GradSimple Industry Insiders: Katie Tilson

Disclaimer: The views expressed by our interviewees are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of GradSimple. We only edit these responses for clarity. All opinions remain those of the interviewee.

• Role: Global Client Lead (Account Executive), Google

What do you do for a living right now?

I’m an Account Executive, but I like to say "Global Client Lead." Account Executive means a lot of different things, and it’s a title that essentially tells you nothing. There are thousands of people at Google with the same title, so I tend not to use it.

I work with some of Google's largest advertisers and help them leverage their marketing strategies to reach customers better and drive revenue for them. Ultimately, what I'm doing is driving revenue for Google. I'm trying to get those clients to reach their goals through Google advertising products.

How satisfied are you with your current career path?

I've been at Google for four and a half years, which is crazy because it's the longest job I've ever had. It's also the best-paying job I've ever had, and that comes with a lot of different feelings. I have the best work-life balance I've ever had and make the most I've ever made, but for me, someone who’s worked in politics and nonprofit, not the most fulfilling role I've held. There are still many parts of it that I love, so everything comes with pros and cons.

I've mentored so many people about their careers throughout my life – people at my level, junior colleagues, and even senior leaders. Whenever you're looking for a job, you have to consider where you are in your life and what you want most. You can't get everything. Do you want work-life balance? Money? To care deeply about the work? To make an impact?

I went from managing a team to being an individual contributor, which felt like a natural progression. What mattered more to me was a job where I could have work-life balance, I didn’t care about climbing the ladder. There is always give and pull. You have to figure out what you want in that moment, and it will change and evolve. You have the ability to change and evolve with it.

Can you tell me about your experience after graduation and how your career evolved?

Well to start off, I was a journalism major and a marketing minor. In college, I like to say that nothing matters, and I mean that nicely. I worked at a summer camp all through college, didn't go for a hardcore internship, and was really just trying to enjoy my life. I loved writing and wanted to go into magazine journalism.

Then I graduated in 2008. I saw how difficult it was to become a magazine reporter and how media was shifting, and I realized that probably wasn't going to be a good direction for my career. I also graduated during the recession and wanted to move to New York. I'm originally from Ohio, and my sisters were living there. My parents said, "Sure, if you get a job." Through a family connection, I was lucky to land a junior role at an advertising agency with someone who was willing to take a chance on me.

I stayed for two years. Coca-Cola was my client, and working on such a global brand felt pretty neat. But there wasn't much about the job that I liked except working with people. I think marketing is psychology for business, but at the time I was buying print ads in magazines. It connected somewhat to what I had imagined doing after college, but there wasn't much strategy involved.

The Haiti earthquake in 2010 was the spark that got me moving. I realized I was more affected by it than the average colleague. One of my sisters worked at an international human rights nonprofit, and as I learned more about the organization, I became passionate about doing something that felt bigger than me and making a difference. I eventually went to work there and became the jack-of-all-trades 25-year-old. I helped run a young professionals group and worked as a social media manager.

Eventually, I learned that the nonprofit industrial complex is real. At the same time, tech and startups were on the rise. I found a program that was kind of like Y Combinator, but for an individual rather than for creating a business. It was really a chance to network and learn about the tech industry, and it helped me pivot into a startup. I joined an email service provider startup in client management, which continued the thread of working with people and clients.

I was still living in New York when an opportunity came up to move to San Francisco. Someone was leaving, and the company needed help repairing a book of business where the client relationships had become difficult. I'd always been fascinated by California – not only San Francisco and tech, but the state itself. I moved there, spent two years in the role, and really turned the book of business around.

Two years later, Hillary Clinton received the Democratic nomination for President. During both of Barack Obama's campaigns, it had never crossed my mind that I could have gone to work on one. I knew people who did, but I hadn't realized it was an option for me. As my story goes, I love being part of something bigger than myself. I used a connection, asked someone to send in my resume, and the next thing I knew, I was moving back to Brooklyn to work at campaign headquarters. I ran the automated email program, helping to recruit volunteers and raise money.

Campaigns are very intense. I joined only for the general election, while many people had already spent a year on the primary, so it was like joining a team at the 11th hour. I loved parts of it, but campaigns and political work are hard and not for the faint of heart. While there was hope of what was to come next and how I could leverage my career to continue in the field, we all know how that ended.

I moved back to San Francisco. My former startup had wanted me to stay and even offered me a sabbatical, which was very kind, but I knew I didn't want to keep rising through customer success management. I didn't know what was next, but I knew in my gut that wasn't it. I was what people call funemployed, but there was nothing fun about it. I didn't have enough money or direction, and I was a little depressed. Taking time off can be right at certain points, but you need to be very eyes wide open about circumstances.

Through a campaign connection, I eventually joined a very small company run by the singer Bono's daughter. She was trying to connect activism and journalism, which was literally my perfect job on paper. She was smart, visionary, and really kind, but the reality looked different and once I started I quickly learned it wasn’t for me. Meanwhile, a mentor from my startup program who had been trying to hire me finally had an opening at Bionic, an innovation consultancy. Its work was helping large Fortune 500 companies apply ideas from startups and venture capital by creating small businesses inside their larger organizations to find new revenue drivers. I joined and worked with clients while doing marketing in both directions.

Almost two years later, around the 2018 midterms, politics pulled at my heartstrings again. My former campaign boss had been recruiting me to work for his agency. The firm worked with nonprofits, political advocacy groups, and corporations on corporate social responsibility. I joined and helped lead the digital team across those clients, focusing more on content and strategy than paid efforts. I loved the work, but because of my background, I ended up on some of the largest corporate accounts, including Goldman Sachs and Gilead Sciences.

I was also deeply involved in the 2020 campaign cycle, working 60- to 80-hour weeks. By then, I had moved back to California during COVID and was working East Coast hours from the West Coast. It was grueling. All of that combined made me realize I needed a break and wanted to focus on my life.

A close friend in the Bay Area, who had the role I have now, said, "You have to come work at Google." I said, "But I'm not a salesperson." She explained that the role was much more consultative than I imagined and it gave me the opportunity to explore the life I realized I needed, not just the career I thought I wanted. After about 4 months of applying and interviews, I landed the job. But this was end of 2021, a very different tech industry than it is today.

How have your career priorities changed over time?

In my twenties, I was very idealistic and wanted to change the world. I graduated during the recession and by nature of being lucky to get a job and starting at the bottom, making money wasn’t a driving force. Because I hadn't experienced having more, it was easy to accept jobs that didn't pay much. At that point, I cared more about making a difference.

After leaving nonprofit work, I realized I didn't have to "do good" through my job to be a good person or make a difference in the world. When I moved into tech, my priority was growing and learning.

My career has been a pendulum swing. I go do good, and then I realize doing good can be easier said than done and I need to replenish my bank account. Unfortunately, we all live in late-stage capitalism, and we need money to live and enjoy our lives. Money helps you create the life you want, and everyone approaches that differently. I like to travel, have a cozy home, and be able to give back. Those things cost money.

My priorities have evolved based on what I need and where I am in life. I'm hoping to move into a place where I can do both, feel that I'm making an impact and know how to make money, but we'll see how it goes.

What's the biggest lesson or piece of advice you wish you'd known earlier?

There is no one right path. Find what works for you, do that, and let it evolve. Don't compare yourself with what anyone else is doing. If you're doing what you want to do and growing in the way you want to grow, that is what matters most. You won't be happy living someone else's path.