Ever feel like you were unprepared for being an adult? School prepared me well with the basic skills I need for my profession, but I find myself often feeling like I’m missing the other pieces of the puzzle. How to get a job, how to meet other people in your profession, how to stay on top of developments in the world you work in. These are things that seemed to come so naturally in a college setting but are hard to keep up with in individual practice.
Once I was solidly in the working world I wasn’t sure how to break out of my own box. In college I worked in the music world which is very social. Concerts, A&R showcases and conferences were all about mingling and chatting. It was super easy to meet other DJs, musicians, label reps, whatever. Not so much in my professional life. It’s not like you can just walk into someone else’s office and say, hey, let’s be friends and talk about technology! I found technology conferences to be fun but somewhat self-contained. I just wasn’t as comfortable being my usual outgoing self around other IT folk.
Eventually, I realized I needed to apply the same methods I was using to meet people socially to my job. So I started joining NYC meetup groups centered on technology. Many of them weren’t right for me, but when I did find the right one things took off immediately. I have a mentor from a successful company to help me keep my career on track; I meet wonderful ladies who are leaders in the field and I’ve made a few friends. I get to network without feeling like I’m networking. That comfort helped me be a better saleswoman for my side business and meet people who can help me stay on top of emerging ideas and applications.
My group meets once a month, and while it’s a technology group for women in foundation we cover a wide range of topics. January was my first opportunity to speak and lead a topic. That topic? Suits not required: How we dress for success in the technology and media worlds. (Corny title I know.) This was the outfit I wore. I had three friends model different looks as well, everything from management to graphic designer to the all-encompassing project/account/engagement manager.
I feel lucky to work in a profession where I can express myself through my clothing. I can wear ruffles and bright colors to show my fun side. I can wear skirts to show my feminine side. I can wear jeans to show my down-to-earth side. And so on. At one of my former jobs we had a dress code, and it was so strict that it reduced my happiness at work. That might have been the perils of being a young 20-something affecting me but I remember being so excited to move on from there to a place where my clothing mattered a lot less than my skillset.
These days I dress up for work not because I have to, but because I want to. I enjoy putting looks together that say I take work seriously but can still be fashion-forward or as ruffly and colorful as I want. Clothes don’t make me who I am but they do bring me joy. When I am happy in my clothing I am happy in general.
What kind of profession are you in? Do you have a dress code at work? Do you feel like you have to tone down your style for your 9-5 life?
In this outfit:
Earrings: Anthropologie (closeup here)
Top: Banana Republic Monogram Side Ruffle Top (similar here, here, here and here)
Skirt: Ann Taylor Shiny Weft Texture Skirt in black (similar here and here)
Tights: Target Merona Diamond Tights (similar here, here or here)
Shoes: Nine West Babealish
