An ordinary day in the life of a… Wait, there’s no such thing as an ordinary day!

Since I was little, my dream had always been becoming a fashion designer. Or a hairdresser. Or a princess (yeah, I know, quite stereotypical… isn’t it?). That unexpectedly (and thankfully) changed when I turned 15: I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in medicine. Talk about change… My decision was, however, far from being the ultimate one. Just after turning 17, during my last year at high school, I discovered my true vocation. My number one passion (communication and meeting new people) had always been crystal clear for me, but I wasn’t aware of a degree which could allow me to explore this strong interest of mine. That’s when I found out about Advertising, Public Relations (PR) and Marketing. All in one. It was there for me. And so, one of the most beautiful stages of my life begun. 

Although I still haven’t finished my double degree, I actually have a very clear picture of what I want to do in the future. I don’t know where I will be in five years or exactly who I will be, because I think we are all constantly changing. I don’t know the Ale of 2025, but I just hope that she will be satisfied with her work. That she has met brilliant and diverse people, that she enjoys every day in her profession because every single one is different. That she wakes up every day eager to see what the day has in store for her and that she goes to sleep hungry for more. That my future career fulfills me is possibly one of my priorities in life. I just wish it makes me happy and helps me make others even happier through communication and creativity. It is for all those previous reasons that I believe that a career as an advertising + public relations manager and event-planner is tailor-made for me.

I imagine a highly creative workspace, with rooms in which to take inspiration for work, colorful and inviting spaces to think, devise and create! Rooms for reading, resting and a cafeteria where you can have a drink between meals.  Not only this… I hope to have a close relationship with my colleagues, that the team moves as a single organism and that everyone values the contribution of each team member. I hope that in my future job colleagues will have a good relationship outside of work and that we will be able to organize events and get-togethers to strengthen our work ties.

As I said before, I don’t want my every-day to be exactly the same. I don’t want that boring 9-5 office job in front of a screen without any contact. I desire to move and travel to other places to meet clients, I crave that hectic schedule, with a day full of meetings, event-planning, campaign-designing and media projects. In my professional future project, there is no such thing as an ordinary day. So, what would an actual day in the life of the future me look like?

8:45 am

The alarm clock goes off like it does every day at this time. Perhaps that is the only repetitive task in my working life… Anyway, here we go again! Although I’m not a morning person, I usually wake up at this time to check my socials to see what’s going on, go through my emails (which I tend to receive within a 5-minute span, quite wild) and take a look at my calendar. Oh! I also read the newspaper, you have to know what is happening in the world and what your potential competitors are up to!

10:00 am

Work starts just now. After arriving to the agency and greeting my colleagues and other workers, I head to the central meeting point to talk to my coworkers about the daily tasks and work to get done over a hot coffee. This is a ritual at work, coffee is vital! These meetings are very informal and begin with a detailed strategic plan for the day and the rest of the week. Planning projects, confirming client meetings, checking progress on other campaigns, brainstorming, reviewing possible interesting events and reminding upcoming deadlines. We are very organized in this work!

11:00 am

It’s about time we start being productive! We start receiving the first phone-calls of the day. Getting in contact with our external stakeholders and clients usually takes a lot of time, but these are the individuals that make our work possible, so we can’t complain! In-between these phone-calls there’s also time to check social media to get inspired and take a look at what others in the industry are doing. It’s all about being informed and aware. It is also during the morning when we try to finish previous projects, advertising campaigns or media-strategies for our clients. We like to finish everything on time to avoid inconveniences and last-minute rushes. Professionalism is key even in creative workspaces! As a PR manager, being the face of other companies and representing people goes hand in hand with event-planning (most of the times to take care of a business’ reputation and personal image, and to keep others interested in us), which I am truly passionate. Fashion runways, festival lineups, book presentations, movie premieres… You name it! We are behind all of those special occasions representing companies and people and making the celebrations memorable.

14:00 pm

Lunch time, finally! I usually eat with my coworkers. Just like the coffee meetings in the early morning, this is one of my daily rituals to evade work and relax with my colleagues. Our agency is well-prepared for this and has numerous outdoor spaces in which to enjoy a well-deserved break under the sun.

15:00 pm

Right after eating, we get started with our client meetings for the day. We discuss further action in advertising campaigns tailored for them, our strategies for their media landscape or our ideas for upcoming events. As I stated before, our range of customers is not limited to a single industry. We have agreements with fashion companies, publishing houses, magazines and other media, organizers of large-scale events (such as the Super Bowl, festivals like Coachella, celebrations like the Rio Carnival, concerts, movie premieres…). This also allows me to keep traveling while doing what I truly love! Bonus point.

17:00 pm

After all the meeting of the day with clients are done, I usually use my last hours at the agency to coordinate bookings, plan upcoming meetings and do some last-minute arrangements. It is also a good time to revise the advertising and publicity campaigns we have already completed during the day before presenting them to clients for possible improvements or errors. 

18:00 pm

This is my last hour at work. Sweet sour feeling. I love coming to work but after a whole day of meetings, planning, designing and brainstorming my energy is drained! That’s why I use my last thirty minutes at the agency to revise magazines and lectures on social media in search for potential new clients and suitable partnerships. 

18:30 pm

Time to go home after a really productive day! I wouldn’t change a single thing about my intense profession, my crazy schedule or my full-of-stuff-to-to working hours… I’m truly satisfied and deeply happy with my career… It is everything I wanted it to be. I have the afternoon all for myself and my private life, my friends and family or for some alone time (which usually implies a siesta or some snacking while watching a movie… not to lose sight of the good things in life!). Looking forward to tomorrow and nervous for what my next day at my job brings.

Choose a job you love, and you will never. have to work a day in your life

Confucius