Dear Mobby,
Here's my dilemma. I changed careers. In my late 30s, I went back to school, completed a Master's program, and miraculously was offered a job just prior to my graduation. 40% more pay, 4 day work week. It seemed like a small miracle.
I work as a product marketer. I work for a small company so I get to do a little of everything: design, strategy, brochure work, external articles etc. Over the last year, my boss has been really happy with everything I've done and has offered high praise… until recently.
The reality of this new life became evident lately with a recent product launch (the first in this job): seems I'm not so good at lying about products. Having had a job related to the interests of my customers prior to product marketing, I understand the actual nature of the beast a little too much and empathize with existing customers and their reality. And everything I write feels… pointless. Just so much blah blah and yada yada: banal topics reshaped to sound cool and fantastic.
The basic problem is that I think that I don't really believe in the entire fake world that has been built around marketing, advertising and promotion. (Pompous eh?)
Having recently been asked to "just make up" some quotes lately and create a description for a product that doesn't really exist. . . I just feel sick about it and my own naivety in thinking this was a good direction for me personally to go. A kindly colleague recently suggested that I basically suck it up. But I don't think I'm willing to. I'm not willing to let go of "that thing" in myself that makes me balk at writing this stuff. I have no problem writing fiction when it is presented as fiction, but this is different.
I know that it is ridiculous that I didn't even really consider this before completely changing my career to something totally inappropriate for me.
Here's the question: should I quit? I must admit both the money and the 4 day work week have been pretty choice. I am pretty sure I can find enough freelance writing work over the next year, but this is based on guesses, and it feels like I worked too hard to re-educate and change careers. And my available savings are currently pretty slim after the school years. Arg. Ugh. Blah. I don't really know how to process the next steps. I don't know how to begin.
How do I even begin to reassess (again) what a better career path is for me. And how do I ensure that I take into consideration not just my skills but my values in terms of setting out a new plan? How do I figure out what I really want to do? (Jeez. You'd think that at some point I'd be a grown up and know.)
I've started dreading going in every day, mornings are become more and more difficult to wake up for. This cannot be healthy. But I know that there are many many people who would just be grateful, and that I'm lucky to have made the change so effortlessly. Thanks for any insight.
Blahblah in Limboland
Comments (8)
If you were in a marketing position where ethical behavior was valued, even expected, would this allow you to work happily, even if you had to accept a pay cut or work 40 hours/week?
I encourage you to follow your convictions and see if that quality could be an asset at another agency. Switching careers again won't ensure that you won't be asked to do anything unsavory. I would only take that route if the idea of "ethical marketing" is not something you can passionately pursue. The idea is beginning to gain traction relating to fair trade in many industries. National Geographic ran a miniseries called "Diamond Road" with a segment on free trade diamonds that I found inspiring.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUt14oY5b6I
Posted by Matt | November 17, 2007 2:57 PM
Posted on November 17, 2007 14:57
When the primary reason you stay with a job becomes "I should feel lucky to even HAVE a job," then it's probably time to go.
But I do not say this lightly, since I've left two jobs where the ethics were unlivable for me, and now I'm on the job search.
For me, when my ethics are out of synch with the job, but it's a good job, I tend to repeat this little mantra: Whoops! I've got someone else's job!
And I start looking around for one that suits me better so that someone else can have the job I'm currently hogging!
I can tell you from my own job search that your skills are very much in demand, and that you could probably find yourself a very workable new job without much trouble. Unless you're in some offshoot locale or something.
You made a smart, smart decision in your choice of a major, and you've got a lot of options.
If you've got it in your area, Craigslist usually contains want ads from the interesting companies that DO want a full-serice marketing person who is ethical, smart, and principled.
Nonprofits are good, and some have enough money to pay you adequately. Advocacy groups. Alternative healthcare products and producers. Cool companies like REI or something.
As a creator, you place yourself in service to the vision of the company - and as a marketer, you have to speak with the voice the company desires. It is natural to want your work and your voice to be used ethically.
So I salute you and your ethics. Some of us choke when we try to "suck it up" and go along with unethical business practices. So listen to your own voice.
It's a good one.
Posted by Karla | November 17, 2007 6:53 PM
Posted on November 17, 2007 18:53
Dear Blahblah,
Matt's response goes straight to the point, and before I read that I thought of recommending to you one of my favorite movies, "How to Get Ahead in Advertising." The protagonist starts the story at about where you are now - well, maybe a bit further along - and it could offer some comic relief as well as bringing you the support and insight you're looking for. Here's a link to a trailer posted on the NYTimes, which includes a review, but if you haven't seen it I recommend you just watch it without investigation - so you can enjoy the surprises.
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/23554/How-to-Get-Ahead-in-Advertising/trailers
A visit to Limboland with one's conscience is a very good thing. I'll hope to find out how you emerge victorious, ethical and happy!
Best wishes,
Jeano
Posted by Jeano | November 17, 2007 7:03 PM
Posted on November 17, 2007 19:03
Be sure it's not a phase of the moon or the time of year. Winter tends to have it's effects. Marketing a product you like helps.
Posted by xfox | November 18, 2007 12:29 AM
Posted on November 18, 2007 00:29
BiL,
If you're dreading going to work in the morning, it is time to get out. I stayed in a job for three years after the Dread set in, and it just about killed me. It was stupid to keep going in. On the other hand, I know that it can take about six months to go from a freelance-standstill to paying the bills, largely because it takes so long for folks to pay on invoices (the larger the client, and the bigger the project, the longer it takes; 30 days is normal, 60 not unusual, and that starts counting from COMPLETION of the project.)
So, write up a budget, figure out the minimum amount you need to subsist for 6 months, bank it, and bail. If you've got the Dread, then that education is being wasted. The Dread eats into you, and into everything you enjoy, and then it makes you sick, and then it kills you. Move on.
Best,
Dave-o . . .
Posted by dave-o | November 18, 2007 1:32 AM
Posted on November 18, 2007 01:32
Dear Matt, Karla & Jeano,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful replies... for making me feel like less of a freak in my convictions. :) Thanks also for the videos...
Somehow you made it all more managable by offering your very practical advice.
-Blahblah in Limboland
Posted by Blahblah in Limboland | November 18, 2007 5:04 PM
Posted on November 18, 2007 17:04
Haven't many of us been there? (I hope not all of us.)
I would just recommend that you first weigh the positives and negatives and decide how they balance out. If they don't balance out so you want to keep that job, then look hard for something else while continuing to do the soul-sucking job, just to keep your finances humming along. Hopefully, the act of looking for something else will allow you to continue...
Posted by wooddragon | November 18, 2007 5:30 PM
Posted on November 18, 2007 17:30
xfox, Dave-o and wooddragon,
Well, here I am about to go to work... dreading it so I read your practical advice. And I do thank you. You have confirmed my thoughts and helped me to not feel so panicked about my situation. I will set out a plan and hopefully be able to add a comment here in a few months or half a year saying, "Thank god I got out. I Luuurve my new job." (Ok Ok, I know, that may be a little overly optimistic. I'd settle for "like my new job" right now). But at the very least, I will not dread it.
Now, to the day. Here's to working your hardest even when it is unpalatable. ;)
Weirdly, this really did help. So thank you!!!!
BiL
Posted by Blahblah in Limboland | November 19, 2007 3:25 AM
Posted on November 19, 2007 03:25