Career Roadmap
Amanda's work combines: Travel, Art, and Being Creative
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Creative Writing
Susquehanna University
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Photographers:
Associate's Degree
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
Joined AmeriCorps after I graduated college and assisted a recreation center and ran a summer camp.
2.
Spent 6 months doing a work exchange program at Kalani Retreat Center on the Big Island of Hawaii.
3.
Helped lead an Alternative Spring Break program for college students in Newark, NJ.
4.
Returned to the summer camp I had ran previously when I was in AmeriCorps.
5.
Moved in with a boy in Baltimore, MD and hated most everything, teaching me a whole lot.
6.
Returned to a town that nurtured me and established my photography business.
7.
Bought a pop-up camper and booked weddings in the western US...bon voyage!
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Friends:
You should choose a career that's actually practical and save your writing and photography for your spare time.
How I responded:
In time, I realized that if I wasn't doing every single day what I was passionate about then I was conforming to the noise. Money didn't matter to me. I knew I would make it, even if I had to pick up extra work, and I did, and I still do. It's never easy, but I'm living my dream. The people who told me to pick a practical career are working jobs they hate, or sort-of-like-somedays, and their passions are reserved in the spare time that they either don't have, or are too tired to do anything with.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
Being an artist is difficult! I never wanted to settle working for someone else, so while pursuing my own business, I had to work odd jobs to make money. It sucked sometimes, but it was always worth it to be the only person in charge of my dreams.