This iiiissss the story of a boooyyy,

Who had a fear of being unemploooooyyyed.

And while he looked, so sad, through job listingsss

He finally found a place that (pause) makes him SMIIIILLLLEEE.

Okay fine, I was never really that scared of being unemployed, it just fits the song. Whatever.

But what I was afraid of was never finding a place where I would be encouraged to fully explore the extent of my interests and push the limits of my creativity. And even though I’ve only been here just over a month (of what I hope will be a long and happy career highlight), I can already tell Elasticity will be a place where I can make that happen. So sit back, grab a snack, and allow me to spin ye a yarn of a boy (me if you can’t figure it out) who is just trying to find his place in the world.

The year is 2016: I had just graduated with my Bachelors Degree in Mass Communications from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville and was waiting for the working world to welcome me with open arms, a paycheck and a pat on the back for the impressive and totally unique achievement of graduating college. There I was, sitting in my living room with some music playing (probably Ariana Grande), the TV on (probably Ru Paul’s Drag Race) and my web browser open with the words “Best Marketing Firms in St. Louis” typed into the search bar because you have to start somewhere. And there, in the top of the searches, was where I first saw Elasticity.

On the other side of that link, I immersed myself in a world full of robots, karate, mustaches and the most use of the color orange that you could never want to see. I was amazed to see a firm, considered one of the best in the city, that had the audacity to be so playful and colorful — and I wanted in. While there weren’t any open positions at the time, there was still a section that read “If you don’t see the position you’re seeking, drop us a line anyway. We’re always open to meeting new people.” And that was all it took.

I grabbed my impressive(ly inadequate) resume, typed out an email with the subject line “Dropping a line, hoping you’ll bite, and really hoping no one has used that joke before.” Then I waited for my future to unfold before me, as I had officially just applied for my very first job after college.

Now, I know you’re all probably thinking “Wow, Ryne, I can’t believe you got the very first job you applied for after college. You must be really lucky!” And to that I say— HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I did not get the first job I applied to after college. I did not get the second job I applied to after college. I did not get the thirtieth job I applied to after college.  Little did I know that at the time I sent my first hopeful email to our Robot Overlord (that’s who you email at Elasticity — RobotOverlord@GoElastic.com), it would not be another two years, some 150-ish job applications and 40 – 50-ish interviews before I got my first “real job.” (SPOILER ALERT IT STILL WASN’T ELASTICITY.)

I’ll never know why it took me so long to find my first job. Was I too funny? Too honest? Too boyishly handsome? Who knows! But I do know that I spent FAR too much of the last few years obsessing over it.

Fast-forward to 2019. Elasticity is hiring. I’m qualified. I’m interested. And I’m terrified.

The funny thing about rejection is that no matter how many times you are accepted, the sting of it feels fresh every time. Even though each new job listing was a potential opportunity for success, it also held an equal or greater opportunity for heartbreak. But was I really going to let that stop me?

Lol yeah, almost.

But I sucked it up, grabbed my (slightly less offensive) resume, and typed out an email that began with “I came across your opening on LinkedIn for a Social Media Strategist and immediately put a pause to my Buffy the Vampire Slayer marathon to take a more in-depth look.”

And that was all it took. Well, and a couple of successful (but incredibly unstressful) interviews.

But why did it work this time when so many others hadn’t? Was the person reading my email also secretly a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fangirl? Was I simply the right email at the right time? Or had I all of my failed attempts at securing other jobs just been preparing me for the one I was meant to have from the very beginning?

I chose Elasticity because I have been a long-time admirer of the way they refuse to fit into the mold of what is supposed to be a conventional advertising agency. I chose Elasticity because I wanted to be somewhere where nothing was off limits to laugh at. And every day I get to keep choosing Elasticity because they took a chance and chose me.