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Originally Posted by noodle
But if you're not happy, and you're not feeling appreiciated or earning enough to make the rest of your life comfortable than why not look for a change?
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I think this is what I am, in fact, doing, and this is the reason why I'm doing it.
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Originally Posted by noodle
Come back to school with me, Sue, Snowy and the rest of us that decided to push it a little and shake things up.  We've got a world of people at our fingertips. |
I'm not sure about "going back to school" so much as simply furthering my education and credentials. I'm not in a good financial position to go to school full-time, and I'm not sure about part-time even. I'm not opposed to online courses and post-degree night courses, as well as taking tests to get licenses. But even then, there is a cost I'll have to manage. I like the idea of getting companies to pay for certain things, but this won't happen with the company I'm at now, not even if hell froze over. I'm not even sure about other publishers. Margins are thin in the entire industry. This isn't an industry to work in for the money and perks.
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Originally Posted by roachboy
[...] so i would start things into motion. if it turns out that you need to do more school to make the shift, you'll figure that out as you go.
what i would not recommend is waiting.
the further you are away from *having to* move the less reactive you can be when things start moving.
[...]
better to start making a move.
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I agree. I took as much from your response to my blog post about this, and now you've made it even more clear. Thank you.
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Originally Posted by pig
baraka: Who handles the finances for the company you're with?
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The publisher. The place I work at consists of two full-timers and two part-time freelancers. This includes the publisher. There are also one or two other freelancers per season depending on the book project.
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Originally Posted by pig
You might be able to make a transition there, and you'd have some leverage (I would think) because you would know more about the product end of the company.
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So, no, not in this case.
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Originally Posted by pig
If that opportunity isn't there in-house, you might be able to make a go at with a larger publishing company; I don't know about your field, but I know that one benefit of a larger company in my field is that they will frequently pay for you to get an MBA while working.
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I don't think book publishing sees the MBA as a huge benefit. If anything, they might see it as an unnecessary cost. As I mentioned above, I don't see many publishers offering much for further education, but I could be wrong; I haven't looked into it yet. All I know is there isn't a lot of money floating around for professional development, let alone profits. I'd be happy just to earn enough money to support someone other than myself. (I'm not quite exaggerating here.)
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Originally Posted by Martian
Do what makes you happy. I know there are aspects of being an editor you like. You seemed to enjoy having a flexible schedule, among other things.
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I work 9 to 5 in my regular job. The flex hours would only be if I became freelance full-time.
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Originally Posted by Martian
You're not an old man by any stretch of the imagination. My mother was a bit older than you when she went back to university, and now she loves her job.
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I realize this, and am willing to be open-minded enough to know I have a lot ahead of me.
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Originally Posted by Martian
Do what you love until you don't love it anymore. Then do something else. Don't let preconceived notions of success or happiness dictate how you should live your life.
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See, this is it. I'm not sure I even enjoy being an editor. I think maybe I was just happy to have something I can do to make money out of university. I think I might have to do something else. I don't have a drive to develop my skills as an editor even though I have looked into it, including certification.