Gilian Ortillan

Volunteering often gets overlooked or underestimated as a means of opening new doors and finding opportunities. When I worked in non-profits, many were skeptical about volunteering -- especially in the middle of a job hunt. What they don't know is what I discovered years ago when I was a fresh grad who had a hard time finding a full-time job. My volunteer work opened up doors that I couldn't have imagined, and I wouldn't be where I am today without the opportunity that volunteering granted me back then. This presentation aims to encourage audiences to volunteer and make a difference in their community -- and in their own professional development.

Are any of these you? • You admire marketing but can’t describe exactly what it is. • You think marketing is hard to break into because it’s dominated by young people. • You wonder if you should’ve majored in marketing. • You wonder if you should’ve majored in anything. • You wish you took pride in telling others what you do for a living. Some people believe that marketing is a job built for youth, by youth, when in fact, the average age of a marketing manager in the US is 39 years old. I'll show you how I broke into the marketing industry at the "ripe old age" of 30 years old, and the strategies I used to do it. This presentation is ideal for anyone who wants to get into marketing or make a career change but feels like its too late. Take it from someone who wandered for most her 20s: it's never too late.