This is a guest post by my dear friend, Sian. Now, I’m the first person to say “Quit your job! Just jump!” but I do think it’s valuable to listen to Sian’s advice. That said, let us know you’re thoughts below. We’ll both be here to argue with you.
A good friend of mine has just quit his job to go freelance (he works online in community building, exceptionally talented guy). We’ve worked closely together since I went freelance (he actually gave me my first paid writing job at Yahoo!) and he’s been beavering away working his three months notice. And now, he’s ready to go freelance. As ready as you can be anyway. He has an action plan and everything. And I’m a bit jealous. I wish, more than anything, that I’d put more thought into starting my career as a writer. I just jumped in head first. I got offered a full-time gig, gave notice and quit.
I didn’t have a clue what I was doing.
I had no contacts when that job went tits up (and it did, quite royally). I didn’t know how to pitch for more work. I didn’t have a personal blog. I couldn’t market myself. I felt utterly alone, thinking I’d made a huge mistake, because I rushed the most important decision of my life. Someone gave me the chance to get out of advertising sales and I jumped. Not because I hated my job (quite the opposite), but because I was so shocked people wanted to pay me to write and I was scared it might never happen again. Turns out, as a freelancer, that fear is always there.
I’m naturally impatient. I could see where I wanted to be and had no idea how to get there. But all I cared about was being there. Once I’ve decided that I want to do something, I charge ahead, stay up until the birds are chirping and get stuff done. I like getting stuff done. But my eagerness to do something often blinds me. I get so excited that I forget I might not be ready for what it is I’m doing. I’m not prepared enough to share my work with the world. And sometimes, despite having the balls to do something exciting, I might not have the experience to do it well. Sometimes in my rush to say that I’m doing something, I rush the preparation.
Preparing vs. Jumping
If I’d prepared, or thought more about what I wanted to do, I may have never jumped. I might not have founded Domestic Sluttery. I can’t predict where I might have ended up. I’m so happy with my career now, but with a little bit of thought, I could have done the journey better. I certainly wouldn’t be in as much debt. I wouldn’t have had to take some shocking jobs. That men’s underwear blog doesn’t make it on to the resume.
We spend so much time rushing to get where we want to get. Or we feel guilty about being in a ‘dead end job’. Except it’s my that generic job in sales that’s making my business profitable now. The experience I gained then was more important than I could ever know. And I still miss working in an office. Miss it like mad. It doesn’t always matter that you’re not in the right job. Sometimes it can be a good thing. When I talk to Marian about all the things she wants to do, it rings true for me. I’m sure at some point she’ll have her own little bakery (and I’ll probably move next door and get fat). But not until she’s ready. Not until the time is right.
Not being ready is different to being too scared to get out of a rut. If I’d talked to people about freelancing – discussed it with anyone, read anything about how the hell to pitch so I was able to pay my rent – I’d have saved myself so much trouble. I think that I’ve got where I am because I screwed up; learned from my mistakes. But boy, I didn’t make it easy for myself. I work online, everything moves very very quickly. It’s hard not to get caught up in that. Not being in a rush is good sometimes. It’s often thought that speed = better, but that’s not always the case.
It’s Your Life
I believe if you really want to do something, you’ll do it. If you work hard at something, it’ll happen. It doesn’t matter if it happens in three years or thirty. It’s your life. I’ve learned now that preparation is so important. Being spontaneous, not being afraid and having the bollocks to do something brave are all great qualities, but there’s a lot to be said for taking a step back, doing the ground work and not doing everything in a day. If you want it to be, your dream job will still be there tomorrow.
Sian Meades is a freelance writer and blogger. She runs the lifestyle site Domestic Sluttery, and writes about blogging and (mostly) happy things on her personal blog, Sianyland. When she’s not blogging, you’ll find her writing books, shopping for dresses and staying out late and making trouble.
From Marian: I love Sian and I love what she has to say. I quit my job on a whim and while it was difficult, I don’t regret it for a second. What are your thoughts? Do you prepare or jump? And the million dollar question: How exactly does one prepare?
