Ten years ago, everything started with a cruise ship for Mel. Mel, our resident expert at brokeGIRLrich, discovered her love for stage management while trying to find her footing in life.
Mel was reminiscing about her journey because of some growing challenges faced in her career, sparking a trip down memory lane. She found her first ever contract while digging through her old stuff and chuckled to herself about how far she’d come.
Before she started her fascinating career stage managing on cruise ships, she worked as a grad student in theology for a small theater company performing anti-drug skits at hospitals and youth detention centers—however, the adversities stirred by the 2008 recession made her decide to pivot from her stage managing career. After a series of twists and turns, she found herself aimlessly in San Francisco and jobless.
She was rejected at every turn, even from jobs she thought she was overqualified for. Then, while wallowing in self-pity at Fisherman’s Wharf, she spotted a cruise ship. The sight sparked an idea, and she swiftly ended her self-pity session, went home, and applied to every cruise line she could find. After seating through a couple of weirdly straightforward interviews, she was unfortunately still unemployed.
Desperately, she returned to job-hunting. After a particularly challenging day of job rejections, she ended up at the San Francisco public library where she made a distraught call to her mom, who was happy to hear that Mel had received a job offer from a local entertainment store, FYE.
Here’s where her luck turned around—immediately after hanging up, Mel receives a call: it was an offer for a stage manager role on a cruise ship. In what seemed like no time at all, she was aboard that ship and well on her way to where she is now.
A decade later, Mel is still passionate about stage management. There are some invaluable lessons she learned throughout her journey: never stop pushing ahead, be open to any opportunities, embrace risks when you’re young, and smart financial management is crucial, especially when chasing worthwhile dreams.
Mel fondly looks back, laughing at the defining moment of spotting the cruise ship that eventually guided her career path. Do you have a moment you can strongly link to your current career?
For those keen on a unique work-life like Mel’s, check out her various posts about life as a cruise ship stage manager. Whether it’s about her daily routine, the lessons she learned, or advice on how to land a job on a cruise ship — she covered it all!