Careera

I started to professionally write late last year when an employment opportunity opened up for me.  After being successfully hired as a freelance writer, I was suddenly tossed into a new environment. Years of working in the corporate world as a marketing guy had shelved my writing skills to an unknown cellar in my brain.

Don’t get me wrong though, I’m not some writing wunderkind. I haven’t produced any award winning article/s yet to date. I’d like to get an award one day, but right now, I’m just a regular contributor. I still envy the great writers – both of local and international repute.

I can’t say that I’m a prolific writer either, but I’ve managed to maintain my blog for a year since my first post here. So that should count for something write?

What I find puzzling though, is when it comes to resume writing. I can write about anything but when it came back to updating my resume, I was staring at the screen.

After rustling through my hair a million times, I was able to write my first draft. It was pure crap. The details were not there, the work experience was not arranged chronologically, etc. It was a mess.

Updating my resume also gave me an opportunity to think about how to choose work. Should you choose work that revolves around what you enjoy doing? Or should you choose work that utilizes the skills that you have?

The answer to those questions seem obvious enough, but honestly speaking, it’s often difficult to distinguish if you merely enjoy what it is you are doing, or it’s because you have the skills to successfully – or even excel – at doing what it is you are doing.

I guess a dose of practicality is in order.

You have to consider the remuneration you get for doing whatever that is.  You also have to weigh both your interest and skills. An extreme example of that might be something like this – you enjoy playing basketball – for fun. That’s also saying that you shouldn’t try out for the pro league even if the pay is good.

Right now, I’ve not much to share about career planning since I’m just getting back to it. As I go along, I’ll try to share what I’ve learned to give people insights to choosing the job they want. Or better yet, choosing the right career. Have a nice weekend!

A Short Moosing About My Work

I’m back! I have sorted out my schedules, right now I’m committed to blogging twice to thrice a week. You can expect new posts to come out W-F at the least or M-W-F at the most. Hopefully my schedule won’t be as erratic as it was before. My problems are still there, and haven’t changed since my last post about it, but I’m coping well thus far.

No matter what my status is, I find it hard not to write (an old post).

I am currently doing a project for Kaisa foundation. It is a biography project of selected prominent individuals of Chinese descent. I was assigned four people. So far, I have interviewed one doctor and one former senator. Since I am a freelance writer, I also interviewed a city mayor for another publication. Never in my life have I imagined that I’d be where I am today.

It’s an exhilarating experience to meet people from diverse fields. They give me inspiration especially in the trying times that I have currently. Learning about a successful person’s past gives me a new perspective on things. It also gives me – albeit fleetingly – a sense of hope.

I don’t earn as much as my previous line of work, but I certainly enjoy what I am doing. Sometimes no matter how hard you pursue a certain career path, along it you pick up something  – like a hibernating skill or a new interest – and you are forced to make a choice. Do you stay where you are? Or do you start a new trail?

I’m in that stage right now.

I guess one way of facilitating the decision making process is to define what your circumstances are. At the end of the day, you have to make sure your work puts food on the table. It’s difficult to be idealistic if you don’t have money to pay for essentials – food, shelter, clothing.

And that’s my dilemma. I’m stuck in the middle. I know I can excel in writing and in my previous work, which was a marketing job. So what if I find a job that combines the two?

It would be neat to find a writing job with a marketer’s pay hehe. Wishful thinking, as my job hunt has made me realize… so far.

Another way of looking at it is to search your priorities. What is it that you need in the short term? The best choice isn’t always the choice you want.

Well that’s it for now, I still have to complete that writeup. Catch you again on my next update!

Ciao!