Because the last several months have been some of the most difficult for me. I truly would describe it as surviving instead of thriving.
My main goal for 2021 isn’t to train for some brand new Ironman race or achieve some lofty professional or financial goal. While I have set some fitness and financial goals for myself, they are the top of the priority list.
To get it out there in the open my main goal and top priority next to being a husband and father: my mental health.
Right before the holidays I was officially diagnosed with depression with a side of anxiety and mounting, overwhelming life stressors.
Just how bad was it?
As we take time to reflect on this past year, with all its ups and downs, we want to thank you for continuing to support us and for showing up for your community. Because of you, we were able to fund our first ever scholarship program, and we awarded four Black Creative Students scholarships to students from all over the country. This year, we were also able to publish 26 new blog posts, had 10,400 page views, added and featured 4 new contributing editors, hired and on-boarded a super creative new social media, Greer Blount, and offered our first writing internship to Maggie Barbour who created and published 10 posts in less than 12 weeks.
It's been an eventful year for out team, and to close it all off, TNM founder Kevin O'Connell is sharing his thoughts on 2020, dealing with change and transitions as a new dad and entrepreneur, and finding new approaches for 2021. Keep reading for Kevin’s end-of-the-year message!
Working freelance may sound glamorous at first, but those who've been doing it for a while know it takes hard work. Getting your business off the ground isn't easy and sometimes it means juggling various projects all at once, but it also has it's benefits - I mean you are your own boss after all!
This week, writing intern Maggie Barbour asks The Niche Movement's Editor-in-Chief Jaylene Perez and founder Kevin O'Connell, both of whom have experience in freelancing, what it really takes to make it work.
Read on for Jaylene and Kevin's best practices when it comes to finding clients, marketing your services, settings rates, and more!
For all those in pursuit of professional development, this week we're taking a look at which skills you'll want to brush up on depending on your specific industry. Whether you're a freelancer, marketer, entrepreneur, or work in another creative role, you'll want to read up on what will make you and your work really shine.
Tap below for the full post!
Job searching is a tough task on its own, and job searching during a pandemic... well we know it's not easy. You'll have to be flexible, know how to network and market yourself, and really hone in on what it is your looking for as you search for the right fit.
To find out what can help you land your dream job, keep reading!
Being geeky has always been a part of me. So much so that I made it my professional “brand” (which I put in air quotes since branding can be a loaded term but it’s the best way to capture a professional identity). I created the moniker “Higher Ed Geek” for myself several years back as a way to capture who I am, what I care about, and a way to distinguish myself in a crowded world.
In my 10+ years of working with, advising, and interviewing college students, the number one area where students can stand out and sound more professional upon their age and experience is being prepared to answer one of the most common questions. Though often overlooked and rarely prepared for, “Do you have any questions?” will be asked 9 times out of 10.
I have been on both sides of an interview, and throughout my time in the “real world” I have learned and confirmed that having a list of prepared questions will set you apart, especially if you are interviewing for an internship or entry level job.
Over the past 10 years, I’ve found that it’s easy to burn out when you’re involved in the work to make a difference, and you no longer see that difference. It’s easy to get distracted by the bottom line rather than focus on the big picture. It’s also just as frustrating to see your former colleagues and friends rise to a higher level in the for-profit world and wonder if it’s your sector that’s holding you back.
Are you undervalued? Are you underpaid? Did you make all the wrong choices in your career?
These are valid questions. But for me, it comes down to whether I am internally happy and satisfied with the work I am doing. If I am not satisfied with how I am spending 50+ hours of my week (this includes my DC commute), then my whole life is off kilter, and something needs to change. So, how do I change my circumstances? How do I prevent burnout? And how do I know when certain elements are outside of my control, and it’s time for a career move?
Here are seven keys to internal happiness that I’ve learned while working in the nonprofit sector.
Here at TNM, we seek to inspire the community and help others create positive changes in their lives. Recently, to go along with this, our founder Kevin O’Connell taught a monthly course at General Assembly titled Career Shifts: Find the Work You Love focused on helping a variety of professionals realize a career transition is possible and where to start. The truth is, there are so many people in the same boat who don’t realize others share these struggles and doubts, particularly in their professional career. The second truth is that there is a way to overcome it. This is why TNM continues to share these stories. The following is an anonymous letter, from a young professional in the D.C. area to Kevin who attended his class and is in the process of switching jobs and seeking change. It is both honest, transparent, and relatable, as well as reassuring in away. A “dream job” or perfect “work-life balance” may not be in your life right now, and that’s okay.
On June 14th, 2017, we sat down with the solopreneur and founder of Don't Sit Home, Amanda Morrison, for our sixth fireside chat part of our NicheCon series.
We talked about the importance of social media as a branding tool for business, past job experiences, maintaining connections, networking and much more. In this chat, Kevin interviews Amanda on her journey from a stable day job running copyright law at Associate Press to the responsibilities of being her own boss managing Don't Sit Home.
Amanda was able to take this leap of faith in her professional career because of the passion she has for what she does. The road to thriving in her business was paved with lots of adversity, but she held her professional knowledge dear and was able to establish a solid foundation to her business today.
Don't Sit Home® is a social media management and event planning service that embodies the mission of a total experience. Amanda has been driving this side hustle for a number of years and decided to make it her full time job in May 2014. Her ultimate goal is to inspire anyone and everyone to go out and live their passions in a unique way. This is a much watch (or listen) to anyone in eventing planning, travel, social media, or trying to take a side hustle to full-time.
