“I’m moving to Singapore in June.”

So has every conversation with family, friends, and coworkers begun in the last two weeks. It’s the biggest personal and professional change for me since I moved to Chicago to start working at 3Q Digital in 2015 and quite possibly the change that I need.

How did I get here?

Four years ago I was in Ann Arbor, Michigan, mulling over what I wanted to do next. I had tried working at a few tech startups but things weren’t working out and I was starting to think that I needed to get out of Michigan, my home state, and try something new.

Chicago seemed like the perfect option: city life without being too far away from home and my soon-to-be-long-distance boyfriend. I started reaching out to individuals from my alma mater, the University of Michigan, to get their perspectives on what it was like to work in various marketing roles in Chicago. One thing I heard time and time again was that working at an agency was a great place to start a career because you get to learn from some of the smartest people in the business and gain experience working in different industries with different clients (can confirm).

I was convinced that this networking was going to help me land a new marketing job, yet I ended up finding 3Q Digital through a LinkedIn job posting (very fitting, in retrospect).

Joining 3Q Digital

I started at 3Q as an Account Associate, our entry-level role in paid media. I was excited about the prospect of working with fast-growing tech companies but was uneasy about a few things. I enjoy interacting with people, so I wasn’t sure how I’d like being in a more analytical role. Also, Excel? Who wants to be working in spreadsheets all day?

Well, I was wrong. I love Excel, it makes my life so much easier! And I don’t mind chatting up my clients over conference call, though I do enjoy our in-person quarterly meetings.

I’m grateful to have worked with CuriosityStream, a global media company with a stellar documentary streaming service, to grow their business over the years. They’ve been true partners and are the reason I know everything I do about YouTube advertising. This experience has led to some of my greatest professional highlights: winning Google’s Premier Partner award in Video Innovation and getting accepted to speak at SMX Advanced in June.

I’ve also been fortunate to work with Sean McEntee, my manager and team leader for nearly the entire time I’ve been at 3Q. Having a manager that is committed to your growth and supports you with opportunities, training, and promotions(!) is truly special.

A new opportunity

Every year I’ve been at 3Q Digital, the agency has grown and expanded into new offices with brand new roles.

Most recently, our executive team made the decision to expand internationally to support one of our most important clients, LinkedIn. With this came an incredible opportunity to move to Singapore for 6-8 months to open our APAC office.

One of my biggest regrets from undergrad is that I never studied abroad and here it was, an international opportunity in an exciting role at a company I genuinely enjoy working for.

The catch? I’d have to cut ties from all my current accounts, including my great clients and team. This decision was not at all easy but after consulting friends and mentors, I realized that this international experience would be a huge learning opportunity and great for my career.

So, here I am. It’s exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. I’m going to miss so many things: birthdays, bike rides on Lakefront Trail, and fall Michigan football games. But I can’t wait for all the food I’m going to eat, countries I’m going to visit, and connections I’m going to make along the way. I look forward to sharing this adventure with you!