Finding Your Career in the Unconventional
When I was starting my career after college I didn’t have a real idea of what I wanted to do. A big part of my struggle was understanding what people actually did at work. I had worked as a receptionist at an ad agency as a rising college senior, and that environment seemed fun and casual and appealing. I had worked for a cognac manufacturer in France one summer, but mainly in the museum giving tours. My dad worked in advertising and marketing, so there were plenty of conversations about that field. What I did know was that I had a gift for languages and a lot of cross-cultural experience, and I was a good writer and generally pretty presentable. So I started my career in Public Relations, working for a company that licensed and manufactured fragrance under designer brand names. Was it a fit? It was an okay fit at the time and gave me a perspective on the functional areas that had seemed so murky to me. And I learned how to excel at work and how to get promoted, and ultimately, how to identify my next step.
Over time I learned to leverage my best skills and confront and get support for my deficits. Having spent 15 years in branding and marketing and then executive search, I found that becoming a career expert was an excellent match. Since I’m always interested in people’s stories and love to share new types of careers, I study unusual career paths. So when I met Molly Sonsteng and Kevin Huynh at a networking event, I was curious to hear about the roots of their success.
Only a small percentage of college grads know what they want to do in life. The majority of career paths are meandering, with experiments and false starts over a period of years. Many people will tell you they “fell into” their careers, after building skills and experience and often being offered a serendipitous opportunity.
For Molly Sonsteng, this was the case. A singer, musician and educator from rural Minnesota, Molly is an “experience producer” and founder and operator of two companies: Madcap Factory, dedicated to creating unusual experiences for clients, and Caveday, a company dedicated to improving people's relationship to work by hosting distraction-free focus sessions in New York City and online.
After studying to be an opera singer followed by studying in Germany post-college, Molly returned to the U.S. seeking to leverage her musical talents while fulfilling a dream to move to New York City. In her research she identified NYC musical institutions with curriculum and programming departments, thinking she would apply her music and admin skills there. She worked in education at Carnegie Hall and then joined the Manhattan School of Music, ultimately becoming Director of Admissions while earning her M.A. in Education Leadership at Columbia Teachers College.
Over the course of five years, Molly struggled to make meaningful changes at the school, ultimately making a risky move by quitting without a plan. Striving to be open to all kinds of random opportunities, on a hunch she found herself reliving her camp memories at Camp Grounded, a summer camp for adults. Going by a fake name, she spent four days in the redwoods with a group of strangers, substance and tech-free, and prohibited from talking about work. The camp spoke to her desire to be playful while bringing light and magic into her life -- doing cartwheels, attending the camp dance, sleeping in cabins together, playing Capture-the-Flag. Campers came from all walks of life and, when she was ultimately able to ask, many different careers.
Molly was captivated and began to think about how she could take some of the things Camp Grounded offered back to her life in New York City.
Back home, Molly began designing fun projects: variety shows and different kinds of games. It dawned on her that she could start charging money around a loose concept she describes as helping humans connect through play, imagination and creativity. And Madcap Factory was born.
Madcap Factory helps clients develop events and experiences for companies, inviting them to engage with colleagues and clients in a fun and creative way. Her husband, a strategist, creative director, and entrepreneur, is her partner.
Molly’s other company, Caveday, was founded with two other partners and friends. Although well-versed in today’s productivity techniques, they noticed how they were having a tough time getting projects completed. They took stock of their own work habits and developed a method that now helps thousands of people be more focused in their work.
Caveday is designed to remove as many distractions as possible. Based on research, the team leads work sprints of 35 to 52 minutes prior to taking a break –without telling the group how long work sprints will be. The goal is for participants to do deep work while also cultivating a sense of joy within a community.
When Molly thinks about her future, as well as that of her toddler son and the young people she mentors, she feels it’s dangerous to tell someone to find their passion. Instead she advocates earning a living doing something you find meaningful. Having hobbies and fostering a sense of community can help you recharge, but they can’t make up for a bad job.
It’s exciting to both Molly and me that soft skills are becoming more valued and that it is very possible to build a career around foundational training in the performing arts.
Next time I’ll share my interview with Kevin Huynh, author, community builder and engineer.