Monique Johnson is on the Move!

Name: Monique Johnson

Age: 25

Occupation: Financial Analyst and Community Manager for Genjuice during the day; Blogger and Social Media Consultant by night

Where are you from? Raised by Jamaican Parents in Atlanta, Georgia

Did you go to college? Where? Howard University (The Real HU) in Washington, D.C.

What did you study? I received a BBA degree majoring in Finance

Where do you work? A major bank on Wall Street, Myself and at Genjuice.

Why did you pick this career?
I chose to work in Finance because I literally went with the flow and was easily drawn in with the “major bonus” bait that was attached at the end of a stick. On a more serious note, I was deeply engrossed with learning how businesses operated; determining a company’s health by reading their financial statements and 10Q’s; learning about the stock and bond market and what affects them. All of this was really exciting stuff to me and some of it still is!

What are your future plans for your career?
I have recently decided that it is time for a career change and seek a new path in marketing & digital media. I would like to create my own digital multimedia marketing firm that specializes in online video. I was well on my way down the MBA-path but within the last year and a half I did a lot of soul-searching along with developing the guts to tell my folks that the MBA just wasn’t for me.

How did you get involved in this career?
I knew from the first day that working in Finance or at least working in a support role was something I did not want to do. But I held on for quite some time because I started off in a rotational program and I was really relying on luck and hope that I would land in a group that I absolutely loved. Unfortunately that did not happen. I experienced 3 CEO’s fired; a major takeover from another major bank; and lastly seeing people drop like flies from their cubes from the result of massive lay-offs. I am very blessed to have survived all of this but it just made me even unhappier and angry. I quickly realized that I had no control of where my career was heading by working for these banks and they could end my career with a snap! I was convinced that something else was out there and that’s when I came across the blogosphere and Jenny Blake’s Life After College was my introduction.

How did you prepare yourself for this career?
I engrossed myself as much as I could in blogs that covered various topics and that’s when the light bulb went off and I discovered that I really would like to pursue social media marketing and digital media. My 2010 New Year’s Resolution was to hit the ground running with my first blog that honestly did not do well but I used it as leverage to interview some key people; gained a social media internship; and took the initiative to expand my network. The summer of 2010 I pledged to myself that I would attend as many networking/social media/ tech events possible and that’s when I met the co-founders of Genjuice during their national tour. Since then, I have been hired as the marketing director for Coach Jennie and I recently launched my new blog Another Twenty-Something where I hope to inspire 20-somethings to start their next project and conquer their fears.

And if you just happened to land in this career what made you stay?
I am currently transitioning into this new career and recently set a date where I will walk away from the 9-to-5. I think I will be staying with my new path for quite some time.

What are the downsides to this profession?
I think I’ve some what covered the extreme cases of what could possibly happen to someone in a earlier question but in a nut shell the major downside is not having control over what you want to do: from when to take lunch and for how long; when to come and leave aka “Face Time”; I think you get the gist.

What is a typical workday for you?
A typical work day includes both a 9 to 5 and 5 to 9. Well more like 5 to 1. I normally wake up around 6ish to tweak final edits to my potential posts for publishing, to comment on other blogs and catch up on emails. I am at my full-time job from about 9 to 5 give or take where I sneak in some Facebook updates and posts, Twitter tweets and further blog commenting. Shhh, don’t tell anyone. Once I make it home, I quickly make dinner and then I am glued to my laptop for the next 5 hours or so. In order to reach the deadline of walking away, there’s a lot of hard work to put in.

How might this job be a stepping stone to other professions?
As mentioned before, I plan to launch my own multimedia marketing firm that specializes in online video. Being a blogger, consultant and Community Manager is helping me get closer to this goal by expanding my network and developing many skills required of an entrepreneur such as: building a community and converting them into potential clients, communication skills, customer service and the list goes on. The biggest factor has been the experience gained from being a part of a startup (Genjuice).

What is the single-most important piece of advice you can offer a person pursuing this career?
Take Action. Taking the initiative, networking, and creating projects all fall underneath this umbrella.

What steps do you recommend to someone who is planning to pursue this career?
Go to networking events and get comfortable with striking up conversations. Once a connection is made, make sure to keep in touch. Many people fail when it comes to this and it ends up being a mere waste of your time. Lastly, start off with the pro bono route and ask for detailed recommendations or create a bartering relationship (one service in exchange for another).

What professional or community volunteer organizations are you currently a member of?
I am a member of NY Cares and Cents Ability.

How can we find out more about you? You can visit ATS, my blog or my About.me page.

Where can we stalk you online?
Facebook Fan Page: Another Twenty-Something
Twitter: @MoniqueOJohnson
LinkedIn: Monique Johnson