Skylar P.'s TOO MANY EXCLAMATION POINTS
Skylar P.'s TOO MANY EXCLAMATION POINTS
31, Communications & Community Engagement Professional, Virginia
The perspectives and stories shared in this conversation reflect only those of the speakers and in no way represent the viewpoints of their employers or connected organizations.
Hello there, my name is Skylar Clapperton Pritchard and I am so excited for you to join along for Too Many Exclamation Points.
Too Many Exclamation Points is envisioned out of a desire for more authenticity, vulnerability and honesty as it relates to real life and careers for women. I have a passion for mentorship, community and conversation and I’m expectant that this Substack will be a space just for that.
Each week, subscribers will receive an email to their inbox or a notice in the Substack app of a new conversation, personal essay, or piece of commentary on things happening in the workplace or as it relates to building and sustaining a career as a modern woman. Every other week, I will invite a guest to join in for a conversation about their career journey, the unique experiences they’ve gained over the years, and the moments of too many exclamation points in their lives.
Think of it like hearing from a colleague down the hall or a friend at the coffeeshop.
My goal is to create a space of authenticity, where together we can challenge the cultural norms of being women in the workplace and develop skills to leave it in a better place than when we arrived.
As the inaugural post and my version of an “About Me,” I wanted to share what you can expect from the conversations and commentaries to come. Let’s get into it, shall we!?
Who are you, what do you do for a living, and what are you passionate about right now?
I am Skylar, I’m a 31 year old female and identify with she/her/her’s pronouns. I currently work in higher education, specifically in the advancement area working on communications and building relationships with alumni and donors. I’ve been in my current position for just over a year, but with my organization for two years. Prior to that I’ve worked in a variety of communications and constituent facing roles at colleges and universities across the east coast. Right now, this is what I’m passionate about - honest and real conversations as they relate to our workplace, our home, and those we spend our time with! I enjoy learning about people’s career and life stories and learning from others.
What is your 3-minute career story?
My current career story is that it was my experience as a Resident Assistant in college that led me to want to work in higher education. I was cutting out things for my bulletin board and thought, “hmmm, people actually do this for a living, I wonder if I could.” So, I researched programs and potential jobs, ultimately getting my Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration and completing some internships and assistantships. My first job out of graduate school was as an Admissions Counselor for a small liberal arts college near my hometown. I really loved the experience of working with the students, but the environment wasn’t great and I really wanted to move South, so I ended up interviewing for my next job on the tail end of our honeymoon and ultimately accepted a position within the Parent & Family Programs Office at a large SEC institution. I really loved that job and learned so much from my supervisor, but I wanted to get back to working closely with students, so I took on a job as an Academic Advisor. I started that position right before the pandemic began and really enjoyed working closely with the students and helping them find courses that fit well with their interests. After a year and change in that role, we wanted to move closer to home, so I took a brief interlude as a High School French teacher, before joining the team that I currently work on. I was in an Alumni Engagement position before being promoted to my current role where I work on projects in annual giving, stewardship and am also a leadership gift officer. All that to say my career has spanned higher education, but I’ve had some great experiences in executive and large-scale communications, community engagement, relationship building, project management and more.
What has been your biggest career risk and would you do it again knowing what you know now?
My biggest career risk was leaving higher education for a few months to teach French in a public school. I have a Master’s degree in higher education and had spent my whole career up to that period advancing and working toward leadership positions within higher education. I had become very jaded by the politics of college campuses and felt like I could make a bigger impact in the classroom. (laughs internally) So, I applied to and took a job offer to be a high school French teacher, sold our home, and moved to Virginia to start a new chapter of my career. I was super excited about it, especially lesson planning and all the prep that goes into creating unique and exciting lessons. Long story short, it ended up not being the best experience or the right environment for me. I felt incredibly discouraged and not super supported, my mental health started to suffer and so I ultimately ended up leaving my position. I planned lessons all the way through the rest of the month, so that the substitutes would be prepared, and knew I just had to do what was best for me. To be honest, I don’t know that I’d do it again if I had to relive it. I’m grateful that we live in Virginia now and it brought me to my current position, but I still don’t think I’d like to relive the stress and anxiety of my days in the classroom.
What does family mean to you at this stage in your life and how would you define it?
Family has always meant a lot to me. I was always the one who’d rather spend a Friday night at home with her parents for game night or sitting in the garage listening to music while working on a project with my dad. My husband and I currently live away from our families, so anytime that we’re able to go home to spend with them, we’ll take it. We don’t go on many vacations because the focus of our time off is to spend it with family — whether they’re visiting us in Virginia or we’re traveling to see them. Many of our decisions, both mine personally and those made with my husband, are made with our family, especially my niece and nephew, in mind. We’re in the life stage where we are trying to lay the groundwork so that in ten years time, we can really be in a great place financially and career-wise to have some freedoms to make incredible memories with them.
If you got a $1,000 bonus (after tax) what would you spend it on?
An extra payment toward my student loans, without a doubt. I’m super close to paying them off and a bonus would really make a dent in getting toward the finish line.
When you were a little girl, what did you envision your career and work life to look like?
Oh goodness, I loved thinking about what I wanted to be when I grew up as a little girl. Everything from the cashier girl at our local supermarket to the head of gameday operations for a hockey team. I knew I wanted to work with people and that I wanted to create something meaningful, but wasn’t sure how that would manifest. I’ve always loved education, the power of it, the history of it, how it impacts people’s lives for the better and so that’s what I chose to pursue in college and it has evolved since then. As a young girl, I knew I wanted to wear a powersuit and heals — ironically which I don’t own a powersuit or wear my heals very much — and I wanted to be busy. What ten-year-old Skylar thought I would be busy at, I’m not sure, but I would have lists and phone calls and meetings. Which, now that I think about my work, its pretty accurate!
What is a generational curse you’re hoping to break and why?
There are many I’m hoping to break, but a small one that makes me smile whenever I make the drive up to Washington, DC/Northern Virginia by myself is just that — being an independent female driver. One of my grandmothers never had a license and my mom was never one to drive on the highway, so whenever I parallel park in a busy city or manage the craziness of I-95 during morning rush hour, I gain a small sense of pride that I’m moving the needle forward for the women in our family, even if its in a small way.
What do you think our workplaces need less of? And more of?
From my point of view, which is very specific to the industry in which I work and the locations that I’ve lived, I feel that the workplace can do with a little less secret-keeping. I am a huge proponent of transparency and open conversations about updates and changes in the workplace that ultimately impact the whole team. Whether its restructuring roles, someone taking on additional duties, a product enhancement or change, the likelihood that the team is already going to be talking about it is very high, so it would behoove supervisors to share things more openly with their teams, rather than letting things simmer in a grapevine. To that end, the workplace could use more opportunity for sabbaticals - similar to how tenured professors at colleges and universities are able to spend a year researching, writing, traveling … etc. without the caseload of teaching courses. My colleagues and I often talk about what we would do for just three or six months of uninterrupted time to pursue passions and interests outside of the typical 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. hustle. I’ve heard of some companies providing this as a perk, but how wonderful would it be to have just a month to slow things down, reset with your family and scratch a few things off your to-do list?!
RAPID FIRE
What do you hope for yourself in 5 years?
I hope for happiness, fulfillment, and lots of incredible memories. I’m also currently working on a long-term dream I’ve had since my youngest days that would hopefully come to fruition within the next 5 years, so that would be great.
What are you reading currently or read recently that has stuck with you?
I just finished reading Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career by Kristi Coulter about her 12 years at Amazon. It was very interesting and thought-provoking and would suggest it as a good read.
Favorite thing to get you jazzed up before a big day?
The color pink always — I try to include it somehow in my outfit and listening to worship music on my way to wear I’m going gives me some confidence and calm amid the anxiety.
What occupies the most space in your brain right now?
Work. Every. Single. Day. My mind rarely shuts off from the things that need to be done or the interactions I had that day.
What is your preferred way to use vacation time or PTO?
I love a Friday afternoon off. I did this a few times this summer and enjoyed the freedom of starting the weekend sooner without the anxiety of returning to an overwhelming inbox after a week-long vacation.
What are you looking forward to?
I am looking forward to healing from some burnout in 2024, establishing Too Many Exclamation Points, and this community!
What is your Too Many Exclamation Points right now?
My Too Many Exclamation Points today is that loyalty in a workplace can be fleeting and the only one you can always be sure has your back is yourself, so do not sacrifice your values or work ethic because of the opinions, actions or leadership of another team member, colleague or supervisor.
There are some incredible conversations to come as we kick off 2024, so be sure to subscribe to Too Many Exclamation Points, share the Substack with a friend who you think would enjoy it, and comment below if something resonated with you this week.
I’m grateful you’re here and wish you a week ahead with only the best exclamation points! — Skylar