I came home from work yesterday, burnt some dinner, sent out some senseless emails and then fell into a drooling heap on my bed where I slept the sleep of… well, someone who hasn’t technically worked in almost a year. Getting up at 6Am was no sweat (I’m capital c-h CHipper once my feet hit the floor), but staying awake for 12 hours without a nap or a wee lay-down by the pool? Well, who knew that would be so damn hard.
Remember when I worked at the monkey firm? That’s what I’m doing again, only for engineers. Ish. The details aren’t important. But you may want to know why I’ve headed back into the exciting world of marketing, rather than take a writing job. Here’s why: I learned, after my last job, that I don’t want to be a full-time writer. Writing has always been personal and fun for me. To do it as a task – having some bozo who once wrote a really boring book about web design (and thereby imbued with writerly superiority) dismantle everything I produced and turn it into uber-boring robot speak – well, that just all but killed my enthusiasm for it. Turns out, I’m the kind of gal who needs to keep her hobbies and her work separate. Very separate. Like, they should never even pass each other in the hallway when they get up to pee in the middle of the night, separate.
The coolest thing about this job (aside from the 4.8 mile commute and the Starbucks coffee and Splenda in the break room) is how it all came about. The short of it: the Internet. The long of it: I got a comment one day, in the middle of my very frustrating job search, informing me an exciting (!) and immediate (!) job opening. Let me tell you, I was skeptical. In fact, I said out loud (a la Billy Madison),
“No, Anna, I will NOT sell Amway with you!”
But I followed up anyway. And as coincidence would have it, not only was the job was legit, it was right up my alley. They weren’t all that excited about interviewing me (having already completed the first round of interviews), but I headed in, determined to up their enthusiasm levels. I was successful. Most of that success I owe to the recommendation of the above-mentioned Anna (who is super fantastic and has great shoes), but I like to think that some of it was due to my overall cuteness.
So, that is the story of how I came to rejoin the ranks of the employed. I’m happy, tired, and relieved. So relieved. My unemployment benefits were due to expire on Thursday.
Congrats Fish. I was out for four months last year. Got a lot of TV watching done. Every episode of Crossing Jordan, How It’s Made, The Practice, and Will and Grace.
But back to the grind for 9 months now and very happy. Good luck and I’m looking forward to new tales of adventure in the office.
Congratulations to you!
It’s just one more reason to have happy hour on Friday! (Or any day for that matter)
Fish, thank you for giving me hope for my post-grad foray into The Real World in the coming months.
Congrats again
Wow, great timing. Congrats on the new job. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen personal development described in these terms, but it’s so true: A vital part of happiness is knowing which of your activities shouldn’t pass each other on the way to the bathroom at night
Congrats on the new job! (and not all engineers are that bad…)
Yay Anna! Good lookin out!
hey heather – i’ve been a longtime (but comment-less) reader, and i wanted to say congrats! as a writer who would like it to be her day job but can’t get said day job to save her life…well, i’m happy that you have not only found the elusive full-time job but also found a way to still enjoy writing and do it so passionately.
i hope the new job is fantastic and keep it all up (your posts unfailingly lift my spirits and remind me of why i want to write on those very dark and unemployed days).
Another congrats from me =). I was hoping you’d let us know a bit about what your job entails. It’s a good feeling to be getting a regular paycheck while still having time to do what you love…at a different time. Woo!
Yay Heather!
Congrats!!
serendipitous, almost. yes?
welcome aboard!! i am soooooo happy that you are cute enough to get hired.
p.s. i may have cute shoes but you have a polka-dotted dress.
Oh Fish, I’m a copywriter at a digital advertising agency… and what you said about bozos badly re-writing perfectly good copy is soooooo right on.
I don’t feel so alone in my ivory tower anymore…
The sad thing is, I can’t really do anything else, so I’ll have to stick with writing!
Kudos on the new job (again)
I have to say that I enjoy being a girl at an engineering monkey firm. It’s because the male engineers are monkeys and the women are the ones who pull the monkey puppet strings
Well CONGRATS!!! I am doing the opposite right now, IM finding that I AM LOVING having writing as a job and i’m balancing the two (real work life/writing work life) and I’M NOT, enjoying the part where I go in and have a boss that is taking away my enthusiasm and inspiration, but that my personal job experience I know that they’re not all that way. I’m hoping I cna eventualy find the balance odf the two…congrats on the new job, I’ll have a glass fo wine for you while I do four loads of laundry. CHEERS.
Yeah Fish!!!!
I am glad you decided to sell Amway w/ Ana!
Good luck, maybe you will find another co-worker like IRB?
Well, yay for an employed fish. As an aside, I know of 3 women w/engineer husbands. They have some of the happiest marriages that I’m aware of among my friends & acquaintances. Someone with no background in statistics or study of logic might draw the conclusion that engineers make good husbands. I’m that person!
Congrats! I know I must sound like a stalker, but I’m SO incredibly happy for you…keep on writing…even though you’re a business girl now. I get so happy when your name pops up in my RSS feed!
De-lurking to tell you good job on the good job! I am raising my beer bottle to you.
Well done! Congratulations! Now, if you can hold down the job, blog every day, and tell us about your travels, we’ll consider you a success. Oh wait, that would be conditional love. And we already consider you a success anyway. So I’ve come full circle. Well Done! Congrats!
OH! I think I remember reading that comment. And that Anna hadn’t left her e-mail. Was that the one?
Congratulations on finding employment through the comments section. I knew that you’d find an employer who would actually APPRECIATE you.
Have fun at the monkey firm!
Congratulations – I love how life swoops in and gives us what we need just in the nick of time.
A BIG HIGH FIVE to the FISH who just leapt into a NEW POND. Good luck at the new job and congratulations!
I’m at a Dallas Fortune 500 company run by Engineers. It’s really scary sometimes to move away from one’s comfort zone, but if you’ve done marketing before that’s good. You’ll be doing something you enjoy and get to use your incredible creativity again to earn a paycheck. Health benefits and a 401K are nice to have too!
Awesome Fish! Congrats on the new job! I’m so happy for you. You’re going to do great.
As soon as you mentioned in your previous post that the job opportunity came a la the Internets, I immediately recalled that comment left by Anna. I feel like such a nerd for that. But huge congrats to you and to Anna for being cool enough to make the mention to you via the comments section. Such awesomeness!
Hi,
I research/teach/consult about work-life balance and I love your quote about finding out that it’s best to keep your work and hobby separate. Can I quote you in future presentations?
Glad to hear you’re employed and enjoying it. I have always wondered if I would feel the same way if I got a job writing for a living and would end up hating it. It’s one of the 8 million things keeping me from just going out there and getting a job I actually like….
It was so meant to be – and I just love happy endings, don’t you!
I’m a corporate trainer by day but “moonlight” for various organizations as a freelance writer; I find that a great way to achieve “balance,” but still be formally recognized for your talent. Now that you’re in “the great state of Texas,” like me, might I suggest the following freelance group…I’m in Houston but I know they hire out of Dallas too. http://www.artsquad.com/ Just a suggestion. Congrats, fish; you are the bomb.
I am jealous of the commute! Congrats on the job!
Congrats, Fish! I’m so happy everything worked out for you!
Yay! Vicarious pride and relief for your web family.
As my mother says, you have “karma like a Swiss bank account.”
That’s so awesome, Heather! Congratulations!! Have a Starbucks coffee with Splenda on me!
just wanted to add congratulations, as well.
i also like to keep my different “worlds” separate. at least for me, when things get mixed up, something always goes wrong.
Talk about cashing in karma – days before your unemployment benfits run out – whew! You must have done some seriously good things in several past lifetimes.
God, I love your writing. I will be forever dreaming of writing and marketing passing in the hall to pee in the wee hours.
Congrats!
Isn’t it wonderfully satisying to come home after an exhausting day at work? I think it’s the best medicine for a good night’s sleep.
Excellent news — sending you the warmest congratulations! I can understand the need to separate hobbies from jobs, and I just wish I could find a better work niche for myself — but I do feel like I need to keep the things I love separate from my work life. Then again, who knows, maybe one day that might change…
In any case, we’re all really happy for you and this new accomplishment! I’m sure it must feel excellent, and you deserve it after all that hard work getting there.
No, no…not selling Amway…
Confederated Products!
Happy St. Pats Day and congrats. I hope the geek speak doesn’t make you nuts.