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Your Writing Career: Knowing What Matters
I used to wonder if there was something wrong with me when I realized I wasn't happy in my job. How could that be when it was--on paper, at least--a "dream job"? Whether it had prestige, a great title, a nice office with a fantastic view, or access to important people, no job was what it appeared to be. On the outside, I must have looked like the luckiest writer in town, but the view from the inside belied that myth. I was the editor of two city magazines, the manager of internal communications for two major corporations, and the second in command of the marketing department for an international company. In all of those positions, I wrote constantly, which was exactly what I wanted to do. In all of those positions, either the corporate culture or my immediate manager was dysfunctional, which I discovered only after I was hired. (No one is going to disclose this kind of inside information to a potential employee.) I could have written a book on how to manage bad bosses. I certainly read enough of them. Management training was a big deal in those days. Supervisors through vice presidents attended compulsory seminars on how to develop management and communication skills. Participative management and employee involvement were the rage, except where I happened to be employed. I don't think any of my managers went through such training. If they did, it didn't take. Of course, some of them owned the companies I worked for; others were sacred cows for reasons I never discerned; and a few were just trying to survive in their own jobs. It was discouraging to look around and see morale slipping and sliding into oblivion in most of these places and not at all comforting to know that I was not alone in my feelings. One thing saved me from succumbing to doubt and discouragement: writing. Every job I had was a writing job, and when I was writing, I was in another world. I did not have to deal with corporate Mickey Mouse, politics, or other people's bad days. All I had to do was concentrate on was writing well. My work was an escape from the outside world and into one of ideas and words. Let me stress that not all business environments are toxic, and not all managers are in serious need of people skills. But the working world can be inhospitable even in the best of times. In an era of economic uncertainty, where layoffs are common and those who remain are often expected to do more with less, having a job one loves is rare. I worked in the private and public sectors for twenty years before I started my own business. I was one of those fortunate people who loved what I did even if I didn't always love the circumstances in which I did it. Finding your real work and having the opportunity to do it, no matter what the job description, is a gift. It makes it possible to deal with and often ignore the negative aspects of any situation. What I learned in those twenty years was this: It is what you do, not where you do it that matters. All the rest is secondary. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com This article is based on chapter three of Words to Live By, a book of words of encouragement, guidance, and wisdom born of veteran writer Bobbi Linkemer's experience. Bobbi has been a magazine editor and journalist, corporate communicator, book-writing coach, and most important, a mentor to writers who want to take their writing careers to a new level. |
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