Career
Y’know when we were growing up and they said things had changed and we’d not do like our parents and work for 35 years at the same company and then retire? Boy we’re they (whoever they are) right! I don’t think I’ve ever kept the same job at the same company for over three years! Now I’ve been self-employed for almost six years, and that’s the longest I’ve had the same job description (self-written, that was the trick for me!). I’m a translator. Hmm. No, actually: what I do for a living is translate. See the difference? I don’t define myself by what I do to earn a living. Never have. (Although I often say that being an office manager is not a job description but a state of being — you have no clue how much things would improve everywhere if I was there (everywhere!) as office manager! No really - I’m that good.)
I love translation. I love words and languages, and I’ve never had a job/occupation that made me happier, no doubt about it. So will I be translating until I stop working? Maybe. Maybe not. Y’see I’m not attached to my career. It can morph as I do and I’ll go with it. In twenty years? No clue! I could be selling cupcakes (or whatever’s the rage then), I could operate a plant nursery, I could own a café (with art on the walls and books in every corner!). All of these would fulfill me, and there’s more! Translating is what I do now, what works for me now. But I’m open to what life will bring, and if I stop translating I don’t think I’ll look back with regret (if I did, I’d simply make a U-turn!).
Perhaps it has to do with the fact that I didn’t study in my field? I didn’t spend years preparing for this (well, yes I did, but not in a consciously focused way), I didn’t invest years of my life, dedicated to that one purpose. (Although I was pretty dedicated when I started law school; three years later I’d established it wasn’t for me and nothing anyone could have done (some did try!) could have turned me into a lawyer. No regret there either.) Perhaps it has more to do with curiosity, then. I like to explore as much as I can, and if I like what I find out, I invariably want to know more. I’d need many lifetimes to explore all I wish I could. Jack of all trades? I don’t see that as being a bad thing. I’d much rather dabble in several domains than harden on the spot where I stand.
The paradox seemingly lies in the fact that I love what I do but could give it up easily for almost anything else if it came along/drew me in. But I guess there actually is no paradox: what matters most for me professionally, at the core, is to be my own boss and make my own rules. Notice I didn’t say I’d be happy as a nursery employee or a café cook: as long as I’m captain of the ship, I’ll be happy. Huh. Who knew I was an entrepreneur at heart?
February 9th, 2010 at 1:14 pm
Nobody ever said that stuff to me when I was growing up. In fact, nobody said anything about what to expect for work. This is partly a function of time (I’m older than you) and place (the arsehole of canukistan).
We had “guidance councilors” at school who were supposed to provide career guidance but I don’t remember ever getting any useful or inspiring information from them. By the time I graduated from high school I had no better idea of what I wanted to do than I had when I was six years old.
Except for one thing… I had this idea that I didn’t want a desk job like my dad had.
Fast forward 30 years. I’m getting ready to celebrate 20 years at this desk. (OK, there have been a bunch of desks, but all desks, and all more or less the same job.)
I’m not sure “celebrate” is the right word.
February 9th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
BTW, “as long as I’m captain of the ship” pretty much defines the entrepreneur, so it’s natural for you!
February 9th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
All those guidance counselors did for me was make me take some tests. And the result was always the same: you’re an artist (i.e. you’re doomed! We here at this private school focus on science, so step aside and let someone more worthy in — nobody ever went on to say that an “artist temperament” could come in very handy indeed!). I think my personality just couldn’t be captured in those things (can anybody’s?).
Funny how looking back to games I used to play, someone could have realized I’d want to fiddle with paper, books and organizing. They didn’t — but it was all there!
Hmm… yeah… better get yourself a gold watch to turn this into a celebration! ;-)
It’s funny/interesting that a friend of mine (older than me) always knew/felt I should work for myself and wouldn’t be happy (work-wise) until I did. He just “got” it, years before me. I needed to accumulate office experience, contacts and (tons of) confidence before I felt ready. And even then, it was one of those “meet the right person at the right time” things that ended up making me take the plunge. It’s not for everyone, that’s for sure, but it’s very rewarding.
February 10th, 2010 at 11:27 am
I’ve already used “Canuckistan” in conversation: thank you! It’s become an instant classic (just add water!).
February 10th, 2010 at 9:52 pm
Glad to be of service. :-)