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“If you want a career in event planning, there are a dozen different directions you can go,” Jones says. “It can be working for a venue like a banquet hall, conference center or convention

center. It can be wedding planning, and maybe starting out as a ‘day of’ bridal consultant and then working your way into planning actual events from start to finish. Nonprofits are always

looking for people who can do galas and fundraisers and community outreach events.” Jones plans events as part of her role working full-time for a technology company. Gaudini, on the other

hand, runs her own event planning and consulting business, which is another direction to go if you’re more entrepreneurially inclined and want more control over your workload and clients.

This part of your decision-making process will help you decide whether you will be looking for an event planning position as an employee or if you will start your own business and look for

clients. 2.  BOLSTER YOUR EXPERIENCE The direction you choose might begin with the experience you already have, Jones says. Virtually everyone has planned a party, wedding or work event,

giving them basic expertise in aspects of event planning. “It’s one of those careers that it's easier for people to transition into, because a lot of us have day-to-day experience with

[them],” she says. If you don’t have much experience in the area, one way to build some is to volunteer to help plan events. Chances are there are events that need planning in your

workplace, church, local nonprofits, children’s school or other organizations, Jones says. “Put yourself out there and say, ‘I'd like to help.’ Get involved in community organizations

or organizations that are part of your area of expertise,” she says. In addition to her corporate event planning responsibilities, Jones is a longtime volunteer for and former head of the

Ohio Sauerkraut Festival, a large community event held in Waynesville, Ohio. She says she began volunteering in small ways and, year after year, got more involved running different

committees. As she became more confident in understanding how the event worked, she offered to be a mentee. “Offer to shadow or be  an assistant and just watch them and learn,” she says.

“You learn how they make it work.” In addition to using opportunities in your own day-to-day activities to gain experience, you can also seek professional certifications like becoming a

Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) or Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP) to boost your credibility. 3. ARE YOU 'BIG PICTURE' OR LOGISTICS? Event planning requires the

ability to multitask and juggle many details. “It boils down to any sort of project management that you've ever done in your career,” Jones says. “Project management is managing scope,

time and resources, and that can be anything. If you've ever managed a software project, a construction project, if you've ever planned a family vacation — any size of project in

any industry really can help prepare you for the core skill required in event planning.”