As I continue my job search after earning my bachelor’s degree in Marketing, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on the word experience.

It’s a word that appears in nearly every job posting. It often makes us think of job titles, years worked, or positions held. Those things certainly matter. But I’ve come to believe that some of our most valuable experience begins long before it ever appears on a résumé.

My journey into marketing didn’t begin in college.

It began in seventh grade.

For my science fair project, I chose to study the psychology of color in advertising. I was fascinated by a simple question: Why do certain advertisements catch our attention while others don’t? Looking back, I realize that project planted the seed for a lifelong interest in understanding people and what inspires them to act.

That curiosity followed me into high school.

I started a Bible study club and had an idea that seemed almost impossible at the time: invite a well-known Christian music artist to perform at my school. To make it happen, I had to organize volunteers, raise the money to pay for the venue, secure the location, promote the event, and create a campaign that would encourage my classmates to attend.

The event was a success.

At the time, I simply thought I was bringing people together. Years later, I recognize that I was learning event planning, project management, fundraising, audience engagement, and marketing.

Then came motherhood.

People often underestimate what parents learn, but any parent or teacher knows that keeping a child’s attention and encouraging a love of learning takes creativity, patience, and persistence.

I wanted my children to discover the joy of reading, not because they had to, but because they wanted to.

One day, neighborhood kids knocked on the door and asked my daughter to come outside and play.

Her response made me smile.

“After this chapter.”

That simple sentence told me everything I needed to know. Somewhere along the way, reading had become something she genuinely loved. Looking back, I realize I had been “marketing” books to my own children by making stories exciting, creating positive experiences, and nurturing curiosity.

Today, I find myself in a season of transition. Like many recent graduates, I’m searching for the opportunity where my education and my experiences come together.

But I don’t see the years before my degree as unrelated to where I’m going.

Working in customer service taught me how to understand people and solve problems. Motherhood taught me leadership, communication, patience, and motivation. Volunteer work taught me how to organize projects and build community. College gave me the language, research, and strategic framework to connect those experiences.

None of it was wasted.

Every season has been preparing me for the next one.

I’m grateful for each experience that has shaped me and for every person who has encouraged me along the way. Those experiences may not all fit neatly into a job description, but together they tell the story of who I am, what I value, and how I approach every opportunity.

Sometimes experience doesn’t begin with a position.

Sometimes it begins with curiosity.

And sometimes, that’s exactly what leads to great things.