Why I'm leaving the publishing industry
It's been an interesting few months.
I've been interviewing for quite some time, as many of you know, for like three years. I can't even say how many I've had...I feel like it's close to the triple digits by now.
But back in October I found out I was losing my job. Not exactly getting laid off or anything, but winter is the slowest time (the magazine issues are the smallest) and with a tight budget, all my hours got cut for December and January wasn't looking too good. And I was only scheduled for seven days in November.
As you can imagine, I started panicking. When I found out I closed the door to my office (yes, I've been fortunate enough to have my own office) and cried. I had worked so hard to achieve my dream job and I felt like it was getting taken away from me. But I hoped it was a blessing in disguise.
I was determined not to go back to retail even if all else failed so I went on a crazy job hunt. I applied for everything and anything that seemed remotely interesting and started lining up the interviews.
The thing with this desperate situation is I worked hard to be the candidate the employer wanted and wasn't necessarily myself. I put on a mask. During almost every interview, I got asked "where do you see yourself in five years?" And honestly, I didn't know anymore. So I'd give some answer that was tailored to the job I was interviewing for and wasn't thinking about what I wanted.
Now let me back up a bit. A few months ago I refused to look at any jobs outside the magazine industry. I was determined to achieve the dream of my 14-year-old self. Heck, I had made it this far, why would I give up now? I interviewed for several editorial assistant positions because I believed that's where I needed to be to climb. But everyone said the same thing: I was overqualified. I'd get down on myself and ask myself what I did wrong.
But then I realized that they were right. I'm 26, I don't want to be someone's assistant for $28k. I may not have worked in the industry for that long but I do know it has changed drastically. There's no more growth. I've seen assistants who've left because they've been in that same position for four years. I've seen several senior editors laid off. Those that did get promoted grew enormous egos. My passion for magazines faded. I craved knowledge. I craved a challenge. I craved a job that wasn't reliant on celebrities.
Fast forward to two weeks ago. The unexpected happens when you're freelance and I ended up working all of November and got scheduled for December plus the following three months. Then I got a raise. What? I was shocked. Confused. The money was good. But the thing is I'm not after money. My job was still dull, not satisfying my hunger to learn, or advancing my career. I had to get out.
Then I got two job offers last week. TWO. One was for assistant editor at a wellness site that was salaried with benefits. One was for media and digital communications at Cartier. I went with Cartier.
The thing is, when I first started the interview process at the wellness site, I thought I was still losing my job. They wanted someone who was passionate about the wellness scene, green juice, boutique fitness classes, and all-natural beauty products. Frankly, that's not me. But I pretended I was this juice-sipping, organic loving hippie. They loved me.
I realized through my two interviews and meeting with five people at Cartier that the company and the team epitomized everything I valued in a career. They're smart, hard-working, yet down to earth. They're classy and work for a team that's growing in a company that's going to be here forever. I loved everything about it. Even though it's not a salaried position, it's exactly the challenge I'm looking for and I believe it's going to take me down a great path. It's more business oriented so I'll learn skills I've never used before but should.
This is not me giving up on a dream. This is me realizing another one. This is me realizing that I'm meant for something much greater. This doesn't mean I'll never return to the industry; I'm just taking a different path. I also plan to freelance write outside my day job.
I've always had this vision in my head of what my life would look like. I refused to look at anything that wasn't directly in that line and I got upset when things didn't go my way. I was very stubborn about my career. One of my weaknesses is comparing myself to others. I used to think I was failing when I'd see others my age advancing in their careers.
Now I've learned to embrace the uncertainty. So what if I don't have a senior level job by the time I'm 30? It's my journey there that's more interesting. I'm learning more through my experiences than I ever thought possible. It's exciting. I don't know where I'll be in five years and now I say that in interviews. But I also say that in five years I want to be improving my skills and learning while working with a great team and a great company. That's what matters to me.
I've been interviewing for quite some time, as many of you know, for like three years. I can't even say how many I've had...I feel like it's close to the triple digits by now.
But back in October I found out I was losing my job. Not exactly getting laid off or anything, but winter is the slowest time (the magazine issues are the smallest) and with a tight budget, all my hours got cut for December and January wasn't looking too good. And I was only scheduled for seven days in November.
As you can imagine, I started panicking. When I found out I closed the door to my office (yes, I've been fortunate enough to have my own office) and cried. I had worked so hard to achieve my dream job and I felt like it was getting taken away from me. But I hoped it was a blessing in disguise.
I was determined not to go back to retail even if all else failed so I went on a crazy job hunt. I applied for everything and anything that seemed remotely interesting and started lining up the interviews.
The thing with this desperate situation is I worked hard to be the candidate the employer wanted and wasn't necessarily myself. I put on a mask. During almost every interview, I got asked "where do you see yourself in five years?" And honestly, I didn't know anymore. So I'd give some answer that was tailored to the job I was interviewing for and wasn't thinking about what I wanted.
Now let me back up a bit. A few months ago I refused to look at any jobs outside the magazine industry. I was determined to achieve the dream of my 14-year-old self. Heck, I had made it this far, why would I give up now? I interviewed for several editorial assistant positions because I believed that's where I needed to be to climb. But everyone said the same thing: I was overqualified. I'd get down on myself and ask myself what I did wrong.
But then I realized that they were right. I'm 26, I don't want to be someone's assistant for $28k. I may not have worked in the industry for that long but I do know it has changed drastically. There's no more growth. I've seen assistants who've left because they've been in that same position for four years. I've seen several senior editors laid off. Those that did get promoted grew enormous egos. My passion for magazines faded. I craved knowledge. I craved a challenge. I craved a job that wasn't reliant on celebrities.
Fast forward to two weeks ago. The unexpected happens when you're freelance and I ended up working all of November and got scheduled for December plus the following three months. Then I got a raise. What? I was shocked. Confused. The money was good. But the thing is I'm not after money. My job was still dull, not satisfying my hunger to learn, or advancing my career. I had to get out.
Then I got two job offers last week. TWO. One was for assistant editor at a wellness site that was salaried with benefits. One was for media and digital communications at Cartier. I went with Cartier.
The thing is, when I first started the interview process at the wellness site, I thought I was still losing my job. They wanted someone who was passionate about the wellness scene, green juice, boutique fitness classes, and all-natural beauty products. Frankly, that's not me. But I pretended I was this juice-sipping, organic loving hippie. They loved me.
I realized through my two interviews and meeting with five people at Cartier that the company and the team epitomized everything I valued in a career. They're smart, hard-working, yet down to earth. They're classy and work for a team that's growing in a company that's going to be here forever. I loved everything about it. Even though it's not a salaried position, it's exactly the challenge I'm looking for and I believe it's going to take me down a great path. It's more business oriented so I'll learn skills I've never used before but should.
This is not me giving up on a dream. This is me realizing another one. This is me realizing that I'm meant for something much greater. This doesn't mean I'll never return to the industry; I'm just taking a different path. I also plan to freelance write outside my day job.
I've always had this vision in my head of what my life would look like. I refused to look at anything that wasn't directly in that line and I got upset when things didn't go my way. I was very stubborn about my career. One of my weaknesses is comparing myself to others. I used to think I was failing when I'd see others my age advancing in their careers.
Now I've learned to embrace the uncertainty. So what if I don't have a senior level job by the time I'm 30? It's my journey there that's more interesting. I'm learning more through my experiences than I ever thought possible. It's exciting. I don't know where I'll be in five years and now I say that in interviews. But I also say that in five years I want to be improving my skills and learning while working with a great team and a great company. That's what matters to me.
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