Author:
Juli Perry Briggs
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Date Posted: 16:56:46 03/25/03 Tue
I left the world of the music industry in 1988. Up until then, I pushed full force to use my bachelors in musicology and Arts Management and did some incredibly fun things, but also got abused for a year by Southern Music, which never ever paid anyone anything but minimum wage. But, there was a unique segue into the military (navy) for two years, which earned me a medical discharge when a fractured bone in my pelvis did me in. At least it caused Uncle Sam to decide that it would be appropriate to pay for some more education for me, under a "vocational rehabilitation plan" because my career was cut short with the medical issues.
I headed off to get a graduate education at a school that did have a focus in Nonprofit Arts Management, but learned that I totally detested marketing courses. At the same time, I was scared s***less by the formidable new finance professor who came to my school after having retired from Harvard and pioneering many of the original formulas for financial theory, and in order to not be embarrassed in his class, I worked like a dog to stay ahead of him and discovered my old math aptitude came in really handy. Personal computers were just coming into the world of management decision support, and the next thing I knew, I was the recipient of an MBA in finance and was hired by a Congressman who was running for U.S. Senate because I was a whiz with databases and statistical analysis. Oh, the doors that opened! But, before I knew it, I missed Texas, moved back to Austin and suddenly found myself the wife if a Field Grade officer in the First Cavalry Division. I applied for a part time teaching position in finance at a small university in Belton, my resume got pushed aside and then uncovered later when they needed someone to teach Information Systems Management (even taught one masters level course!). Holy cow, what a departure, but I found my niche.
We moved to Saudi Arabia --- ask me in person about what a marvelous experience that was, but also a trip and a half. I worked in selling multimedia IT training laboratories over there, and taught again at the university level, and tutored some princesses whose dad is a full nephew of the King and a four-star general in the Saudi ministry of defense. Then, situations arose --- again, REALLY, ask me in person, and I was forcibly repatriated to the U.S. just in time for the 1996 election season and old connections opened doors that suddenly had me in a very visible position in the Democratic political campaign. Moved to D.C. to hold a "thank you, Juli" job for several years, moved to a corporate contractor that served the White House, and suddenly my career fell apart because we had, in 1997, adopted two emotionally disturbed school aged children, and in early 2000 we suddenly lost the nanny we were relying upon at that time and there were too many specialized services that the children needed to participate in. I had to take over advocating for them and hauling them to all of their appointments.
I spent a very dissatisfying block of time doing this, but right before I pulled out of my career, I had returned to showing yorkshire terriers in AKC conformation as a passion. The next thing I knew, I was recognizing that I wanted my own business and wanted to work in dogs. I pursued the finest technical and artistic training that is available in the pet industry, opened my own mobile styling salon, and started using my conversion van on weekends to take my fuzzy little friends into the ring and put championship titles on them. It's been a wild ride, but I'm still at it, the most in-demand grooming service in Northern Alabama because of both my specialty in skin and coat problems and because of my attention to visual details and the emotional comfort of the animal. My business has been featured in the news 5 times in less than two years, and I have already been a speaker at two different grooming trade conferences. A dog I've bred is being shown by the 2001 International Groomer of the Year-- they will skyrocket to the top if we can continue to fund the little dynamo's career. We have a great sideline homebased business with Oxyfresh products, the most important TO US of which is their line of pet oral hygiene care. House is full of four-footed children and loving it!
Don't miss working in Music. Now, we focus on being community supporters of the performing arts, and even though we don't live in Washington D.C. anymore, we participate in the Legacy Circle which supports and guides Wolf Trap Farm Park, the only National Park for the performing arts. Maybe some day I can be on the Board of a major organization... have done so with smaller groups up to this point, usually small legitimate theatre companies.
Whew, sorry for the massive text, which surely vies with one of the Apostle Paul's Epistles in length. See you guys in a few weeks.
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