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- Year Of Graduation: 2022
- College/University: UADE (The Argentine University of Enterprise, Universidad Argentina de la Empresa)
- Major: Media and Entertainment Management
What do you do for a living, or how are you supporting yourself right now? Can you share what a typical day in your life/at work looks like?
Up until a little over a month ago, I was a marketing manager for a tech company. Now, I’m an SEO consultant while I build my own business and pursue a creative writing career. Plus, fingers crossed, I get to start an MFA program for next year.
So a typical day in my life today is very different from what it used to be! I’m still figuring out my routine outside of my old 9-5, but I usually wake up and settle my priorities for the day. Some are dedicated almost exclusively to my business and freelance clients, while others leave much more room to work on my writing. Overall, after checking the traffic and social media for all relevant websites, ensuring all content calendars are updated, drafting any pending articles, and having a few calls, I get to focus on my passion projects. This means working on my stories and essays, polishing my video editing skills, and prepping to apply for graduate creative writing programs.
Can you tell me about your experience finding a job after graduation? Are you happy with where your journey has led you so far?
I was lucky enough to find a good remote job as a sophomore, though getting that opportunity still required plenty of patience and trial-and-error. Because I studied through COVID, I had no choice but to find online work, but entry-level marketing/media roles weren’t exactly abundant. A few months into quarantine, I came across a freelance writer offering a free bootcamp on how to get clients, and I realized that all those hours I had spent writing in my room could help me build an income.
I started working for free as an intern for an Irish newspaper while applying to small gigs through UpWork. That’s when I got hired by an SEO agency to create blogs for influencers, even though I knew nothing about search engine optimization yet. Over time, I built a bigger portfolio and eventually broke into the tech industry, where I spent the last five years growing as a marketer. I’m happy to have found a remote job as soon as I had a chance, as that allowed me to travel full-time and explore the world…but I know now the IT niche isn’t for me.
Why did you choose your undergrad major? Do you feel your time spent in college was valuable? Why or why not?
I chose my major because it was the one most aligned with my creative aspirations while still promising decent employability. There’s no real creative writing major in Argentina (much less in English), and a business-related degree felt safe in terms of job prospects. For years, I was actually set on studying performing arts, having been a theater kid and a dancer my entire life. But I wasn’t sure if I could put all my eggs into that risky basket, especially if writing had been my preferred major if available.
I do feel like I learned a ton in college, even if I didn’t go for my first or second choice. The business side of my degree taught me how to start my own projects and that there are many alternatives to the typical corporate life. Ultimately, I do sometimes wonder where I’d be had I gone for another major, but I don’t regret taking the multidisciplinary path either. There’s value in learning from different perspectives.
Do you think AI is impacting your role and/or industry, or will start impacting it in a meaningful way?
Yes, big time. As a writer who’s specialized in copywriting and SEO for the last half-decade, I saw early versions of AI pop up as “writing companions”. At first, it seemed harmless; just another tool that you could choose to use. These days? There’s no escape from it, and it’s a huge threat to creatives across all areas since some believe it can replace us entirely.
It’s why I left my job as marketing manager for an IT staffing company, even though I loved my team: it felt like I was working against my values. The day they put out a presentation saying that we wouldn’t lose our jobs for using AI, but our roles would become obsolete if we didn’t use it, was the moment I realized I was no longer aligned with the industry. Tech marketing is now intrinsically tied to AI, and it’s a situation I’m still navigating.
What does purpose mean to you? Do you think you’re living a purpose-driven life?
To me, purpose has to do with taking aligned action. Meaning your work is tied to what you’re passionate about, and there’s a clear mission behind it. In my case, that’d be creating stories that say something, that can move and inspire people. Easier said than done, I know, but that’s what a purpose-driven life looks like for me.
Until now, I wasn’t living that kind of existence. Frankly, I was chasing a dream that was never mine to begin with. I do enjoy marketing, but it’s not my passion; it’s a profession I took up to support myself and become financially stable. The tech niche is far from my interests, so that didn’t help the cause. Yet I still got caught up in the corporate climb, because I liked the salary and the sense of achievement it gave me. Moving away from that security is a risk, but one that feels long overdue.
What’s your biggest struggle right now? What led to it, and how are you moving forward?
Ironically, my biggest struggle these days is connecting to my purpose. I’m recovering from long-term burnout thanks to years of overworking in an industry that drained me, so that fiery ambition I thought would never leave has indeed abandoned me. I still align with my old dreams, but I now struggle to believe they’re attainable.
Being a creative in an AI-heavy world isn’t super encouraging, either. Chronic stress is no joke. I thought I’d take a slower month, and I’d be a new person… Which didn’t happen. Granted, I jumped from the corporate world straight into freelance and consulting work. Every day is a new learning opportunity as I redirect my career towards what I actually enjoy doing. I’m moving forward with a lot of patience and a renewed sense of curiosity for the possibilities available outside of a traditional 9-5.
What do you want to spend more time working on, either personally or professionally? What’s stopping you?
For months now, I’ve felt a pull toward nature, ethnobotany in specific. The thing is, I don’t know much about herbalism or environmental sciences, and it isn’t related to my career at all so far. But I’d love to change that. I want to spend more time photographing, creating content, and writing about plants, natural wonders, and the biodiversity around us. Of course, what stops me is the lack of time to do so, and the fear of straying too far from my current path. For now, I’m educating myself on the subject through books and other resources, and I plan to make it a more regular part of my stories (and habits) moving forward.
How do you define being a successful person?
Success is such a personal concept. While I was taught that it mostly had to do with big goals, money, and status, I have a different perspective on it now. I think as long as your needs are met and you wake up every day excited for what’s to come, feeling fulfilled by what you do, that counts as success. A successful person shows up as their authentic selves, and their work reflects it. What they dedicate their life to isn’t based on societal expectations or an image they’re trying to compose for others; it’s connected to their purpose. The success I personally aspire to is being able to support myself doing work I’m passionate about, and that aligns with my values.
If we traveled three years into the future of your life, what do you want to achieve? What would you hope has changed?
My goal is to have at least one published book within the next three years and to be an MFA candidate at a creative writing program that allows me to refine my voice. I really hope burnout is way behind me by then, too. No more unfulfilling work. I want to keep nomading and working remotely, on my own terms, pouring my energy into projects that bring other people and me genuine joy. The dream is to dedicate myself to what feels meaningful and improve my craft in the process. I want to make an impact with my words, as abstract as that might sound.
What’s the biggest lesson or piece of advice you wish you’d known earlier?
If not you, then who? I heard this question being asked quite aggressively on a podcast episode a couple of weeks ago. Believe me, it rewired my brain. As a creative, I’ve always struggled with putting my work out there in fear of it not being good enough. But what’s the point of playing small, huh? If not me, then who? The answer is: someone who doesn’t overthink 24/7 and isn’t afraid of being cringe. And I really needed to be asked this. I needed that wake-up call! Time will pass anyway, whether we all pursue what we’re passionate about or sit in silent regret playing it safe. I wish I’d snapped out of that fear of being seen years ago, but I’m grateful to have heard this advice now. It’s driven me to dig deeper into my purpose and dare to dream of wilder possibilities.
Connect With Sol
- Substack: sunlightonthego.substack.com
- Instagram: @solndt
- LinkedIn: @NataliaDieguez
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