Is Working Remotely for You?

How I got into the Industry

If you would have asked me when I was younger if I would be working in the tech industry, I would have told you that you’re crazy. I originally wanted to study fashion, so that I could become a fashion stylist. When I went to the fashion school in downtown San Diego, the price tag on it was outrageous, so I decided to change my academic vision. I opted to go to community college and declared my major in psychology. Eventually, I transferred to San Diego State University and graduated with my bachelors.

While I was attending SDSU I met my first boss in the tech industry, who is the founder and CEO of a digital marketing firm, based in San Diego and Seattle. When he told me what he did for a living, I didn’t fully understand it at first. Regardless, I thought it was super cool because it involved the internet. I LOVE the internet.

After being his personal assistant for almost two years, he offered me a position in his digital marketing agency. I didn’t know what to expect nor did I fully understand what I was going to be doing. I started from the bottom and have gradually moved up over time as I have learned new online marketing strategies.

I’ll be honest- I needed a job when I first started. I was on a super tight student budget and anything would help to pay the bills. I had a hard time finding a regular job due to the economy, my crazy class schedule and my lack of job experience.

After being in the tech industry for the past four years here are some of my thoughts...

Advantages of Working Remotely in the Tech Industry

• Hours of Flexibility
• I think this is my favorite advantage.
• As long as I get the work done and attend meetings, it doesn’t matter what time I am working. I tend to go to the doctor a lot and have other life commitments, so I can adjust my schedule when I have to.
• I try to keep a consistent routine and work the same hours for the same company, so I can be reliable and dependable.
• This is a great option for mothers!
• Pay
• If you know what you are doing, you are more likely able to charge more than the minimum wage, which is a HUGE plus in my book.

• Easier to Find Work Online than Traditional Work
• I have found that most of my co-workers have their own company on the side. If they know that you work hard, complete tasks on time and do a great job- they are likely to hire you for some additional projects.
• It’s all about networking people!
• Of course, there are online job sites that can help you find work when you need to such as Elance, UpWork and LinkedIn.

• Working from Practically Anywhere with an Internet Connection
• Most of the time I am working from home, which means I can sing along to my favorite tunes on iTunes or Spotify, when I am not on the phone for a meeting.
• Check out my Spotify Playlist HERE.
• Be sure to follow my playlist! I am constantly adding new music on there.
• Also if you have any suggestions, please feel free to send me a message!
• If you want to change things up, you can head over to Starbucks or other coffee shops that offer FREE WIFI.
• I once went out of town, and I will still able to check in!

Here are Some Stats about the Ladies in Technology

I read an Elance infographic recently about Women in Technology, which inspired this article. I found their information interesting and totally relatable for me. Here they are:

• Individuals who are freelancers are 41% millennials
• This is the category I fall under because I was born in 1987.
• 44% of freelancers live in the United States
• I live in California.
• 45% of women lack a female role model that works in the tech industry
• This statement is SO true for me. I didn’t know any ladies in the tech industry until I started working in it and have met many tech savvy ladies.
• Having diverse projects helps strengthen one’s skills by 65%
• I have had the honor and privilege of marketing various industries from app development, home insurance, alarm insurance, business insurance, commercial real estate, management software and many more.
• Online work allows women with kids to spend more time at home by 60%
• This is a great advantage because there is no work commute or daycares involved.
• It's easier to find jobs online than compete for a traditional full-time job by 60%

What do you think, ladies? Will you give a tech job a try like I did?

Source:

Elance

My Go To Road Trip Essentials

This week, I am headed on a road trip from San Diego to Gilbert, AZ. I've been on MANY road trips,  and sometimes, I find myself to either enjoy it and feel refreshed OR hating it and being grumpy. 

Here are some tips and tricks to make the most of it. Hopefully, they will be helpful to some of you who are about to embark on an adventure as well!

1) Get Plenty of Rest the Night BEFORE

I can not stress this enough! If your schedule permits, definitely try to sneak a nap in the day before. It will help not get the urge to doze off in the car. 

2) Leave Early in the Morning= Maximizing your Vacation Time 

I have found that leaving in the wee hours in the morning is the best time to travel because there are fewer people on the road and you will get to your destination early. Meaning that you can take a nap before you go out for dinner or seeing someone in your destination. Even better, you can still go out exploring. 

3) Pack LOTS of Water and Healthy Snacks

We all get hungry and want to eat something in the car. Packing healthy snacks and water can help you save time and money. Granola bars and trail mix and dry fruit are my favorite snacks to buy. And I get a case of water. They are less expensive if you go buy them at your local convenient store. Gas store prices are ALWAYS overpriced. 

OH! If  you love coffee as much as I do, pack a travelers mug to save money on your coffee. Plus, it's good for the environment!

4) Wear Comfy Clothes and Shoes

No one wants to be uncomfy in the car...So wear some yoga pants and big comfy shirt. Also, be sure to pack a sweatshirt, it may be cold in the morning! No one wants to be freezing their butts off when they are pumping for gas. ;) 

P.S. Always pack something extra in case you spill something too!

5) An Amazing Playlist

You definitely need some groovy tunes, especially if the road is long.  It will help keep you pumped and create ambiance for the ride for you and your road trip buddies! Make sure to keep your playlist varied, so you don't bored or sleepy with your playlist. Add songs that will help make the time fly by and keep you singing and alert!

If you have unlimited data, don't forget about Pandora where you can mix your favorite radio stations. And use Spotify to create a playlist!

Hope this helped. Let me know what you do to get ready for a road trip down below!

Until next time! 

Thanks for Breaking my Heart, Ben.

*Please note that the title is NOT sarcasm.

They always say that relationships are about taking risks because we never know what the outcome may be. Are we going to be with the person for a long time or not? Are they our forever? We never know until we take that leap of faith to find out.

After years of not seeing someone on a consistent basis, I finally did for about two months. Quite honestly, I learned some valuable lessons that I don't think I would have otherwise. Here is what I learned...

#1: Being Vulnerable Isn't THAT Scary

Considering that I am an introvert, I have a professional personality exam from a social psychologist to prove it. It's VERY hard for me to bring new people into my life. I've always been this way, and it's easy for me to open up to people that I have known for years because it's comfortable. And after all these years, I know that they love me and accept me for who I am.

However, being with Ben, I was able to open up with him and share very personal things. It came naturally to me. I didn't question it. I didn't stop myself. I was just me, and it was refreshing to be vulnerable with someone new who didn't know anything about me. I thrived off that feeling and figured that it wasn't that bad.

After this experience, I want to be vulnerable again when it feels right with the right person. And that it's not that scary after all like I had it figured out in my head.

#2: We All Have Different Values, Opinions, Interests And They Should be Respected

We all have different things that we value such as religion and politics, etc. We are all entitled to believe in what we want, have our OWN opinions and interests. That's the beauty of living in America and being human. As much as this is something that we pride ourselves as a society in having, we have to learn to co-exist with one another without judgment and criticism, which is easier said than done.

I have found that being respected in ALL aspects of life is what matters. We need to be respected as a human. I've always thought about being respected meant that nothing bad would happen to me, and people wouldn't be rude to me or make fun of me, etc.

But in turn, I've learned we just need to be respected for who we are as a person. And that NOT everyone will have the same opinion as me, and that is okay. It's important for us to know/ hear other people's perspectives and appreciate their point of view no matter what.

Ben and I valued completely different things, and it created a wedge in our relationship. When I was in college studying psychology, I learned that we tend to gravitate to people that are similar to us such as beliefs, interests and the like. I never thought about that before. I was always attracted to someone different than me. But now I know how big of a part that plays in any kind of relationship.


Be with someone with enough similarities on things that we wouldn't want to compromise such as marriage, kids, and life goals, etc.


#3: We ALL Communicate Our Needs Differently

People communicate their needs differently, whether by physical touch, reassurance, quality time, receiving or giving gifts, etc. I am an emotional person, and I tend to get attached to people easily if I feel comfortable around them. I am a talker, and I like to get to know people. I love it. It's easy for me to be this way when it's more one-on-one. I like to feel reassured about the relationship I am in. He was a physical touch person, he likes to be close, hugging, touching, etc. I feel like those affections bring people closer and can definitely help someone feel reassured in a relationship.

It's important to let the other person know how you communicate your needs, and be able to create a balance. One of the main reasons why we ended was because I smothering him with my emotions and he was smothering me with physical affection. We didn't even get a chance to figure that out, but it's definitely important too.

#4: Stay True to Yourself

As cliche as this may sound, it's so true, we MUST stay true to ourselves. At times, it can be easy to get caught up in the moment and go with the flow because we don't want to feel left out or be the oddball. However, this can turn into a bad habit and we can deny our genuine selves and other people miss out on knowing who we truly are.

I found myself pushing myself and trying to be the person that I thought that he wanted and needed. But in turn, I went against my beliefs and felt guilty about it. I wasn't true to myself, and it hurt me in the end, more than the break up of our relationship. We can only change ourselves for the better, and not for someone else because that isn't as satisfying.

#5: Moving On

Moving on after a breakup can be difficult. We cope with it differently and mourn for different amounts of time depending on the length and intensity of a relationship. As much as we feel for someone, we can't always go back to them no matter how much we want them back for various reasons. We won't always be liked by someone, things don't always work out the way we want them too and things change.

At one point, we have to pick ourselves back up and put ourselves out there in the world. Not necessarily dating, but focus on ourselves such as our goals whether it be professional or personal.

Here I am after my break up with Ben, writing like I always have enjoyed doing, but have stopped because I didn't feel like I had something to say. Now, I do. I am reevaluating my life, working on personal growth and doing things that I enjoy, and maybe even going back to school for fashion.

I won't deny the fact that there are days where I find myself thinking about him and reminiscing about our time together. And I do miss the feeling that he would give me. As difficult as it may be sometimes, I know that I will find someone who will love and accept me for who all that I am.