For those of you who are unfamiliar with children's TV from the 1980s, the Littlest Hobo was a dog who went from town to town helping people. He had pointy fox ears and every week he'd find himself in a new situation with new owners or saving a child from a burning building, and the townspeople would always be like "Oh hey, Hobo! Stick around!" but he'd be like "No, no, maybe tomorrow I'll learn to settle down, until tomorrow I'll just keep moving on".
Or at least he would have said that if he could talk. He couldn't, it wasn't that sort of programme. The theme tune said it instead.
Unlike the Littlest Hobo, I've never rescued someone from certain death (that I'm aware of), but - tenuous link ahead - like that fictional German Shepherd, I've always done the switching and moving that accompanies contract / temporary jobs rather than sticking in one place.
It occurred to me a while back that, after my current role ends, it might be a good time to try and find a permanent job. What with wanting to move out (for longer than one month) and generally needing to feel a bit more settled with life and everything. You know, get some sort of specialism under my belt; find myself a job title. So I can say "Hi I'm the Littlest Hobo and I rescue people from fires" rather than "Hi, I'm the Littlest Hobo and I'll rescue anyone from wherever, really. Not arsed. Cat up a tree? Sure, I'll give it a go. Why not. Beer?"
Then I think about my current position, currently standing at eight months. It's the longest time I've spent in one place doing one thing. And I'm a bit bored. Unchallenged. A bit creatively stifled - as wanky as that sounds - by being part of a massive company where everything takes a million years of sign offs and green light go-aheads to get anything done.
So lately I've been toying with going freelance. I don't know how freelancing works, let alone if it will work for me. I don't know if I've got the balls to do something that basically involves having more self-belief in your abilities, not to mention contacts in high places, than I currently do.
But the fact is, time's getting on. And if nothing comes up in the next month and a bit, I'm having to face the fact that I might not have a choice.
I bet Lassie never had this problem.
6 comments:
Fraid this is out of my field so cant be of help - although am sure there will be a few others who have more `know how' stepping up to the plate very soon.
Anyway good to see I'm not the only one posting about dogs at the moment. Even if yours is only a tenuous link and mine is more of a worrying obsession ...
jobs are a bit like dating - you only get to know what suits you by trying different things - size, structure, field, etc. Only then can you make some kind of informed decision about what suits you. I was never in the same job more than two years until I was much older than you and only then settled on something.
There is something both terrifying and liberating in working for yourself. Great if you can make it work; but you have to have some sort of business plan and be diligent about seeing it through. Good luck whichever path you should choose.
Londonlass - I'm always looking for an excuse to write about dogs. Freelancing on the other hand is a whole other ball game...
jman - Yeah, that's why I'm not too sure about it. Terrifying because I might have to become one of those wanky networking junkies. And I'm crap at networking (as we all know).
As jman says, working for yourself is fantastic, yet also very stressful at times.
If you can carry it off then you'll never ever look back.
I'm stuck in a job that I hate but that pays well. I long to do something creative and work for myself but, at the moment, I just can't take a pay cut. Stupid house buying.
Like London Lass, I have little of substance to offer with regards to the merits or otherwise of freelancing.
But.
It seems to me like you have nothing to lose by giving it a go and that (no don't take this the wrong way) you currently have very little to keep you "fixed" in one spot/job. Why not have a crack?
It may sound cheesy but I live by the motto "fortune favours the brave" and I have no doubt that I am where I am in life because of it.
Undoubtedly, you will find an anchor in life soon enough and arguably, your perspective may change. You may want to do the same thing for three, four or five years...I guess you should ask yourself whether, when you are 80, you will regret not having a crack at freelancing.
Or.
What about doing freelancing on the side or the regular, mundane, bread on the table, everyday job?
My thoughts. Do with them what you will.
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