fbpx

Browsing tag: career

  • April 3, 2012

    Life planning on crack: Career, kids, family

    T recently said (somewhat jokingly) “You’re turning 24 this year. Better start thinking about when we’re going to have kids…”

    24 is scary. 24 is firmly mid-twenties. It’s nearly a quarter of a century. And it feels far older than how I feel inside.

    Mainly due to him, I’ve already bumped down my planned kid-having age from early 30s to 28-29. And that doesn’t seem so far away. I am so nowhere near ready for it, and is five years enough for that to change?

    We all got together recently for the birthday of a friend, S. She’s a doctor, or pretty close to being one. One of our other friends, F just got married and just started a corporate career, and plans to have kids once she gets her CA. All of the girls in this group want their kids young, and to stay home with them for at least some time. Including S.

    Medicine and child-rearing. Two very different lifestyles, neither of them conducive to the other. She is perfectly suited to medicine, but the family thing is just as important to her. We mapped out her professional trajectory on paper (from house officer to registrar to fellow to consultant – the US names are vastly different) and tried to determine where she would fit in two kids. Apparently some people take a few years out as registrars to get their PhDs and have their kids then (!), as that seems to be the best window to take time out in.

    The last newsroom I worked in, only the most senior people – almost all men – had spouses and families. The hours just aren’t conducive to it. Medicine is even worse. S can’t have the kind of life she wants (or any life, really) in surgery, so she’s thinking about pursuing radiology or anaesthesia, which have more regular hours, (though they may be harder to get into). It’s something I pointed out to her back in high school, but I don’t think the harsh reality really hits you until you’re faced with it. Ah, the march of time.

    I’m also really interested to see what happens to the rest of my girlfriends in the next couple of years. As I said, one is married. Another will probably be engaged soon. Three more literally have plans to get married in the next two years, but haven’t met anybody yet. And they may well end up having arranged marriages – a tradition I can’t help but wonder how much longer will continue quietly in Western countries, albeit in increasingly more informal ways. Probably longer than you might think.

    Did you factor in family and kids when planning your career? Have you thought about when they fit into the picture?

  • February 28, 2012

    Tom and Lynette, you’re breaking my heart

    Confession: I watch Desperate Housewives.

    Confession two: I am ridiculously sad that Tom and Lynette have split up.

    They’ve always been my favourite couple. She, the Type-A superwoman; he, the easy-going complement. T and I always agreed he was the best husband on the street.

    To me, there’s one big lesson to be learned from their demise.

    Imbalance can be deathly to a relationship.

    If you are a driven person, it will be very hard to take the back seat to your partner’s career.

    Lynette was a career woman to the core – as evidenced by her inability to defer to Tom even after encouraging him to pursue a big career move that saw his star really rise.

    She supported, pushed him even, into accepting a high-powered job. He wasn’t keen, but eventually embraced his new position. And Lynette found that difficult to accept – being relegated to spa sessions with the other wives on an executive retreat, refusing to treat Tom like an actual client when he hired her to redecorate his office, and so on. She wanted it both ways – she wanted him to succeed, but not to play the role of supporting spouse – and refused to accept that the dynamic was irrevocably altered.

    All of that made worse by the fact that they both work(ed) in the same field, and that Lynette brought the entire situation on herself. Sometimes the things you think you want don’t make you happy, after all.

    Worst of all, it seemed she’d lost her own financial stability – surely having Tom stop by the house to drop off a cheque would have to qualify as a serious lifetime low.

    I’m not saying that who makes the most holds all the cards. But I am aware that if you’re in a partnership where one party ultimately calls the shots, and the other suddenly becomes a power player professionally, that’s probably going to seep over into the personal realm.

    I’m thankful that T does not work in the same industry as I do – partly because 2 x journalist incomes will never equal pots of money – but mainly because I think the competitiveness factor would kill us dead. And that’s all on my part. I can’t help myself. I would not be able to separate the personal and professional – to stop comparing our work, to make sure I measured up or better, to stop any envy eating away at our relationship.

    I’d like to think if we ended up in the same scenario, that it wouldn’t break us. Him making most of the money would not represent a seismic power shift, because I’d still be the household money manager, keeping things humming along, perhaps working with a bigger budget. And if, like Lynette, adjusting to the new order proved tougher than it might seem, I’d hope that I would be able to rationally view how I was dealing with the situation and actually communicate with T to figure out how I could cope better.

    I’m still rooting for these two.

    Who’s your favourite DH couple? To what extent do you think money plays a role in relationship dynamics?

  • December 5, 2011

    On balancing work, life, and Penelope Trunk at her best

    I’m ambivalent on Penelope Trunk. But you can’t deny that she calls it as she sees it, and she gets it spot on in this interview.

    There is no magic solution.

    There is no get rick quick online.

    A blog in itself is not a business.

    Want to quit your job and work for yourself? You need goals. You need a strategy. You need a business plan.

    Listen good, online empire wannabes.

    What really stood out to me was the point that she made that business and lifestyle go hand in hand. If you want to spend more time with your kids, you’re not going to be able to put in the kind of hours someone single and single-mindedly devoted to growing a business will. (The fact that starting a business takes hard graft goes unsaid, surely.)

    For me, the lifestyle is the most important part of the equation. I changed jobs this year in pursuit of better balance, trading off a few financial benefits, flexibility (a double-edged sword; it goes both ways) and the prestige of a big name for no shift work, shorter commute, more variety and room to stretch myself. As much as I loved my previous position, and felt I was part of something important, I was increasingly frustrated with the sacrifices that came with the territory. In any choice, there are trade-offs, and those may chop and change at different stages in your life.

    (BUT I have to disagree that you are either a people person or a writer and that the two are mutually exclusive. I work with people every day who disprove this theory. There are plenty of journalists who are rather awkward in person – me included – but there are just as many writers who thrive in social situations.)

    As evidenced here on Stuff Journalists Like, it’s a lifestyle that ends in a crash and burn for many. How many times have I read about people giving up on the pay and odd hours that cut into plans or make it straight up impossible to make plans ahead of time? (Answer: Enough to depress me.)

    I’m not convinced by the assertion that journos don’t have many transferable skills, however. True, we have to sell story ideas to editors, but pitching a feature is probably not on the same level as attempting to close a five or six-figure business deal. And some of us are lucky enough to be largely autonomous and work independently – in which case getting used to answering to others in the corporate world could be a nasty change.

    But we’re articulate, know how to ask the right questions, know how to research, have good contacts and know how to handle people, something that shouldn’t be underrated. Some of us have particular areas of knowledge and expertise, although that’s rare nowadays.

    If I couldn’t be a journalist … well, I’d like to try my hand at doing something in the music industry, in arts, in a university setting, in a nonprofit – what exactly I don’t know, but ideally something incorporating creative and editorial aspects.

    Do you agree with any of these points? Or are you just sitting there shaking your head?

  • August 25, 2011

    Jobhunting faux pas, and more

    I’ve tripped myself up a fair few times over the years, professionally speaking. I’m not good at being put on the spot. For me, preparation is key. While there are some things you can’t plan for, in most cases the majority of questions or curveballs that come your way can be anticipated with a bit of research!

    Faux pas I’ve made (but which didn’t seem to hurt me) include:

    Disclosing –  more or less – what I was making.  But in the first case, they offered me a fair bit more, and in the second, well, I was already overpaid, so I couldn’t have come out any worse off. In fact, I still ended up with more than I’d hoped for.

    Not being prepared for certain questions, which in hindsight, I should really have expected. I’ve probably broadcast it enough times here that while I have lots of personal goals for the next few years in life, I really have no clear plan for the career branch of that equation. But working in digital does mean you could well be doing a job in future that doesn’t currently exist. Luckily, my brain was working relatively quickly that day, and I managed to blurt out something half coherent about continuing to learn, grow and seize opportunities.

    Not finishing my drink. Lesson learned: Drink up your hot beverage. Quickly. Before it gets cold and nasty.

    Mistake

    Image via Wikipedia

    On the other hand, I’ve had a few things going for me which have got me to my position now.

    For one, reliability – I always thought this was a given, but apparently it’s a biggie – too many flaky creatives around?

    It also helps to have a foot in the door. Bosses don’t like to gamble; they’re more willing to bet on someone already known and trusted. Contacts and work experience, rather than resumes, have been more important for me.

    That said, I wish I had made more of the potential contacts I’ve come across over the years. And as socially awkward as I continue to feel – a curse which often makes me wonder if I’m in the right field – it’s a reminder that no matter how big my workload, I need to make more of an effort to cultivate relationships with my coworkers during the work week.

    What mistakes should you have known better than to make along your career path?

  • July 20, 2011

    Want to be a freelance writer? Act like one

    Magazine rack.

    Image by Randy Weiner Photography via Flickr

    The secret to making a living out of writing does not lie in job boards and content mills.

    You gotta HUSTLE.

    Maybe you don’t know anything about the journalism industry. That’s fine. But you do need good ideas, to put yourself out there, and pitch. To magazines. To big blogs. To corporates whose websites need a revamp. Whatever. It’s not enough to be creative; you need to get business savvy. In other words, targeting better-paying markets. Real markets. Scary, I know.

    Writing is a profession. If you want to make a living from it, treat it as such. Professionals take their business very seriously. They cultivate and maintain relationships with editors. They spend a lot of time on marketing as well as admin (invoicing is probably half a job in itself), and they’re organised enough to juggle multiple projects, multiple deadlines and multiple clients. They carve out niches for themselves; while a broad base is important, specialising is often where the bucks are.

    You can bet they wouldn’t waste time writing for eHow.

     

  • July 4, 2011

    Big pond or small pond?

    backyard pond

    Image by massdistraction via Flickr

    As I settle into my new role, the days continue to race by. In a good way.

    I suppose I can now, professionally speaking, tick off “taking a career risk” on this list. I took a few risks on this. Trading a degree of job stability, betting that I would thrive in a smaller environment. Swapping some straight financial benefits for not strictly monetary ones. Giving up an amazing team, but thankfully joining a similarly awesome group of colleagues.

    It’s funny how quickly you adjust to an entirely new situation. My old position is now being advertised for, and thinking back just a month ago, it feels like a distant dream.

    I once asked my (rather wise) mother whether she thought it was better to work at a large corp, or a smaller, more tightly knit company. Which one would you get more out of?  (I am aware these are not the only two career options in existence, but striking out on your own can be a topic for another day.)  Obviously, it depends on your priorities. But I’m talking generalities here, and Mum’s take was that it’s often better to start out in a big organisation and learn all you can, then take your skills somewhere smaller. Be a cog, learn the basics of the business, then go somewhere where you hopefully can make more of a difference, become better-rounded, enjoy more flexibility. Incidentally, that’s exactly the same sentiment echoed in a business advice column I read not long ago.

    Where do you fall on the spectrum – and what have your experiences been?

     

  • May 26, 2011

    Five reasons why I have no management aspirations

    (aka, Things I’ve Learned on the Job, or Why I’m Glad Ladder Climbing Is Less Of A Concern In This Industry Than Others)

    Outside in management model

    Image via Wikipedia

    1. The BS. The massaging of egos, the corporate speak, the endless talk talk talk.

    2. Big picture thinking. I get that all that talk is vital when you’re thinking on the strategy level. Me,  I prefer to get on with the job…actually doing things rather than endlessly discussing them. I’m more of a detail-oriented person, and that lends itself more to the execution side of things.

    3. Meetings. I used to like meetings. Get paid to sit around, watch presentations, listen to people talk? And sometimes even get fed while doing so? Yes please. Oh, how wrong I was. After a few, I realised just how damn interminable meetings actually are. (Much like I thought I liked lunch breaks, but given the choice between a slow day when I could basically take a whole afternoon for lunch and a day when I barely get to catch my breath, I’d take the latter.)

    4. Any actual managing of people. I’m a control freak and delegating is something I still struggle with. But it does help to have capable, competent and *willing* people around you. (I am a showerer of praise but have no patience for timewasters.)

    5. Personal time. The higher you go, the more work bleeds into your own time. I’d like that to be on my own terms, rather than by necessity.

  • May 25, 2011

    The Queen’s Meme #84: The Workaday Meme

    I’m taking a leaf out of Lesley’s book. Want to play?


    Let’s talk that 4-letter work today: W.O.R.K.

    1. Are you in a job/career you always wanted?

    I am. I’ve also come to realise something: while I couldn’t do something I hate for a living, by the same stroke, work is not everything – there’s so much more to life.

    2. Do you find your workday world fulfilling and rewarding?

    Mostly, yes. But another thing I’ve learned: despite what some like to espouse, it’s insane to expect every day to excite and inspire you.

    3. If you could change jobs, what would you do?

    It’s less about what I would *do* per se but I wouldn’t mind trying my hand at something in the music industry. I’d also be open to working in government, a university, a bank (or somewhere like Sorted.org.nz that’s all about personal finance), a nonprofit, travel or the arts. If not in editorial, probably within the marcomms department or a function like technical writing.

    4. What about your job irritates you the most?

    I’m going to copy Lesley verbatim here: Talking and making nice to other people. Dealing with people who don’t know what they’re doing (myself excluded). Also, crap technology (!!!), frustrations with systems/processes.

    5. Would you rather have a high pressure meaningful career or a mindless clock-punching job?

    Ugh. I’m highly-strung and try to avoid stress as much as possible – after all, I’m trying to swing towards balance, not away from it. I guess at this stage I’ll still go with the former.

    6. I believe in the concept of “paying myself first” as in tucking away dollars for emergencies and vacations. If you started a special savings plan and could save a certain amount each week to do something only for yourself, what would that be?

    It would be for travel. Actually, it already is.

    7. What do you think is the hardest paying job on earth?

    I think working in emergency services – fire, police, or medicine. The pressure, the responsibility, and the hours, plus they require both mental and physical stamina.

  • May 12, 2011

    What it means to have a communications degree

    SO YOU HAVE A COMMUNICATIONS DEGREE - WHAT NOWAs a comms grad, I’m used to being mocked and looked down upon. Being one of the supposedly more intellectual types in high school, the reaction to my choice was pretty predictable. Why not go to a more prestigious university? Because it doesn’t have a communications course and I can’t do what I want to do there. Why not do a BA – isn’t that the same thing? No. And between paying for an arts degree with no clear end goal, and a scholarship for a comms degree with a defined major (in my case, journalism), the choice was easy. Had I gone the other way I would probably have close to zero realistic employment options now. I say this without intending to contribute to the arts hate. Communications and Arts are often seen as waffly, copout options. Which stems from ignorance, really. Degrees in architecture, med, law – they all offer pretty clear cut pathways. So, I’m here to say…

    Comms grads are:

    Images of custom amirugami, an amirugami gradu...

    Image via Wikipedia

    • Editors
    • Writers
    • Publicists
    • Designers
    • Marketers
    • Advertisers
    • Producers
    • Managers
    • Consultants

    Just to name a few options.

    They may work in radio, TV, magazines, digital, or newspapers – or they might work in politics, nonprofits, education, startups or big business. The 2.0 world is a media-savvy world – and every organisation needs to communicate with customers, stakeholders, the press and more.

    Some even make buttloads of money. Just like the humble arts grad, we have a lot of transferable skills. We also learn a ton of practical skills. Internships and work experience are part of the whole package, and we learn to use industry-standard software – programmes that are actually in use on the job.

    So if you’re thinking, “I have a communications degree – now what?” let’s be honest, you’ve probably left it a bit late, but as you can see, there’s no shortage of possibilities.

    While the narrow focus of the Communications faculty sometimes frustrated me, it was also a blessing in some ways. It’s industry-focused, kind of like a trade (which makes sense as some of these are professions once learned by on-the-job training or apprenticeship but now require a qualification in most cases).

    So, what are some of the lesser known facts/job options in your field? The older I get, the more careers I learn about – so many more exist beyond the ones you learn about growing up.

    (In response to Darwin’s Money. Krystal also presents her view here.)

  • March 22, 2011

    Work-life balance: Outdated? Achievable? A pipe dream?

    The things I love about working in the online space also make it terrible for work-life balance. The immediacy, the connectivity, the multimedia – it all makes it difficult to disengage and switch off. Like me, some of you have a bit of an internet addiction personally; add to that at least 40 hours a week for work and it quickly gets exhausting.

    I’m still holding out. I don’t have a smartphone myself (I drop my phones a lot and I refuse to pay the exorbitant data prices we’re charged in NZ), nor do I have one for work (I’ve always figured once that happens, you’re always expected to be reachable).

    Yes, working in online, the hours can be awful, and like many other fields, longer for those higher up the chain. Even those lucky enough to have something close to a 9-5, Monday to Friday schedule, know they can be called in anytime.

    None of the women in my department have kids. I don’t think this is a coincidence. I’m still years upon years away from even thinking about babies, but it is certainly food for thought.

    Balance is something that’s really important to me. Or at least striving for it. This is a “passion” job, although like I’ve said, I certainly don’t wake up rearing to go. I wouldn’t want to be in any other industry at this stage, but money aside, I’d rather work less and spend more time pursuing my other interests. I happily put in overtime as needed, but I refuse to let work be my life. Or my life be work. It’s something that’s easy to get sucked into, and something I see in others in this industry.

    Or is work-life balance increasingly a remnant of the past? I occasionally check in on the #u30pro Twitter chat; it’s aimed at young professionals, and most of the participants seem to work in media-related roles. I find all the talk of “authenticity” a bit tiring, but one of the things I’ve observed is that not many think balance is realistic – or even desirable. Which I think is most commendable, but there have got to be limits.

    Where do you fall on the spectrum? Are you expected to be available outside hours? Is switching off easy/feasible/desirable?

    • Previous
    Next