Do I stay somewhere safe or go in search of the creative energy I crave?
I work for a brand, design and innovation agency. At 31, and with five previous jobs, I’m stuck between staying somewhere safe yet unchallenging to stop yet another notch on my CV, or moving on to somewhere more fulfilling. Creativity is my oxygen, and I thrive on new ways of thinking, pushing boundaries and daring work. That’s exactly why I got into this field.
But last year, after a difficult period with my old employer, I chose somewhere more stable. It has nice people, free breakfast, is profitable, in a good location, there are no egos, I leave work at 5.30 on the dot and my line manager is a pussycat. I’ve been in this job for 14 months.
But I have that itch. The work is conventional and made to please clients. I’m without work for one third of the week. New ideas are not welcomed. Ambition is not encouraged, and I’m paid around £10k less than the industry average. I have traded creative freedom for gentle safety.
I’m not sure if I have the “Goldilocks syndrome” and can’t settle/be grateful for what I have, or if I should really try hard to find a place where there’s the energy I crave. Jeremy says
My immediate instinct is to encourage you to go looking for that more fulfilling job – where you can do daring, challenging work. But first I want you to undertake a little honest self-examination.
Be as sure as you can be that you’re not taking an overly romantic and unrealistic view of the work you do – or rather, the kind of work you want to do. It’s possible that you’ve set your heart on a way of working that exists only in your imagination.
Of course brand agencies will differ, some will be more conventional than others. But they’re all businesses and problem solvers and depend on clients for their livelihood. There’s a suggestion that you think that work that’s designed to please clients is somehow inferior to more daring and original work. It may be, but there’s no law of design that says that all work that clients reject can safely be assumed to be brilliant, or work they accept must therefore be boring and predictable.
At 31 this is your sixth job: all, presumably, in the same field. And at none, it seems, have you found what you’re still looking for. So I ask you to bear in mind this possibility: something called “creative freedom” is a concept enjoyed only by fine artists working for themselves. The moment you have a client and a brief, then – entirely properly – that will be denied to you. Your challenge is to apply your creativity to the strict demands of that specific task. And you should learn to derive your satisfaction at least as much from the skill with which you solve a particular problem, as from the audacity of its execution.
I still think you need to move on. But do it with slightly modified ambitions.
Readers say
• Have you ever explored going freelance and managing yourself? ID1164951
• Get up, quit your robotic job and do something you love. NateB202
• Goldilocks was nothing without the three bears. Go and find them. You have the luxury of a safe platform to build out from and why worry about notches on a CV? Pachuco2012
• Do freelance projects. They are well paid, varied and often leads to something full time. If you only work 40 hours a week and are driven, I’d be using the rest of the week to get “ creative”. But a word of advice: keep these opinions about your work to these threads and your friends, as you do come across as wanting to have your cake ... and being a bit whingy! Stoveboy78
• Your job sounds a bit like mine, but the difference is that I’m 20 years older and happy doing something that isn’t too stressful and pays me enough to pursue my outside interests. At 31 you’re a bit too young to be “settling” for a job that’s not really fulfilling. ausgirl
• If you leave, can I have your job please? TedGettsterby
I took an admin role in an organisation I admire, but fear I’ve stalled my career
I am 28 and have been working as an admin assistant for the past two years. My role is essentially that of a PA: I organise diaries and manage correspondence for senior executives.
I took the role because I admire the organisation and I would like to progress. My interest is in policy and public advocacy, and my organisation engages in this work. I have a PhD and have held research fellowship roles at several universities.
But I’m beginning to feel that I’ve stalled in my career. I recently applied for a more senior role and was passed over because I lacked the relevant experience. I worry that I will not gain the skills or experience I need to progress and that if I stay much longer I will be stuck on a career track that will only make me eligible to apply for more admin roles.
Jeremy says
You’re right to be concerned. The theory behind the kind of job you’ve been doing for the past two years is a familiar one – but also extremely suspect.
I imagine you were told at the beginning that you’d have the priceless advantage of witnessing senior executives at work; in correspondence, in meetings and, maybe, even at overseas conferences. And that may well have happened.
But I bet you were also led to believe that this privileged access could be of great advantage in forging your own executive career; and this, more often than not, turns out to be the opposite.
In most companies a fairly junior staff role of the kind you’ve held for two years may equip you with much inside knowledge – but contributes nothing in the way of actual frontline experience.
The sooner you start to get real experience the better. As a first step forget about seniority. Take just about anything that gets you an outward–facing job, even if it means forgoing any salary increase. Once you’ve got started your years as an admin assistant may well have a value and you should soon be able to recover any lost ground.
Readers say
• Jot down a shortlist of issues your organisation is going to need expertise in within the next few years – as distinct from now – and position yourself as someone who knows about them in a professional sense. A well-executed blog can be better than a business card. See if you can volunteer in policy and advocacy roles, which will be at the top of your CV and the first thing HR will see.
It’s essential you approach the most relevant person in HR and play up the fact you took the job because you care about the organisation as more than just a job, and ask what more you can do. But phrase the question well. “What would you need to see from me to be wowed into giving me this kind of position?” is specific and interesting, and will get more specific and more interesting replies. Above all, keep in mind that – if you really want this – you need to be prepared to put in the work. NykkiC
• Sounds like you are vastly over qualified for your current role. Move to something better. methzzz
