Office Manager- Graphic Design Company

I Love Facebook!  I have recently gotten back in touch with an old friend from the hood in Michigan.   Liz was a few years older than me and I idolized her!  I remember trying to copy one of her haircuts and it looked amazing on her  and not so hot on me!  She was so creative, always coming up with the best games and clubs (The Horse and Rider Club, The King Cobra Club… etc).  She has taken her creativity to a whole new level!

Q:  What is the title of your profession?

A:  I don’t really have a title, but I would call it office manager.

Q:  What do you do?

A:  I work in a Graphic Design Office.  I answer the phones, pay the bills, run errands, get print quotes for print jobs that we do here, take pictures, layout a newsletter for one of our clients, put content into web sites that we design, I help to run the gallery that we have in our building, and various other things that need doing.

Q:  Have you always worked in this field?

A:  No, prior to this I was a graphic designer at a university.  I was also a photographer at the same university in the Public Information Office. I didn’t really chose to change, but rather, my employer offered me a chance to change or the chance to be unemployed. I chose to be a graphic designer.

Q: Why did you choose this profession?

A:  I studied photojournalism at Bowling Green State University. I have always liked talking to people, but I discovered early on that people are more open if you’re not writing down what they say. You would be amazed at some of the stuff people will say to a curious photographer!

Q:  How would you define your profession?

A:  Right now, I would define it as all-encompassing. A little of this and a little of that. I have mad organizational skills and I think that helps to manage the day-to-day things that a small business needs done that the boss doesn’t have time to do.

Q:  Did you go to college or a trade school for this profession?

A:  I did not go to college for this particular job, but I did go to college and majored in photojournalism and that got me my first job at a newspaper, which I had for a summer before I got a job at the university. I worked at the university for 22 years. That’s a long time in one place!

Q:  Do you use your degree in your job?  In what way?

A:  Yes but not in any direct way now. I think careers in creative fields tend to make adaptable employees. I was basically out of a job after 10 years at the university when they decided to ask me if I would be interested in becoming a graphic designer. I had no training in that field. I learned it all as I did it. I had some good teachers in my co-workers and especially the student interns we had in our office.

Q:  Can your degree be used as a basis for any other professions?  What types?

A:  Sure! Journalists become authors all the time. And clearly, other creative fields are attainable with the desire to learn and the right people to teach you. I was a photographer who became a graphic designer who became an office manager who has to handle some of the financial parts of the business.

Q:  Des your job require continued education?  

A:   No.

Q:  What is a day in the life of your job?  Does it change day to day?  Do you work with the public?

A:  A day in the life of my job can be really busy or not so much depending on what’s going on. Yes, it changes from day to day and yes, I deal with the public. I answer the phone and sometimes I am the first voice of our company that anyone hears. In this business (and I think all businesses), it’s important to be polite and professional as well as friendly.

Q:  What do you think makes a person successful in this profession?

A:  Being able to learn new things and being flexible. I think it’s most important to like being around people and to like talking to people. You need to give a good impression.

Q:  Does your profession require travel?  How much?

A:  Only around town and it depends on what we’re working on how much running around there is.

Q:  What is the typical schedule/hours?

A:  I work 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 pm.

Q:   What is the most rewarding part of your job?

A:  Since the company is my husband’s (and mine!) it makes me feel good to know that I am helping the greater cause and feeling like a part of a team. I also like to see how an idea becomes a concrete thing. Like when the we sit around coming up with ideas for TV commercials and then when I see the finished product I am always amazed and proud.

Q:  What do you dislike about your job?

A:  Dealing with telemarketers who call and want to speak to “the person in charge of making decisions.” I can assure you that the “person in charge of making decisions” is even less interested in talking to a telemarketer than I am.

Q:  What advice would you give to a child/student that is considering this profession?

A:  Be true to who you are and be willing to learn. Keep an open mind. Be nice to people. You never know who you might need to help you in the future.

Q:  If you had to do it all over again, would you choose the same profession?

A:  Probably not. I think if I had known myself better when I was younger, I would have chosen a career in the fashion industry. Maybe not as a designer, but probably as a buyer.

Q:  My children want to know if your profession is fun?

A:  Yes. I would say all of my professions have been fun but I would say that it’s because I am fun and I make fun wherever I go. ; )  ***  I would agree with that!!! ***

Q:  Do you receive a pension?

A:  Well, hopefully I will. When I worked at the university, I paid into something called the Public Employees’ Retirement System and now I pay into Social Security. I am pretty hopeful that my PERS money will be there when I retire, but I’m not so sure about Social Security. I also invest portions of my money for retirement purposes and the company has a matching program.