Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyse Mgrdichian.
Hi Alyse, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
My story is a bit odd, and it’s honestly still in progress. I graduated in May 2020 with a B.A. in Psychology. I thought I would do well in research psychology since I had some experience in the field, but I couldn’t get into any graduate programs – math, my lifelong arch-nemesis, stood in the way.
Being proficient in statistics is a must, and it’s not really my strong suit. And after flunking the math portion of the GRE, I had to ask myself, how badly do I really want this? I got in the 37th percentile for math after months of studying but got in the 90th percentile for English after not studying much at all.
So, I walked away from the idea of research psychology (although I love incorporating psychology in the work I do, and am not against returning to the field in the future). Having just graduated at the beginning of a global pandemic, when businesses were shifting to remote work and dealing with layoffs left and right.
I wasn’t sure what to do… so I turned to my innate love of stories and began to pursue book publishing, editing, and copywriting roles. I’ve learned that I enjoy these fields immensely, and gain a lot of fulfillment from them. I currently do lots of remote freelance work for everything from editing and proofreading to column writing and fundraising.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road for me – but on the bright side, I have much thicker skin now than I did when I first graduated. Entering the workforce during a global pandemic has been rough, and full-time jobs have been difficult to secure – the fields I operate in are very competitive, and have become even more difficult to break into because of the blessing and curse that is remote work.
Working remotely is incredibly convenient, but it also means that the role could be filled by anyone in the world… and you may have the experience and skills necessary for the job, but as the amount of applicants increases, your odds of getting noticed, statistically speaking, get lower. My automated rejection letters are in the triple digits now, and are still climbing – but I’ll take an automated rejection over getting ghosted, easily.
Seriously, hiring managers, keep your applicants updated. Anyway, aside from my freelance work and job applications, I pass my free time by taking certificate courses in fields I am unfamiliar with, but would like to get better at.
Currently, I am earning certificates in Children’s Book Illustration at UCSD Extension, as well as Writing For Video Games at the University of British Columbia.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I would consider myself an artist in training. I have drawn and glued and created ever since I was little – however until I started taking certificate courses, I lacked the training. While I would’ve loved to get an MFA in creative writing or children’s book illustration, I refuse to go into debt for something as subjective as art… certificates are far more affordable and flexible.
I consider some of the freelance work I do to be creative – for example, with Shelf Media Group (shelfmediagroup.com), I get to write columns and interview authors and translators. And for MILLU (millubox.com), I help them with everything from PR to R&D. However, my goal is to, on the side, illustrate and write fiction books for all ages… it’s a more tangible form of creativity than what I currently do.
If you visit my Instagram (@alyse.verone), you might cringe – I am still finding my artistic style, and am at the very beginning of my journey. But at the same time, even though I cringe too (arguably more than you), there’s something exciting about that. I see potential. I see an adventure. I see a blank, moldable slate.
I love working with watercolors and gauche, and suspect that this will be the medium I end up specializing in. As for what I’m known for… only time will tell.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I’m a strong advocate for calculated risk-taking.
My whole career thus far has been built on it – from stepping away from research psychology and investing in certificate courses to putting myself out there in job interviews and leaving steady money due to 1) a lack of respect or 2) unhealthy professional relationships (those are stories for another time, though).
I think that being flexible and open to change is super important, not just professionally, but personally as well. If you’re curious and open to exploration, and you do so responsibly, you’ll encounter opportunities you wouldn’t have had (or thought to pursue) otherwise.
In the risks I take now, I try to make sure they benefit my inner child. Would little Alyse be excited about this opportunity? Would it make her happy? I’ve grown up and matured, but in many ways, I’m still the same kid as before.
Contact Info:
- Website: alyseverone.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyse.verone/
