SoundGirls.org: I never really followed the “traditional” path to get to where I am today. The world of audio has led me in all kinds of different directions. And it made me a better engineer because of it.
I didn’t start out knowing I wanted to be an audio engineer. In fact, I had no clue what I wanted to do. I went to college after high school because I have Dominican parents, and as the child of immigrants, there’s tons of pressure to do better and take full advantage of the opportunities this country has to offer.
4 comments:
It was really cool to see this girls career path. She is a great example of NOT taking any free jobs but still getting to the place you wanna be. I like the advice that her professor gave her to go somewhere where you can make all your mistakes. Because the more mistakes you make early on in your career the faster you learn and master your discipline. It’s insane how many free jobs are available and how many she turned down. She definitely has a growth mindset though because she took a radio job and offers free studio sessions just to learn. Those skills make her desirable to have on a project and so people who know her recommends her for jobs. Hence, the saying it’s not about who you know it’s about who knows you. That’s comforting to me because I get scared to assert myself even when I know the worst thing they can say is no. But you will get jobs by your peers recommending you for jobs as well and that’s also networking,
Everything about this article makes me want to scream, listen to this woman as she speaks the truth. Firstly, I one hundred percent that it is not who you, but who knows you. I got some of my most satisfying (and well-paying) jobs before the pandemic, not because I knew someone in the organization and knew to look out for the job, but because someone knew me and sought me out. When there are people who know your skill set, who know your work ethic, and know your talents, you will be one of the first people they think of when a job comes up that you’re perfect for. A tip I got for interviews is “they want to hire you just as much you want to be hire, because it means their search is over, so they are on your side.” That extends to before the interviews even begin. If organization can skip the search entirely because someone knows someone else who is going to do the job well, they will absolutely make that happens. Also, yes to not taking free working. It is large organizations that can afford to eat the cost of your first mistakes, of the free studio time while you are learning. That extra burden of “unproductivity” should not have to fall to the individual when the organizations can fit it into their budgets.
This article is really good at showing how one job can lead to another, and another, and another. We are constantly told that connections are everything in the theatre industry but seeing her point of view on how to gain and maintain those connections was refreshing. Her insistence on not taking free jobs was very important and I couldn't agree more. The way she talked about her learning experience and mistakes she made at the beginning of her career was so good to hear because it is something I worry about frequently. Her advice on how to get into the industry and knowing that getting your foot in the door at one established location can help get you in the door at may others in the future. Forming good connections is definitely a significant part about networking but she shows that it works so much differently then one assumes. It is a comfort to know that just getting your foot in the door is a significant step and that hard work in the first place can lead to so many wonderful opportunities in the future.
I love the advice about going somewhere where you can mess up. Messing up and making mistakes is apart of the process. Being in an environment that allows you to do that, ask questions, and try again is where you need to be when you are starting out. Especially as a young artist, I look up to a lot of people that are super successful and working on amazing projects across the world. That can be daunting to think about because you want that, you want to be working on those big exciting projects! You have to keep it in perspective. Those things take time, working on those projects takes years of experience, tons of failures, and a lot of growth. We as college students need to remember that things don't happen overnight! You have to be in it for the long haul and you have to be ready to sustain a lot of hard work (don't burn out). All you can do is learn from every moment, give yourself the understanding and patience that you will fail at times, make as many connections as you can, and find ways to enjoy the work throughout the whole process.
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