduling meetings, drafting creative briefs, and working with all the internal departments, such as Paid Search, Paid Social, Digital Display, OOH, and creative, to follow a specific process to have assets delivered efficiently and effectively to the client. As my first ‘real’ job, it can be a grind. When I first started, it felt like it would be impossible for me to learn all the ins and outs of Advertising. However, it has been such an incredible and extremely rewarding experience watching myself continue to grow. I think there will be always more to learn in Advertising, as it is such a fast-paced and ever-changing environment, but this just makes me more proud to be part of an organization that is just as fast-paced as well. Seeing the work once it is finally complete and launched, knowing you were helped make that happen, is such a rewarding feeling.
Who have you been inspired by?
I have a feeling this type of question should reflect someone famous that other people will know, but to be honest I would have to say my mother first and foremost. Especially, as I become more of an adult, she has become more than a mother to me. She is my mentor, my inspiration, and my best friend. I remember always thinking to myself when I first started working, “How did my mom ever have the time to wake up, make all of us breakfast, get us all on the bus, go to work as a teacher, teach students all day, participate in extra faculty meetings and initiatives, go home, take us to whatever sports lessons and practices we had, go back home, make us dinner, pick us up, feed us, help us with homework, get us to bed, and then do it all over again? I barely have time to make myself a snack after work.” It has been so helpful to have her just a phone call away whenever I am stressed and upset after work, worried about finances, or just feeling plain lonely. I can begin to even express my gratitude and admiration for a person like her.
Contact Info:
- Email: bailey.kimball@gmail.com
- Instagram: baileykimball
Image Credit:
Bailey Kimball
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