5 Lessons I’ve Learned Balancing Blogging and a Career in Aerospace the Last 5 Years

When I celebrated my 5 year anniversary at the Boeing Company, I was shocked how quickly the time went and how much I’ve done. As I reflect on my career in aerospace, I also reflect on my time balancing my blog, podcast, and content creation. For two out of the five years, I also pursued and received my master’s degree. At the busiest points of my life, I was working on group projects, creating content for brand campaigns, and going to work 40 hours a week.

Now while in quarantine, I have some time to unpack and reflect on what’s happened in my life the last 5 years.

Here are the 5 lessons I’ve learned balancing blogging and a career in aerospace these last 5 years:

1.Don’t judge yourself – have some compassion for yourself

Working full-time (or part time) and working on a side hustle takes some serious effort. Not only do you have to be present and exert effort during the work week, but you also have to find the energy to work on your passions.

Some days, some weeks, and even some months, you might not have the energy. You might only have the space and the capacity for your full-time job. And other days, other weeks, other months, you find you have plenty of energy. You’re excited to end the workday so you can focus on your passions.

I’ve found that my career and my creativity ebbs and flows. I’ve had jobs that taken up so much of my energy that I don’t have anything left at the end of the day for my blog, podcast, or social media channels. I won’t check in with my audience on Instagram stories. I won’t create any new content.

But I’ve also had jobs where I actually had energy at the end of the day and I’m excited to end the workday so I can write a new blog post or record the next podcast episode.  Regardless of where my job and creativity are ebbing and flowing, I try to not judge myself. I try not to come down on myself when I’m not producing new content and when I’m drained at the end of the day. I try not to put myself down for not being more present on my blog. The best thing I can do for myself is to have compassion because I know I’ll have off days and on days. I’ve learned that balancing blogging and a career in aerospace has takes practice, patience, and empathy for yourself.

2. Your journey is your journey

One of things I’ve learned to accept over the last 5 years is that my journey is my journey. I can only focus on who I am, what I’m doing, and my journey so far. I used to get upset when I felt like my social media channels or my blog wasn’t growing as fast as others. But as I’ve learned to have compassion for myself, I’ve also accepted that I’m in my own unique path.

What other content creators are out there balancing a job in aerospace, producing 1-2 blog posts for their blog, and publishing a podcast episode once a week? What other content creators are out there posting on Instagram every day on their personal channel and posting on their podcast Instagram 3x a week?

I’ve realized that I live and own my unique lifestyle. Others who have grown their channels live their own unique lifestyles. You can’t compare yourself to others because they have their own life circumstances, their own goals, and dreams. Everyone is allowed to have their own journey. And you are allowed to have your own journey.

3. Know what you want

Over the past few years, I’ve developed a clear vision for what I wanted for Emma’s Edition. I’ve also set a few goals for my professional career – like graduating with a master’s degree and getting a promotion.

Regardless of what you do for work or what side hustles your building, you have to know what you want. Writing down your goals at the beginning of the year, beginning of each quarter, month, week, and even everyday can help you define what you want.

In 2019, one of my 5 main goals for Emma’s Edition was to grow my Pinterest account. Prior 2019, I hadn’t even touched Pinterest for my blog. I spent the first few months learning the fundamentals of Pinterest and the rest of the year pinning and executing in the strategies. I went from 0 to 1 million monthly impressions in one year. By learning Pinterest, I was also able to achieve my goal of driving 40,000 monthly blog visits per month.

I had to clearly state for myself that I wanted to learn how to utilize Pinterest for my blog. I shared this 2019 goal on my blog and talked about my journey with Pinterest on my Instagram.

4. It’s okay to say “no thank you”

I really learned how to say no when I was in graduate school for two years. I continued to work full-time (that’s the only way my company pays for your master’s degree) and continued to blog as I took on 1-2 classes every quarter.

When I was in graduate school, I was in class for 6 quarters for 8 hours a week and 2 quarters for only 4 hours a week. When I took classes full-time, I’d be in school at least twice a week from 6pm-10pm. I’d also meet with my classmates for group projects either virtually or in person for another few hours a week.

Graduate school, a full-time job and a blog had me saying no to EVERYTHING. I couldn’t go to blogger events, happy hours with friends, and even family birthday parties because half the time I was in class or writing a paper or doing homework. I had to say no things – especially since I still needed time to take care of myself, exercise, do laundry, and spend time with Brandon and Boone.

Saying no helped me focus on what I wanted to get done – my degree. I got to finish my degree and still grow my blog.  

5. Everything you’ve experienced is building you up for what’s next

When I tell people that I have a blog that shares content creation (Instagrammable places + posing tips) and style/fashion tips AND work in aerospace – people are sometimes confused. I don’t talk about aerospace at all on my blog. And during my day job, I don’t talk about content creation or blogging at all. I feel like my two worlds don’t actually know I’m balancing blogging and a career in aerospace.

But working in corporate America the last 5-6 years as helped me become a better businesswoman and a better content creator. My business degree, my master’s degree, my time with Boeing and PepsiCo has helped me learn project management and how to support both internal and external customers.

I’ve realized that with each new brand collaboration – I use project management and understand how to work with external customers (brands). I’m not afraid to share and talk metrics because metrics is a part of my daily life at work. I’m not afraid to have a conference call with PR companies or influencer agencies or communicate via email because both are part of my daily life at work.

Yes, I can create photos, videos, and stories for brands, but I can also develop a professional relationship.

What have you learned balancing your job, school, or side hustle?

Thank you for reading about my experience balancing blogging and a career in aerospace!

For more career/blogging related posts, you can also check out:

4 Pieces of Advice for Balancing Grad School, Your Full-time Job, and Side Hustle

How much time do I spend on my blog and Instagram?

Love,

Emma