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Considered working as a community manager overseeing social media accounts for different organizations? This interview will take you through the ups and downs you can expect in the position, what it takes to land the job, what you can expect to earn and more. This is a true career story as told to ‘DiversityJobs.com street smart’ – a collection of true work-life stories told by members of minority groups (including women) from a software engineering to a counselor, and everything in between.

What is your job title? How many years of experience do you have in that field?

I have worked as a community manager for two years. I guess the term "community manager" is really new.

Would you describe the things you do on a typical day?

I work for a company that manages the Facebook and Twitter accounts of many companies, so I am in charge of 6 different accounts. I try to get Twitter and Facebook users to visit those companies' websites, join their Facebook groups, and "like" their Facebook pages. But that is not it! I need get them to visit their pages regularly, so I try to keep them interested, by posting interesting stuff. I am also a moderator, so I need to answer any questions that the users might have.

What’s your ethnicity and gender? How has it hurt or helped you? If you ever experienced discrimination, how have you responded and what response worked best?

I am Hispanic. My parents are from Argentina, and I am a woman. I work with young, well-educated people, and I think that they don't mind that I am Hispanic.

Do you speak any language other than English? If so, how has it helped you in your job?

I speak Italian and Spanish. So far, I only use English in my job, but I love the fact that, if we get a client that needs someone to tweet or post anything in Spanish, I could easily do it.

On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your job satisfaction? What would it take to increase that rating?

Nine! I only wish that I could interact a little more with people, instead of doing it through the computer all they long. But I can't complain, I really like my job.

What don’t they teach in school that would’ve been helpful to you?

I think that schools should forget about their obsession with students memorizing things. I mean, there are things that need to be memorized, like important historic dates, but in general, memorizing things doesn't mean that people know what to do with that information. They need to teach people what to do with all the info they have!

How did you get started in this line of work? I

I have always loved social networking websites, so I decided to find a job in that field.

On a good day when things are going well, can you give an example of something that really makes you feel good?

I love it when people are responding to what I tweet or post. That is what social networking is about: participation!

When nothing seems to go right, what kind of snafus do you handle and what do you dislike the most?

There are days when things just appear to be really slow... like people are not responding. That is a problem for me because that is what I am supposed to do: keep things active. There are also plenty of trolls out there, and although I would love to ignore them, companies don't wany people reading bad things about them, so I try to keep the trolls under control and limit the damage. How? By answering their posts politely and offering the rest of users the chance to see that those companies actually care about what people think.

How stressful is your job? Are you able to maintain a comfortable or healthy work-life balance?

I think that, most of the time, it is not stressful. I think that my life is balanced! In general, balance depends on us! Never forget that people work to live, not the other way around.

What’s a rough salary range for the position you hold? Are you paid enough considering your responsibilities?

I earn under 10 USD an hour, but there are companies that pay better. I think that it is a decent salary, although it could be a little better.

What’s the most challenging moment you’ve experienced?

Finding a job in this field was hard, and even now the biggest challenge that I face is that peple understand what I do. A lot of people think that this is not a "real job", but it is. Otherwise, I would spend the day on my regular personal account instead.

What education and skills do you need to get hired and succeed in this field?

To be a community manager you need to be creative, be familiar with social networking websites and be passionate about the internet, Facebook, Twitter and others. You should also be familiar with marketing concepts as well. Last but not least, some companies will only hire people who also know how to design a webpage.

What would you tell a friend considering your line of work?

That this industry is very exciting. Social networking websites are here to stay, at least for some years. In addition, I would tell them that things change very quickly, so they should be ready to change the way they work every few months.

How much vacation do you take? Is it enough?

15 days each year, but I have the option to take two more weeks (without being paid). That might be a good idea for some people, but I do need the money so I don't take the extra two weeks. I would like to have three weeks.

Does this job move your heart? If not, what does?

Yes, I love what I do. I love the fact that my job is fun and rewarding.

If you could write your own ticket, what would you like to be doing in five years?

It is hard to know what I will be doing in five years, but I think that I would love to establish my own social media company. I would love to offer bilingual services, I think that many companies would be interested in creating special content for the Spanish-speaking community in the U.S.