I want my work to mean something

In an effort to break the routine of logging on to LinkedIn every other weekday, trawling through people’s listicles, and struggling to get real messages back from new connections, I’m making my declaration here.

Over the last seven (7) years, I have put in time as a writer, proofreader, editor and project manager in pursuit of one goal: clear and engaging communication.

I have watched social media management evolve into a full-time job; I have watched PR specialists fight to retain their authority in a world where people can publish “statements” at the push of a button; I have seen the publishing industry evolve through trope wars, diversity seminars and skirmishes over editorial integrity. And still, I have stayed in the industry, working with aspiring writers, with tetchy creative strategists all with the goal of creating something — a press release, a feature article, a social media post, a book — that is valuable.

I have focused on quality over quantity, and this has lost me some opportunities along the way. But it has also strengthened my conviction.

I am a professional, qualified editor, proofreader and writer who is not yet ready to give up on the multiple industries where my skills are needed, in favour of the easy route, i.e. a good-enough job at a low-stakes company where no one can bother me and I can toil away until my retirement.

No. I still want some sort of excitement in my career, some sort of challenge. I want to try something new.

I want to be heard: I don’t want to be a neglected part of a larger process of selling something. And lately I have been seeing more and more jobs as just that: sales positions disguised as something else, something that sounds more technical or impressive. It’s disheartening.

I want to work, and I want that work to fulfil me. At a time like this, where finding work is difficult and salaries are never quite what you need, it seems it’s not possible to have it all. You just have to be grateful for what you get.
But I want more than “grateful”. I want happy. I want advanced. I want new.

I’m not a wealthy heiress who wants to leave a legacy, but I want to be more than just a number. It may be an unpopular opinion, but I want my work to mean something.