I’m seeing an alarming trend lately of friends of mine leaving book publishing. Alarming for whom? Not for my friends. They evidence a bitter resignation that this career path has fizzled out a mere two years after we finished grad school with bright shiny diplomas. In the course of those two years we came to realize that we chucked loads of money down the garbage chute that was a master’s program in publishing and writing at Emerson College. We found that experience and education did not give us a leg up in an industry that starts everyone at the bottom and where who you know is more important than what you know. We realized there’s no way we could ever afford to pay off our student debt or rent a decent New York apartment with our measly, stagnant salaries.So, alarming for whom? Not the publishing companies. They’ll fill our spots at the bottom of the ladder with other clueless graduates willing to slave away as overqualified and criminally underpaid peons. The readers? They’ll still get their hurriedly edited novels at the grocery store with or without us. Maybe the entity that stands to lose the most is the schools that recruit college grads with promises of networking opportunities and an education necessary for a glorious career producing literature. In the end, perhaps it is our duty to establish an Anti-Emerson Alumni Network to catch poor saps before they commit to two wasted years.
Me, I’m looking for a job that pays a living wage, respects my intellect, allows me to make decisions more important than what color highlighter to use on my boss’s schedule, and keeps me busy so I don’t resort to blogging all day.
Anyone hiring?
8 comments:
I wonder if it's even possible to get a job that pays a decent wage--a job that's fulfilling anyway. My dream still is to work for a non-profit, independent, socially conscious magazine--like Bitch. But that would mean getting paid even LESS than I am now and zero--not just lousy--benefits. But it's true my intellect would be more respected.
Whoa! That all sound so stressful. But I guess I fit in the category of leaving book publishing too. Or rather, I got the degree, but never even ended up going into it.
What do you want to do instead? Do you want to stay in New York, or live somewhere that's a little easier to make a living, like back to Boston or California?
Do people not get promoted or move up where you work Carolyn? You can't be stuck at the bottom forever can you?
You could go back to the newspaper business. It seems like you enjoyed that more, but maybe not a business paper this time.
The sad reality is that your experience is not limited to the publishing world. Call it simply big business, where the cliche "Dog eat dog world" is the definition of reality. The only way to move forward in your career, that I have learned as a backseat driver to my husband's banking career, is to, as he terms it, "Horror yourself out." In other words, put your resume out there and see what comes up. If you get an offer that is more than what you are making in a better environment, then you just scored. If you don't, then you still have a job that at least pays, right, so there is no loss. (Of course this is only theory - the "no loss" part. There is always the small dig into your self-confidence.) The trick is to make it known to your potential new employer that your current salary is higher than it actually is and make sure that they understand that your job search is confidential. If you find yourself in a new job that isn't what you expect of it, then you do it all again. Of course, there is the pesky little problem of the resume looking like a job-jumper, right? Piece of cake - lie! Cut out a few jobs, extend dates on others, you know, the ones that will give you a good reference. I know, it sounds a bit shady, a bit unethical, to lie on your resume, right? Yeah, I agree. But keep this in mind. I've witnessed my husband do this nine times is the eight years we have been together. It takes confidence and courage to do it.
But on the other hand, let me tell you that your experience for wasting your time in graduate school is, again, not limited to the publishing world. I pursued my Masters degree, received it, have a pretty good resume, and I still get called for entry level positions, go give great interviews, then I don't get the job. I, apparently, am not confident and courageous enough!
Ugh. I typed too fast again. I meant "sounds so stressful," not "sound so stressful."
You know what else just occurred to me? That if you are tired of publishing and journalism, you have a decent future as a landscape photographer, starving artist. Go from not making enough in one profession to not making enough in another! (Sarcasm... I have resorted to marking my sarcastic remarks as my damn tone never comes through in written communications! I'm beginning to miss the phone!)
Looks like you're cut out to be a professor. Get yo Ph-Dizee today!
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