Every Donor Has a Story: Bryce Magorian’s Job Search Success Story

When Bryce Magorian earned his degree in creative writing, a career in database management was not on his radar. Today, as Advancement Services Director at Catlin Gabel School, he sees that background as the foundation for everything he does. In this job search success story, Bryce shares the stubborn optimism that carried him through tough stretches and the resources he found helpful in his search.

What do you do for a career? Who do you work for? 

I am the Advancement Services Director for Catlin Gabel School. Since I was hired, the work experience at this creative, independent school has been wonderful. I have found ways to be a helpful member of the team and school community, and have been given opportunities to grow and expand my professional experience.

What do you like best about your career? 

My educational background is in creative writing, which at first might seem a bit at odds with a career in advancement services (aka database management). In my experience, though, my educational background has formed a foundation for creative thinking and clear communication that has been very helpful in managing multiple databases for an advancement team. Being able to communicate in ways that are clear and concise, while also being comprehensive of all relevant information, is essential as a nonprofit database manager.

It is also important when managing a nonprofit database that you do not lose sight of the fact that you are working with more than just gift records and spreadsheets. As the manager of a donor database, you are maintaining the clear stories of hundreds of donors’ philanthropic lives. It is important to honor how each donor is personally invested in the mission of your organization by recording those stories accurately and with relevant, specific details. 

My background in creative writing has helped me to assemble fuller pictures of both qualitative and quantitative information for my coworkers. It is that marriage of the creative with the technical that I have found most rewarding in my career.

What resources ​have helped you in your career and your job searches? Are there specific tools or tactics that have contributed to your success? 

The best resources I found in my career search fall into two categories: the practical and the emotional. The “practical” resources are mostly habits that those who want to work in the nonprofit sector have already been told to practice: volunteering for the types of organizations you want to work for, asking for informational interviews with people in positions you aspire to, attending networking events, looking for free training resources to gain relevant skills, etc.

Emotional resources are those you have to cultivate within yourself. They are more vital to possess—not only for job searches but also in your personal life—but they are much harder to attain. I found that the best emotional resources were openness, curiosity, and a kind of stubborn optimism. The key of those three is stubborn optimism, which for me is the belief that, during times of difficulty, it is important to find something good you can hold onto from every new experience. 

On Maintaining Optimism

On its face, that can sound like trying to maintain a Pollyannaish, sunshiny facade. For me, though, it was a matter of choice. It was taking all of the sometimes boring activities involved in finding a new job and choosing to find something interesting, enjoyable, or otherwise valuable in each one. 

Maybe you really enjoyed a conversation with someone you met; maybe you got a compliment from an interviewer about your new outfit; maybe you were made aware of a new potential lead to pursue; or maybe the weather was just really nice on the day you went to that networking event, even if you did not make any good connections. 

Holding those kernels of optimism and simple joy helped me push through the harder periods of my job search. Stubbornly holding onto that optimism helped me be curious and open in my interactions with potential employers and future colleagues, which made me a more pleasant person to be around. It also helps you to feel better about where you are in life, even if that is not where you ultimately want to end up.

Throughout your career, what obstacles have you encountered when doing a job search, and how did you overcome them? 

One of the biggest obstacles I’ve encountered is not so much being unable to find any work, but being unable to secure the job I really want that makes me feel like I am working at my full potential and growing towards my professional goals. In my early career, it was a common issue that I would have enough part-time jobs to meet my financial needs, but those jobs took up so much of my time and energy that I was stymied in pursuing the career I actually wanted.

In those moments I found two helpful strategies to overcome that feeling of being stuck outside the life you want: 1) Reaching out to people who are in the types of positions you want for informational interviews to get their perspectives and advice, and 2) Getting help in finding good job opportunities by listing myself with as many temp agencies as I could that place people in jobs in my field.

What piece of advice would you give to job seekers or professionals trying to advance in their careers? 

The breakthrough for me came when I was placed at Ronald McDonald House Charities as a temporary development coordinator. That position gave me the chance to prove myself to the organization by doing the actual work (rather than just having it on a resume), and it also gave me the chance to learn new skills from people already working in the field. I think it is a modern way to access the kind of “on-the-job training”, which can be harder to find in entry-level positions these days. Temps also often get to do a plethora of odd jobs for their employers, which helps in figuring out the kind of work you want to specialize in, in the future.

I would recommend that job seekers get themselves listed with as many relevant temp agencies as possible. You will never have as much access to as many employers as these agencies do. Let them leverage their existing networks for you, while you continue to hone your skills, pursue your own leads, and stubbornly hold onto your optimism!

Everyone’s job search story is different, but each individual story can inspire and empower others who are on their own unique path. We love to hear how our readers have found rewarding careers in Portland, and we want to share these stories with you to inspire you in your job search and to help us all better understand the local job market.