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Monday, February 29, 2016

Hello Monday: My day job

Jacket: LOFT (option) | Necklace: Charming Charlie (c/o) | Bag: Rebecca Minkoff (gifted) | Top: bp | Bracelet: Charming Charlie (c/o) | Bottoms: Express | Flats: Halogen

Happy leap day! It's the bonus last day of February, which happens to kick off an extra busy travel month for me! I may look relaxed in these photos, but the anxiety of having to pack and travel is haunting me! It's all good stuff though - my first trip happens today. I will be in Birmingham, AL for the night, then on Friday I leave for Jupiter, FL to see my beloved Cardinals play a couple of spring training baseball games. I also get to have dinner with some special blogger babes, so this weekend is extra exciting for me! Then I head to San Antonio Tuesday through Thursday next week - it's for work, but I get to squeeze in some family time as well, which is awesome! And finally, I will be in Dallas for a conference that following Sunday through Wednesday. Tired yet? Because I know I am!



Every time I talk about having to travel for work, there always ends up being a handful of readers who wonder what I do for a living. I'm sure I've touched on it a few times here on the blog, but since it's probably been awhile, I figured I would go ahead and re-hash it for those that are interested or simply forgot.

I grew up in San Antonio and graduated with a degree in architecture. I worked for a small firm in San Antonio for a couple of years after I graduated until cupid moved me to Ann Arbor, MI. Yep, talk about a culture shock! Ann Arbor is a beautiful, amazing city, but it was definitely an adjustment from San Antonio because of the cost of living as well as with the people, culture, and weather. I worked for an architecture firm that specialized in retail development. I managed an account for a national restaurant chain, and long story short, that restaurant chain ended up hiring me directly, but not as an architect, as a development project manager. That's when I moved to the St. Louis metro area. Think of my position as the party planner of sorts. Once a project was approved by our real estate committee, it was my job to manage the project schedule through lease negotiations, landlord coordination, and permit approvals with the end goal of getting it under construction and ultimately open as quickly as possible. Having my architecture degree certainly helped me understand the development process a little better, but it wasn't a requirement for that job. It was truly a project management role in its purest form so organization, communication, and risk management were the most important skills in which I needed to excel.



I speak of this role in past tense because last year I started a new position for the same company. I'm now in the design development department where I am responsible for managing any changes to the prototype. So, if we decide we want to change specifications on a certain paint or artwork or furniture, it's my job to track it, make sure all of our prototype drawings and specs are updated to reflect the change, and communicate everything to all affected departments. That's my biggest responsibility, though there are a bunch of miscellaneous tasks that fall under my umbrella as well.

One of the many benefits of moving from my Development Project Manager role into my Design Development position is being able to support the entire system verses just a handful of markets. I no longer have a "territory" like I did before (which was predominantly all the cold states, including Canada), so that leads to more opportunities to travel to fun places, including my hometown of San Antonio. It's also nice to be directly tied to our design creative team. While I may not be doing any of the designing myself, it's still refreshing to have that exposure.


My husband works for the same company - it's where we met, actually. He works in real estate though, specifically "non-traditional" real estate like colleges, hospitals, and food courts. He also acts as a real estate advisor for a handful of our Franchisees. As a result, he definitely has to travel wayyyyy more than I do. In my current position, I only travel once every couple months or so, though this month is the exception. 

Luckily, our office is pretty laid back and I can basically wear anything that I want and I'm not limited to business casual slacks and button ups. I do try to "dress up" for external meetings though. It's pretty difficult to describe my current position, or even my past position. To this day, I don't think anyone in my family could tell you what I do! Ha! But, that's it in a nut shell! Now you know what I'm doing when I'm not blogging!


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40 comments :

  1. Always nice to hear about what people do for a day job :) Mine is pretty boring, I just work in IT, although the projects I work on differ and sometimes I get to travel, depending on what I'm working on. I've been requesting local projects for a while though with baby, it's working well :)

    Thank you for the link up!


    Away From The Blue Blog

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  2. You explained it perfectly lol and your job does sound fun. I love seeing you in flats :)

    xo
    PinkSole

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  3. Your career sounds very interesting and challenging. I used to work in real estate for years both in Europe and in the States. No two days were the same. LOL Your outfit is comfy and very polished. Something I would wear when traveling. Have a great week!
    Http://redreticule.com

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  4. Thanks for sharing more of your life. I love hearing people's stories. Hope your trip goes well!

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  5. Thanks for sharing your job with us. Love this casual look and safe travels!

    http://www.kathrineeldridge.com

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  6. so cool! thanks for sharing. good luck on your trip!
    elle
    Southern Elle Style

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  7. What a super-busy month! It sounds like you have some fun mixed in there too along with the work. :) I love this jacket and your stripe flats! It's so nice you have a laid-back office environment!

    Fizz and Frosting

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  8. Cute outfit, and what a fun job there. You wear many hats but look great while doing it. I hope you and your hubby have safe travels soon.
    Rachel xo
    http://garaytreasures.com

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  9. First let's talk about this short jacket you are wearing, I love it and as always your sense of style is on point. Traveling can be a bit taxing but I'm looking forward to seeing how stylish you are on the road! Looking forward to seeing you this weekend. Safe travels girl!

    www.dressed2dnines.com

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  10. Your job sounds very interesting! I always love to hear what other bloggers do for a living- thanks for sharing! I hope you have a wonderful trip!

    Brittany,
    www.lawyerlookbook.com

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  11. Everything about this look is so chic but the shoes are killer by far - Have a fab week ahead!

    Rebecca
    http://www.redtagchiclosangeles.com

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  12. Just love love love this entire look!! Obsessed with that jacket!

    Have a great week girl!!

    Xo Erica
    Casually Styled

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  13. You look so cute as usual! I love the jacket and those striped shoes! Have a good trip!
    Mary

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  14. Thanks for sharing about your job! I have a friend who does something similar for the federal government and I don't think she can fully explain her job, either!

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  15. Love this! I knew broadly what you did, but this is more detailed. You have a lot of travel coming up, wow! Have fun and hopefully get some rest too. Love your stripes.

    Amy Ann
    Straight A Style

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  16. Wow you have a very busy but exciting traveling ahead of you in March. You look adorable too. I just recently picked up very similar striped flats and similar green field jacket. Happy Monday!

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  17. Loved reading about your job! I mean, I already knew basically but this was an excellent, detailed explanation. I am just so impressed with how much you keep up with your blog/social media on top of such a demanding job!
    Gina || On the Daily Express

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  18. I always love hearing what people do. I work as a project manager for education "software" development. I am always intrigued by other PM-type jobs - and congrats on your new job. (I love Ann Arbor - and its food.)

    Lisa
    Daily Style Finds

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  19. Just reading about your life sounds stressful to me, but it sure must be exciting. My husband works with a lot of project managers. They do travel and get stressed out a lot. Love your shoes!

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  20. Love learning what other bloggers do for day jobs.
    This look is perfect Love your stripes, necklace jacket!

    xx, Elise
    www.sparkleandslippers.blogspot.com

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  21. I had no clue what you did so that was fun to read! Sounds like a fun job too! :)

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  22. It sounds like you've had some really interesting positions! All that organization skills definitely shows on your blog too! Good luck with all the traveling!
    xo Adri
    www.adrilately.blogspot.com

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  23. So interesting to learn more about you, thank you for sharing. Love the striped shoes paired with the striped shirt!

    Thank you for hosting.

    Cherie
    http://www.stylenudge.com
    STYLE NUDGE

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  24. What an exciting job! I always admire people who are willing to stretch themselves and aren't afraid to jump into a new role. I always tell my kids to just get that degree and who knows what they might end up doing. We are going to the Astros spring training in March..minor league..to see my son during this first year!

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  25. What a cool job! Love this look!

    Becky
    www.bybmgblog.com

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  26. It sounds like you are a logistical queen in your job! This outfit is super cute. Love the striped shirt under the olive jacket.

    https://forsevenseasons.wordpress.com

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  27. I'm so happy you wrote this because although I knew a little bit about your job through our meet ups, now it's crystal clear! What a fun career! I think the traveling part would be my favorite. I seriously want a career change, but with my degree, it's hard. I often wonder what the future holds next, so it's nice to hear about other options out there. Have a safe week!

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  28. I love this fun, classic look--especially those striped flats! I loved hearing more about what you do for a living too, your job sounds really interesting! I plan a lot of travel for my job, but don't do any traveling myself--sometimes I wish I did though!
    Shea | www.shealennon.com

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  29. I always love finding out more about the bloggers I follow! Your job sounds so interesting! Work travel can be hard, but I hope you can squeeze in some fun time. On the fashion front, this is a great casual chic outfit. I really like that jacket!

    Nicole
    Nicole to the Nines

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  30. Good luck at your conference! You'll be the most stylish girl there! Love the trench and stripped shirt combo. xo
    Kim
    www.theknottedchain.com

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  31. Great outfit and it's always fun to learn about what others do.

    Thank you for hosting and hope you are having a fab week!

    Alice
    www.happinessatmidlife.com

    Hope to see you Thursday for TBT Fashion link up.

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  32. I always love learning about blogger's day jobs. I am a project manager, too! Love how you explained it as a party planner role.
    www.amemoryofus.com

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  33. What a fun look into your day job! Thanks for sharing, and of course I love this casual outfit with black/white/olive. =)

    http://www.avecamber.blogspot.com
    http://www.bloglovin.com/avecamber

    I hope you are having a great week so far!

    Amber

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  34. I grew up in LA and went to Ann Arbor for school so I know how big of a culture shock it can be. Its always interesting to read about blogger's personal life. Thanks for the linkup.

    xo Sheree
    http://poshclassymom.com
    IG: @poshclassymom

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  35. How cool of you to share, Carylee! It's always fun to hear what other bloggers do in their "slash careers". The entire outfit is adorable, but I am really spying those shoes! Too cute! Have safe and fun travels!

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  36. Ooh. I love the look. Those flats look adorable and I love the stripe on stripe details. I think that makes it even more coordinated. I'm sharing my goals in the linkup because one of my goals is to be more put-together too.
    http://runwright.net

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  37. For whatever reason, I've always thought I *knew* where you work. I managed on the retail side all through college (It was actually my very first job!) and interviewed at the office when I moved to the STL - I took a different opportunity BUT I am OBSESSED with the company :) Pretty sure this makes me a legit stalker so hey, theres that!!

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  38. Nice look - it's incredible how sometimes we set out to do things a certain way an then "Cupid" takes over ;)

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  39. I love the shoes! The mid length sleeves on the jacket look great with the striped top underneath :)

    Emma xxx
    style-splash.com

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  40. Good for you, that your day job is yet another form of creative expression, Carylee. Mine, on the other hand, is in network security/technology, rather the complete opposite of the blogosphere. It "does" balance and keep me sane, since I tend to get caught up in the swirls and whirls of style and beauty so easily. But it can get difficult to switch modes, especially when they're so different :)

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