My good friend YP is leaving the company. YP is the aspiring stand-up comic who started as a temp back in 2003, became permanent about a year later, then became *my* assistant earlier this year.
He is my best friend at work. We’ve similar senses of humor and the same attitude about our jobs (work hard but who cares), and the same taste in men (well sometimes). He was one of the first people I told about my ex’s affair. We always support each other in our artistic endeavors. He’s the gay, Greek, vegetarian, comedian brother I never had.
While I feel sad and will miss him, I understand his need to switch jobs. His rent is going up in February, and his new position, in a field he used to be in, is at a manager level and so pays nearly double what he makes now.
Plus one of our coworkers is a big fucking cunt, hereafter known as BFC. She’s the worst kind too, gooey-ly overly friendly on the one hand but then doing things like taking her stress out on other people, playing the blame game, and doling out orders over email like she’s the fucking team leader when she’s not.
The only one worse was our old boss, who thought she was above everything and told lies about people behind their backs. But then she was booted. Haha! (Marvin sing song voice and pointing.)
YP said, “We should get you a job over at my new company.” That would rock. It doesn’t matter to me where and what I do to make a buck. What matters most is the people, and with YP leaving and being stuck with the BFC, the people don’t seem so appealing right now.
Of course I can look for a new job on my own, and I have been, off and on. I’ve sent my resume out half a dozen times, but I feel like they just disappear into cyberspace. No responses, not even rejections. Going through YP would give me an in.
The thing is I have almost no professional experience in what his company does. Some of their positions involve writing and marketing, which I can bring to the table, but not the rest. Then again I had no experience in my present field either.
Makes me think the whole career game is bullshit. People just fall into these jobs, learn what they need to learn, and then the rest is personality. I guess if you’re super ambitious, that’s another story, but if you’re like me and you don’t give a crap, then it’s just a big joke.
In what I do I don’t think it takes real talent. It’s getting the work done, sure – though some get away for a REALLY long time not even doing that – but it’s mostly perception. How you come off to other people. Do you seem ambitious? Do you seem to have drive? That’s what gets you moved up, not real talent.
And so I cling to art with bloody fingernails. Of course success in that isn’t all about talent either. Sometimes it’s popularity; sometimes it’s being very lucky. But sometimes it is indeed about having talent, a gift, something real to say, or better, something real to say in a new way.
I think a lot of stuff has to do with luck. As for careers, that’s even more the case. I truly believe anyone can do anything… you just need the chance to prove yourself.
I loved this line:
“He’s the gay, Greek, vegetarian, comedian brother I never had”.
there’s luck and there’s making your own luck. networking and knowing someone might be considered luck, but really, you made the effort and met people. take advantage!
that’s true about making your own luck, recognizing the opportunity and taking advantage and not letting it slip by. guess that’s true for anything, not just work.
glad blogger fixed the commenting problem!