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Topic: negative
| Author | Message |
| m.oxenrider | Posted – 10/15/2007 10:55:50 PM | show profile | email poster so here is the deal. When I really stop to think about it, I feel like I am selling myself short "begging" to be a Copywriter, Editor, Proofer, when really - I - Am - A - Writer. And as things get worse and worse, I wonder why I ever thought of entering the workforce using my talents. I should have stayed at Taco Bell when I was 16, and just wrote on the side, the whole time. This is ridiculous! I need a job. And out of all the posts I read, half of you out there have more experience than I do and THAT'S MY COMPETITION! People with 20 years experience? Without employment? Is the economy crashing around us or are we just in the wrong racket. BTW - Taco Bell was 17 years ago. I'd actually probably have a whole lot more job security than I do now. Plus no student loans to pay off. I need a job in Chicago - paying anything. Just a job. Job? |
| Circle68 | Posted – 10/16/2007 12:05:05 AM | show profile | email poster I completely understand where you're coming from. I'm also from Chicago and I?ve found it extremely difficult to find a good gig here. Just don?t give up. E-mail me if you want to talk. Good luck. |
| Potluckcraft | Posted – 10/16/2007 9:01:17 AM | show profile I just wanted to chime in that I know how crappy it can feel to be selling yourself to these megacompanies as a copywriter, proofer, or in my case, associate producer, when you know you're actually a writer, or in my case, filmmaker. Although stuffing chopped meat in corn shells is kind of gross to me, I agree about Taco Bell. Or rather, I like to keep a small distance between what I do during the day, and what I do in my own time. For example, I may shoot weddings by day, but I'm a documentary filmmaker by night. It makes for a busy life, but at least I feel less cheap. The ideal for me is just finding a job that gives me the security to not think about work too much...still looking.... |
| LotusBlossom | Posted – 10/16/2007 9:24:01 AM | show profile Figure It Out M, I do sympathize, but it's not so bad. Start by putting everything in the right box. For money, go where the money is. Sorted. Then structure your life in a way that works for you and that you love. If you want to write, write. But until you can sell your writing, reserve your days (or nights) for money and nothing else (identity, ambition, self-conception, etc.). That can be at Taco Bell or, better yet, investment banks, which pay extreme hourly rates with deadlines that make a newspaper veteran giggle. The trick is to let go of your idea of how you thought it would be and let it be how it is, all the while demanding the core things that you really need. |
| pholiday | Posted – 10/16/2007 11:10:53 AM | show profile M - the market is tough everywhere, Chicago especially. If you really want to write then get a job at night as a server in a local restaurant and freelance all day long. Before you know it, you will have more real writing assignments than you can handle ... whether they will be the soul satisfying stuff you want to write about is another question. But at least you will be an active writer. |
| UnemployedNNJ | Posted – 10/16/2007 11:22:10 AM | show profile Wow and I thought I had it bad because I just graduated this year and can't seem to find a permanent job. I too love to write but since graduating that has fallen to the wayside especially since I have never had a paying job for my writing skills. I agree with working during the day or night at a regular job just to pay the bills and seeking freelance work. I am trying to figure out what I want to do with my life and at times feel like I should have saved my money instead of going to college because I am only making $5000 more than I did before I had a degree!!! |
| m.oxenrider | Posted – 10/17/2007 2:54:26 PM | show profile | email poster Figure it out! Negative still, but I really appreciate the advice! Anyone else in the same boat should read the "Figure It Out" post above. Any advice on how to make money on the side until I get the job? Investment Banking? I'll look into it but it seems so far outside of my reality to convince h.r. |
| paula_vergara | Posted – 10/17/2007 3:09:36 PM | show profile Figure out what you're good at (and have experience with) outside of writing, and design your resume to focus on those things. You need money and insurance. Being a creative, hard working, deadline driven writer may not pay the bills right now, so you need to find a job that will. You might consider temporary, contract assignments. Make a LONG list of employment websites (including MB) and companies that you would like to work for. When searching, factor in location, size of company and benefiits, if offered. Do you really want to take the bus to work, or drive? Can you tolerate a one hour commute twice a day? Each day, go through that long list, one by one. If you find a job that suits your skills, write a kick a** cover letter, submit it with your resume, and jump on that job. |
| paula_vergara | Posted – 10/17/2007 3:10:32 PM | show profile Figure out what you're good at (and have experience with) outside of writing, and design your resume to focus on those things. You need money and insurance. Being a creative, hard working, deadline driven writer may not pay the bills right now, so you need to find a job that will. You might consider temporary, contract assignments. Make a LONG list of employment websites (including MB) and companies that you would like to work for. When searching, factor in location, size of company and benefiits, if offered. Do you really want to take the bus to work, or drive? Can you tolerate a one hour commute twice a day? Each day, go through that long list, one by one. If you find a job that suits your skills, write a kick a** cover letter, submit it with your resume, and jump on that job. |
| paula_vergara | Posted – 10/17/2007 3:27:25 PM | show profile have you tried aquent.com? |
| m.oxenrider | Posted – 10/18/2007 1:50:19 AM | show profile aquent yes, that's where I got my last assignment, and it was a really good one, and I guess I was naive and assumed that after that assignment others would simply just follow. I've undergone 7 interviews, been to four staffing agencies and sent out my goal of 5-10 resumes daily since I learned (one week prior) when the assignment would end. They are really good to me and very nice, but I'm on my third week of a job search and I have no sense if I will ever get another assignment from them. They are trying, I just think that at this moment there are more writers than jobs. I'm hitting up the bars tomorrow, but I haven't worked in the service industry since College. Thanks again! |
| JeanMarie | Posted – 10/18/2007 12:37:19 PM | show profile How much have you written in the past 48 hours? |
