Episode 15 of So I Was Like is out!!! Here’s links to Apple Music and Spotify. We explain how we got our careers in social media, where we came from, and how we even know each other. We also discuss what men should and should not feature on their Instagrams. But anyways, here’s my back story.
One year ago, I was a really bad waitress at a restaurant called The Rusty Bucket. I had just made my TikTok account, I was miserable that I wasn’t a college student anymore, and I was set to start a recruiting job with an actual salary. The recruiting job had asked me to take down all of my social media, which, honestly, sounded like my worst nightmare.
I knew I was about to have to go off the grid because of my 9 to 5 job, so I started messing around and making TikToks as a joke before I knew I had to be quiet online forever. But then my videos started taking off. It wasn’t gradual, it was exponential. After uploading my third video, I was in Florida with my friends and started getting recognized at the bar. My friends and I were in disbelief. The week before, I was anti-TikTok. Now I was getting stopped while we were out?! I had gone from hard judging everyone on my “For You Page” to being a full blown TikTok-er in a matter of days.
That was the moment I realized people were interested in my experiences of the world – from times I’ve gotten in trouble with my sorority to trying to explain how my mom truly does not know who Justin Bieber, (or even Beyonce) is. I made the INSANE decision to blindly believe that it would work out for me. I turned down my salary job and decided to keep my online presence going.
Looking at it now, a normal person would not have done this. Yes, my videos were going viral, yes, I was getting recognized, but throwing away the safety net of a salary isn’t smart. I am not sane, however. So I didn’t listen to anyone. I ignored my family, I ignored my concerned friends. I fully understood that people were talking about how off the rails I must’ve sounded at pregames and parties when I was asked what I was doing with my life. “How’s the job search going?” “I’m not searching! I just want to make TikToks :)”. I knew that statistics were not on my side. But, most importantly, I also knew I didn’t want to be miserable for the rest of my life.
The only person I legitimately had that believed I could turn social media into a paying career was myself. I ended up quitting the Rusty Bucket job (it was too boring. Also I was so bad) and did whatever I needed to do to make it by. (AKA, pretending to know how to bartend for 6 months. Then getting fired). But guess what!!!! Fast forward to today, less than a year later, I live in Nashville in an apartment with my best friend. I have a podcast, and I don’t have to wait tables or even pretend to know how to bartend anymore.
If you hate where you’re headed in life, the best route is sometimes to take a chance on yourself. Quit your job, aggressively believe in yourself, and ignore everyone around you when they tell you you’re insane. Documenting it on TikTok helps, too. It worked for me!
Listen to this week’s episode on Spotify and Apple Music!!! LOVE YOU GUYS <3
