AdNausea

Now, I’m not the most enthusiastic and optimistic about my career future. I understand that even after the job market starts picking up again in a year (two years? Ten years?) there will be a flood of prospective people (creative and in my field, and otherwise) starved for the money and experience advertising agencies can offer. The problem is that there are only going to be a small amount of positions. While some companies are shrinking and finding themselves more efficient, when the market picks back up, not all of those cut positions are going to be opened again. AND – with all the new students in school right now, they’ll only be joining the thousands that will be going after the same position I will be, in my city alone. It’s a very daunting thought. The longer you’ve been out of school, the more experience you’re expected to have, and gods help you if you didn’t get that experience (like me). Now, my education and the trends I went to school with are way outdated and it shows. All of these things pile up to make quite the pessimistic outlook on life in general, my career future in specific. But I read something today that I can’t decide if it terrifies me or inspires me.

At the beginning of her article, Kelly Eidson describes leaving an internship in NYC and while updating her resume, notices that she is “bleeding Texas” (having grown up there, gotten degrees there, volunteered there, etc.) and hears from an employer that staying in one place too long is… simply put… certain death if you’re trying to find a job. It’s basically a rut. Here’s what she decides to do:

“Now I’m betting it all and traveling around the country looking for the next step. I’m doing informational interviews, calling on contacts and pounding the pavement. In the last 12 days I’ve hit seven cities and heard tons of advice. I don’t have an address any more—just my suitcase, an air mattress and a laptop… This won’t be forever; when I find a good offer, I’ll settle down and stay…

Next stop on my tour is New York. I’ll have Texas over my left shoulder, and though I’ll miss it, I won’t be looking back.”

My first thought was, “What? In this economic climate? Why would you do this?” But after thinking about it for a second, why not? Read her full article here and tell me what you think. Stupid? Risky? Effective? Something you’d consider?

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