So I did a thing… I quit my “9-5” and I am now a full-time content creator, influencer, entrepreneur & real estate investor!
Whew still getting used to saying that, but yes, I have officially left my almost 9 year career as a petroleum engineer in the oil & gas industry. The first question I always get asked is how were you able to just make that jump? And honestly, for me it was more like a well thought out, step by step walk lol because this has been in the works for about 5 years now. SO MUCH TO SHARE, but I couldn’t be more proud of myself for actually making this happen. In this blog, I will answer some of the most pressing questions.
My path to becoming an engineer …
I would say I began to consider engineering as a career prospective when I went to engineering camp at UT Austin. After the camp, I started to seriously consider engineering as a potential major for college. Also, I really liked chemistry in highschool and had also been taking AP Chemistry at the time so I figured chemical engineering would be the best route. Also, at that point in time the energy business was doing particularly well and it was also what I was most familiar with.
My favorite thing about my job as an engineer …
One of my favorite aspects of my career is when I got to participate in recruiting at my former company. I was able to talk to young engineers in college and even mentor some of them which was really nice as I was able to show representation in a highly male dominated profession. In particular, as a black female engineer, I was able to talk to other young black female engineers in college and mentor them through their career.
How I got started on my journey to becoming a full time content creator …
I actually started creating content in college where I would make hair and beauty videos. It’s interesting because before college, the only thing I would wear would be eyeliner and lipgloss, however, I started watching a lot of beauty videos in college and got really into it. From there, I continued to post somewhat consistently and then really started posting alot on IG around 2016/2017 and grew my following on there.
How I realized I wanted to turn my side hustle into a full time business…
I decided I was going to leave my 9 – 5 job about five years ago. What really prompted me to take content creation seriously was when my former company had huge layoffs back in 2015 due to oil prices tanking. Oil went from being in the hundreds per barrel to as low as the 20s around the time and as a result, almost all my friends were let go. It was at this point that a switch kind of flipped in my mind. I realized what I had initially wanted out of my career wasn’t what I had been getting at the time. I envisioned a career where I would be traveling and there was simply less and less traveling assignments due to how low the oil prices were.
Eventually, as I continued to work hard, I began to make more as a content creator than my full time job as a petroleum engineer. I actually started to make more than my engineering job about two years ago and I was slowly realizing that if I wanted to make exponentially more, I would need to focus 100% on it and go full-time. When I felt like the organization around my content creation had structure and signed with my management. I took the jump and quit my full time job.
Thoughts on the pandemic impacting my decision and the Great Resignation overall…
I would say the pandemic more so gave me an extra reason to quit my full time job. After being able to work from home for so much time and being comfortable, I didn’t want to go back to working in the office. During the pandemic Chevron, where I had been working, went completely remote and after a couple months of remote work, I just didn’t see myself going back in person at all. I had more time to create from home as a result and I really saw the results and exponential growth in my business.
What a day in my life as a content creator is like …
I usually wake up around 6:30am and drop the kids at daycare. Once I am back home, I spend a few minutes writing down what I need to do for the day or even the week. If I have a brand deliverable due that week, I start editing and I also make plans for my organic content. If it’s a shoot day, I’ll try to get all my content shot that day. I will also send emails and check in with my manager routinely. Once the kids are back from daycare, I go back to mom-life and basically rinse and repeat for the next day. My favorite thing about my new schedule is the flexibility.
Advice I would give people who are trying to follow in my footsteps…
Work on bettering your craft
Write a goal down for yourself, what it will take, etc.
Writing your goals down keeps you super focused and can help with having the drive to work hard.
Make sure you’re comfortable/ able to sustain your livelihood/ pay your bills
Before you decide to take the jump and quit your job, make sure you are able to make a stable income from content creation/ your side business where you are comfortable and able to sustain yourself, your livelihood, and pay your bills.