Unconventional career path and owning it
A couple of years ago, hell, I could not actually tell you how long ago it was when this thought popped into my head. I’ve been working in the events industry for the last 16 years now, driven by one end goal: to work at mainstream concerts someday. When I officially transitioned into events full-time, I figured my career path would be something like events assistant, events coordinator, event manager, and so on. But boy did my career have surprises for me.
When I moved back to Auckland from Sydney in 2017, I was on the lookout for an event coordinator role. I landed a conference producer role. Somehow, even though it was the first time I was venturing into a new area of events, I felt like I really knew what I was signing up for. Like I had been doing it for years. I had developed a love for writing in the last couple of years at university, and for those who have followed my journey for a while, will know I used to write travel blogs.
Then one day, came an epiphany. How do I get my career back on track? Is it even on track? If so, where is this track? How does this relate to working at mainstream concerts? I struggled with these thoughts. As I thought over the next chapter, I felt lost. I did not really know what roles I wanted to direct my efforts towards. What were my skills? When you’ve been doing something for a while, you can get tunnel vision, and it can be hard to see anything beyond it.
Then in 2023, I had an opportunity to design a festival concept and pitch it. As I started to put the concept together, I could slowly see that the path I had been on was perfect for me. I learned about designing concepts that stand out to people through putting together conferences, especially newly launched conferences. You have to think through the flow. Get the right sessions with the right speakers. A festival line-up is no different. Figure out a genre you want to explore, and if you’re brave, try multi-genre, but maybe not for a launch event. Think of the line-up, what’s your budget appetite (and more so, risk appetite)? How many artists do you want, or do you want to prioritise a headline show with a couple of supporting acts?
For the first time, I loved that I had the skills that helped me develop a concept. It was also probably the first time I acknowledged that though I’ve had an unconventional journey in the world of events, I’ve had the right opportunities and experiences to steer my career in the direction I want it to go. This confidence has only grown as I’ve been on-site for more events, be it major events or festivals.
So, if there’s one thing I can tell you today, it is not to stress if you have not had the conventional career path in your industry. You’re right where you’re meant to be. Everything is unfolding in ways you cannot imagine. Job titles are just that. It’s your experience, knowledge, and skills that make you stand out
Until next time,
Mili
