Last year, I wrote a resume of failures, which–ironically–became one of my most successful posts. Friends and acquaintances told me that it was “humanizing” and that they were inspired to make their own.
I think one of the things that made the post relatable was how vulnerable it was. We tend to only share our successes on social media, especially when it comes to our professional lives. We see announcements about grad school acceptances, new jobs at Google, white coat ceremonies. I’m always excited to see my friends go places, and I think we definitely should keep sharing major professional developments.
That said, seeing only celebratory posts can give us the false impression that everyone knows what they’re doing, or has a fancy career. So, I wanted to keep it real again and share what I’m doing–working a freelance, part-time role without benefits. I certainly don’t know what I’m doing, and don’t have a clear career trajectory. But I appreciate the freedom I have currently, and hope it becomes less stigmatized to take a non-traditional path.
What I’m doing currently
Being a blog editor isn’t a fancy or prestigious job, but I like how flexible my work is–I work almost entirely from home at odd hours, and only work around 27 hours/week. I also appreciate that what I’m doing will directly help families with the admissions process.
My makeshift “standing desk.” This was when I was on the move–my current “desk” is a shelf haha.
I applied to full-time jobs, but didn’t get any
I want time for my personal projects
I look like I love running a lot in this photo…
I’m a hippie
But in the meantime, I’m glad to be doing my own thing, and hope to make it work while I can.
6 Comments
Cheers to you, Lily. Stay true to what you’re doing. I wish I had that flexibility and freedom, and I hope you luxuriate in it, as well as your agency inside that. Tell Boston and the runner’s road hi for me!!
Thank you, Darya! Your thoughts and encouragement always mean so much 🙂
Finding a full-time job in your field soon out of college is no joke these days…particularly if your degree isn’t one that leads straight into a licensed profession (i.e. nursing or something really specific like that). My brother graduated in December and has had so many interviews and has been sending in applications everywhere since then, and I know it’s been a pretty discouraging process for him over all these months–but just last week a company flew him across the country for an in-person interview after their video calls and they said he should expect to receive their official offer by Monday–and I’m so excited for him, especially because he says this kind of job is pretty much his dream position. I hope everything falls into place…and then I’ll have a brother out in Wyoming in the middle of nowhere, which is not very convenient for me, but will be good for him. 🙂
At the same time, I can also very much personally relate to the idea of loving freedom to do what I’m most interested in and living on less money in order to have that freedom. I have been told that I have “wasted” my degree since I’ve only had a full-time, official contracted job for one full year since graduation. I don’t think my degree (in Mandarin) was wasted, though…I have one student I meet with after school 4 times a week (he’s 8 and I’ve worked with him since he was 4) who I’ve become a sort of link for communication between his parents and the (English medium) school since his parents are from mainland China and don’t understand any English at all. His Dad told me at the beginning of this school year, “I want you to always teach him until he graduates from high school because I trust you.” I’m not sure I can guarantee another 10 years…but it’s been a joy to see him grow over the past 4 years.
Granted, I fully realize that the reason I’m able to have the freedom I do in life is because Angel does work a full-time, normal job with health insurance that covers our family. Honestly, that was always the life we wanted together, since before we got married. I always hoped for freedom to raise my kids, write and edit as opportunities came up, get involved in volunteering in my community, tutor kids as I stumble across those kinds of relationships (and it’s been a surprisingly high number of left-handed, Chinese-speaking kids attending English schools who have somehow found their way into my life over the past four years).
No, I have not made any impressive amounts of money…but I am good at being thrifty, and I really enjoy the life our family has together, with a little bit of extra freedom since we’re not trying to juggle the schedules of two careers plus babies/toddlers.
Huge congrats to your brother! It must feel so good to land a dream job after a long search! Even if it’s far and remote, Wyoming seems like a cool place, and you’ll have an excuse to visit 🙂
I think languages always come in handy in day-to-day life, even if you don’t directly use them in a job/career. That’s awesome that you’ve been able to watch your student grow and develop a relationship with him and his family! It’s also fantastic that you’ve been able to raise Cyrus, do your own projects, and fully enjoy your life. You’re a great example of how a non-traditional career/lifestyle can be fulfilling–you always have the greatest stories and I can tell that you’re able to spend quality time with your family!
Actually finding a job you love is quite hard! I had no option but to get a fulltime job when i came back from Indonesia because my Mum told me that I needed to get one and pay her rent but I was lucky to find my job at the Royal Academy of Music (mainly through nepotism and good timing) after 4 months of temping- other people, I know, it takes much longer. If it’s working for you at the moment, stick with it! Do you have any plans to go back to France at all?
Haha I love how honest you are with the “nepotism and good timing” comment. Having connections is everything! I would love to go back to France at some point, but am not sure when. I feel like I haven’t taken full advantage of the fact that I work remotely, and want to do so this year!