happy thursday, guys. barring any issues, by the time you read this, i’ll be in vegas! i planned a trip for joey’s birthday this year, so the two of us will be running around doing all kinds of fun stuff. follow along on instagram if you want to see all the good food i am eating.
since i’ve been doing a ‘get to know me’ week + answering some faq’s, i figured today i’d not only share some of the pieces that have been a hit lately, but some career faq’s since my day job is at none other than … target!
on to some more gtky type of questions! many of you know i work a day job, and that day job happens to be at target. let’s answer some questions on that, shall we?
does target sponsor you?
no way, no how. everything i post is of my own free will. if i earn affiliate income from a purchase someone makes from my blog, that’s through the affiliate company (usually rewardstyle or shopstyle collective).
what’s your day job?
i’m in finance (more specifically, financial operations) for one of our digital marketing teams. it’s great because my job is so far removed from the stores i’m able to really shop a target store like a real consumer, not someone who works at HQ. i have no biases about the products other than my own experience.
what do you enjoy most about your job?
the people i work with are brilliant, doesn’t matter the level. peers, leaders … literally everyone is so smart. it keeps me on my toes and makes it so i HAVE to bring my best, everyday. think of it like playing a tough sports schedule. it makes life hard, but the things you accomplish are that much cooler because you’re doing it with the best of the best.
do you want to stay in the corporate world forever?
for now! a long, long time ago i discussed the concept of being an “intrapreneur,” and that’s what i’m able to do at target. i can work on projects that allow for some startup mentality with the resources of a large company. plus, when you have kids, things like a 401k and health insurance are important. i also love working with a team. i leave the office every day smarter than when i got there that morning, and that’s not something you can put a price on.
what’s work-life balance like?
first of all, balance is a bulls**t word. i prefer to think of it like ‘work-life integration.’ the people i work with also have families, so the days i need to take off to go get a sick kid, it’s understood. on the flip side, i go in early and work at night to offset the fact that i leave at 4p everyday to make it home to see my kids for more than a few minutes. it just works for me, for now. i’m also intensely lucky that joey does daycare dropoff every morning and pickup for the majority of the year. we also have family that helps SO MUCH. honestly, we couldn’t make it work without our family. it really does take a village.
best career advice?
put your head down and work. pay your dues. you are not above taking notes in a meeting, grabbing coffee for the team, or organizing the fun events at ANY point in your career. seriously, it grinds my gears when i hear people complaining. even if you aren’t working at your dream job, understand how lucky you are to have a job in a place where you can make an income and support yourself. many people aren’t so lucky.
i love hearing career advice, so go ahead and drop yours in the comments below!