Baraka_Guru

This has sprung out of a recent blog post of mine: [Baraka_Blog] It's my turn, my friends. I'm seriously evaluating my career, and I want some feedback.

For those of you who don't know, I'm a book editor. I work for a small trade book publisher as a managing editor, but I also do a lot of marketing. In addition to editing and running the editorial for the company, I also do such things as promotion and office admin. More specifically, I liaise with authors, book stores, distributors, and other industry people; I build websites and do SEO; I help authors figure out blogging; I do all kinds of research related to new technologies and how the book industry can take advantage of it; and more.

I've also started to do some freelance work, most of which includes editing unpublished authors who are self-publishing or wish to approach publishers with something that isn't a steaming pile of shit.

The bottom line is this: I'm not very satisfied with what I'm doing at the moment. Some of it is pay-based (I'm not paid very much for what I do), but it's also based on the work. You see, I'm not sure I even like being an editor. I'm always self-conscious of my work and I have a difficult time keeping motivated. I try to find other things to do and always put off the editorial aspect of things if I can. I actually have had a better time teaching myself how to build websites. I have more fun working with code and numbers, whether it is Internet stuff or finance things, and this is what I'm getting at.

I'm looking into whether I should change careers. Although I have a degree in English, which would explain my editor status, I first earned a diploma in Business Administration--Marketing. In hindsight, I loved reading for my English degree, but pulled my hair out writing for it.

In college, I was energetically doing the assignments and presentations. As an example, they would bring in actual accountants to teach accounting, but they couldn't teach themselves out of a wet paper bag, so I taught myself. I taught myself accounting out of a textbook and earned straight As. I earned the nickname "Data" after showing my proficiency with organizing business/finance information within the context of spreadsheets. I even earned a reputation for analysis and critique of business plans and solutions. It got to the point where people started to kindly request that I ask no questions during their presentations, and that if I did, would I "dumb them down a bit."

University was different. I could do the work, but I didn't thrive on it. I did things last minute, pretty much handing in first- or second-draft essays and wondering how I was getting B-pluses and As.

I'm now sitting here with an assignment and looking ahead to another workweek. I'm not looking forward to it. I'm indifferent. It shouldn't be that way. I think if I got another editor job, it wouldn't change much; it might actually get worse, because I'd have a more focused job, likely. I'd do more copy editing exclusively, and I don't know if I could handle that spiritually. Here's a big hint: I actually enjoy editing finance/investing titles, even when the writing is frustratingly messy. But I think this is more to do with the content than with the editing process.

So I ask you this: Let's say I wanted to explore breaking into the financial services industry. What would be the way to go about doing this? How do I compare that kind of work to what I do now? Do people actually enjoy it? Is it a myth that all finance jobs are soulless? If I thrive on organizing and analyzing information, would I get a lot out of working in this industry?

I know some of you work in finance. Tell me what you think about it, and what you think about my situation.

To everyone: Am I simply mad? Should I just shut up and do my job?

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

noodle

Nope, you're not mad. I'm having my third-life-crisis and though I'm not changing mine totally, I'm SICK of not making enough money to live on and being only half satisfied with my accomplishments.
I don't know much about finance, but life is really, really to effin' short to live poorly if you don't love what you do. I do strongly understand those who take a lower-paying job because they absolutely love and feel fulfilled by their jobs. And I'm not all about the money. 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?
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.
Good karma (I don't do "luck") in whatever decision you make.

__________________

roachboy

yeah, see i stayed in positions where i wasn't being paid anywhere near what my skill-set-- and somewhere behind that, myself---are worth entirely because, beneath the veneer of ambivalence about the whole academic thing, i really loved the way of life---and because, despite not having much money, i had things rigged up to allow me to steal time and work on things that i really enjoyed doing. and that period, i wouldn't trade for anything because it let me move way outside of the place where i started.

the problem came that when it came time that i really should have let go of it, i didn't know how to do it.

then i found myself hurtling at speed toward a wall, most of which was structured around my having internalized the idea that there was only academic work or failure and by the fact that i had, in fact, been able to transform myself even though i was broke alot.

what i learned from this is that it makes sense to be proactive--if you're thinking that the present situation is not working for you, start the process of moving into something else, even if you've not really made up your mind about exactly where you want to land. this because changing position is a process, it takes some doing, and you learn alot about what you want as you work your way through the process of trying to change where you're at.

these days i run databases. it's a congenial enough space, but mostly it's a good way-station. it's nice not to be broke, and it's nice to have health insurance. i've been putting things into motion to head somewhere past this, but that too is a process that i'm figuring out as i go. it's kind of an adventure.

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.

and while it's a process as well, it is good having to learn what it means and what it implies to have some control over your own life.
staying in a gig that doesn't pay what you're worth and that fills you with ambivalence is not good--you'll perform the ambivalences in ways that you can see and in ways that you can't see.

better to start making a move.

__________________
a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

-kamau brathwaite

pig

baraka: Who handles the finances for the company you're with? 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. 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.

__________________
You don't love me, you just love my piggy style

Martian

I think we talked about some of this stuff the last time I saw you, but to recap my views:

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.

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.

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.

__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

Baraka_Guru

I think this is what I am, in fact, doing, and this is the reason why I'm doing it.

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.

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.

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.

So, no, not in this case.

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.)

I work 9 to 5 in my regular job. The flex hours would only be if I became freelance full-time.

I realize this, and am willing to be open-minded enough to know I have a lot ahead of me.

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.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

snowy

My two cents: Once you do find that new direction (have no advice on that score, sorry), go, go, go. Just do it.

When I decided to go back to school, I was totally freaking out the entire time about all the things that could go wrong, but I didn't let it stop me from doing what I needed to do on my end to get things done. As it turned out, nothing went wrong, everything went perfectly, and I worried over nothing--thankfully. It was as if the universe agreed with me.

If there's a will--and you absolutely have to have the will to change directions like you want to--there is a way.

__________________
If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

pig

I know when I was interviewing a few years ago, I brought up the idea in the first round of phone interviews. Some companies will pay for advanced degrees, some won't. If you want to get a feel for it before the interview stage, I would suggest asking other people in management at some of the other, probably bigger, companies. Another possibility might be making inquiries through a professional organization. I have a friend who got some pretty solid advice through a mentor program sponsored by the American Chemistry Society. If don't want to stay within your current field, you might be able to sign up with a start-up type company. Not necessarily a lot of stability, but it might be a way to get into the business world. I have a friend who started out doing database and web development with a smaller company, which enabled him to slowly get into the boardrooms. Now a company or two later, he's the CFO and is being groomed for a CEO position with a small/medium sized company. I know you're already doing some soul-searching, but it might not be a bad idea to make a few phone calls and start feeling out the terrain. As roach said, the sooner you get that process started the easier it will be. If nothing else, you might find that the grass isn't necessarily greener and you might elect to stay in your current job - without the curiousity. Could lead to deeper satisfaction where you are. Either way, good luck.

__________________
You don't love me, you just love my piggy style

Plan9

... run away and become a US Army paratrooper w/ me.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

Charlatan

Have a look at the book, What Colour is your Parachute. It has some great ideas about how to switch careers. I put a lot of it into use when I made my career change.

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

Willravel

I chose to move on to something I enjoyed more and I haven't regretted it. I make a bit less (which only reflects on my specific case), but the satisfaction with what I do more than makes up for it. There's nothing abnormal about wanting to be satisfied by one's work in addition to being paid. As a matter of fact, there's nothing more normal. If you can help it, a vocation should be fulfilling. I'm not telling you that you should change jobs or anything, but when considering everything, remember that moving on to something better is an option.

Baraka_Guru

Thanks for the reminder! I had this book when I was going between college and university. I didn't read it all and ended up giving it to a friend of mine who was going through a tougher time than I was at the time. I do have What Next? by Barbara Moses that I've yet to read. I got this one when I wasn't sure what to do after university. I haven't read enough of this one either. I think maybe it's about time to read them both. Thanks.

I'm afraid of heights.

...and danger....

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

genuinegirly

Just another vote on the same lines of everyone else. Do not worry about change.

My father returned to school at age 40 to get his MBA. He didn't use that degree until he finally switched careers at age 60. He's an auditor now, and LOVES it.

You're younger than my father. He considers this his "retirement" job, something fun that he enjoys and he has control over his schedule.

You have several more years to enjoy whatever changes you choose to make in life. Why not go for it?

__________________
"Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq

"violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy