Full name?: Jamie McKillop
Position / Job title?: Assistant Editor, Well+Good
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I always wanted to be a magazine editor. I remember I had a little hope chest and I wrote “magazine editor” on it in fancy writing. I was obsessed with magazines for as long as I can remember. I would sit in my room for hours reading them and taping the photos to my walls. I still have stacks and stacks of them in my childhood room.
Fast-forward several years/decades. How did you land (or create) your current position?
I went to NYU and majored in Media, Culture, and Communication and took a lot of journalism classes. One of the biggest appeals of going to NYU is that you can intern during the school year, not just during the summer. I had an internship every semester that I was there. My last internship was with Well+Good, and they offered me a full-time role when I graduated. I also graduated a semester early in December by taking extra credits, which I think helps with the job hunt so you’re not looking when everyone else is looking.
Did you have to take on internships to get there? How important in general, do you think, are internships?
I think that you should absolutely intern if you can. One of the best things my internships taught me is not only what I want to do, but also what I don’t want to do. For instance, I interned in Public Relations at H&M and Balenciaga and I realized it just wasn’t for me. But if I hadn’t tried, I wouldn’t have known. And you also automatically have a leg up on everyone who hasn’t interned or worked in an actual office when you’re eventually looking for a job.
Tell us what a typical work day looks like for you. What is your job REALLY like, both the glamorous and not-so-glamorous parts?
Everyone thinks my job is going to back-to-back workouts and fancy juice bars, which can be a really fun part of it. But to be honest a lot of it is just time in the office, writing and reporting articles. We have a really great staff of savvy, funny women, so that definitely makes the workday a lot more enjoyable.
What is the biggest career mistake you’ve ever made?
Probably not speaking up enough, which is something I’m still working on. I’m the youngest person in my office, and sometimes I can be a little shy because of it. But people really want to hear your voice and your ideas—they appreciate knowing how I see a nutrition trend or a workout style, especially during editorial meetings. That’s why you have a seat at the table.
What is the single most important piece of advice you would give to other career-minded women?
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. And don’t be afraid to be wrong. You don’t have to be 100 percent perfect all the time. Actually by making mistakes is the best way that you can learn. Sometimes, I pitch story ideas that my editors don’t necessarily take to, but it helps me figure out what does and doesn’t work.
Let’s talk about work/life balance. What does that mean to you? Is it important?
Work/life balance is very important. If you don’t have a balance, you’re inevitably going to get burnt out. And when you do things for yourself, I think it ultimately helps the quality of your work. For me, that means making sure I have a couple of things scheduled outside of work during the week, like a workout or meeting up for drinks with a friend.
On that note, do you think women can have it all? Both the baller career, and the happy family?
Of course they can, although it doesn’t seem easy. I’m still nailing down the career part, and haven’t even begun to think about the family part, so it’s hard for me to speak to that. Ask me again in 10 years.
If you could look into a crystal ball and see 20 years into your future, what would you want to see?
You know, I’m not totally sure, and that’s both scary and exciting. I think it’s better not to set yourself up for expectations, or you might get disappointed or miss out on another opportunity that could be really great for you. Just go with the flow.
Do you have any career role models? Who are they?
Melisse Gelula and Alexia Brue, our co-founders, are obviously very inspiring. But I also really look up to Lisa Held, our Features Editor, who lives and breathes Well+Good. She’s extremely hard working and dedicated, and she doesn’t really let anything phase her, be it workload or criticism, which is something I can struggle with.
What is the best piece of advice that you have ever received – career-related or otherwise?
I think it’s hard to choose the best or just one, but I’m a big believer in doing what feels right to you and trying to not care what other people think too much.
Parents love to say, “just wait ’til you have to face the real world…” When you were in college or high school, what did you think the “real world” looked like? What is the difference between what you thought and reality?
Going to NYU, I think I got a good understanding of what the real world was like before I was actually working full-time, because I was in the city and around people who were. I’m not sure about differences, but probably the hardest part is just having to be “on” all the time. During college you have class and then a break, but in the real world it’s pretty much work 24/7, which is why weekends are so sacred now.
Should you work for the money, or do what you love?
Definitely do what you love. You’re going to spend most of your life working, so it might as well be something you actually enjoy and are fulfilled by. But you also have to realize that you’re giving up certain comforts or will have friends that are going to go on to make a lot more money than you, and you’ll have to learn be okay with that.
How important is money to you when considering a job?
I mean, you obviously need to be able to eat, and have extra money to do things you actually enjoy, like go out to dinner or on a weekend getaway. But there’s no reason to be greedy as long as you feel like you’re being properly compensated for your workload. If you feel underpaid or undervalued, then that’s a problem.
What is the single most important factor of a job?
I think it’s that feeling in your gut when you get up in the morning. Are you happy to be going there, or are you dreading it?
If you married a millionaire husband and didn’t have to work, would you? (Be honest.)
Knowing me, I’d probably not work for a day and then go crazy and have to do something. It’s just part of my DNA. But I also respect women who choose not to work. What’s right for you is not always going to be right for someone else, and vice versa.
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