Can You Still Be an Editor/Writer If You’re No Longer Allowed to Write?
So, I’m talking to a work friend, and in the course of the conversation I learn that, beginning next year, our company plans to eliminate certain aspects from our reports. What aspects? Oh, just the writing.
Now, I do not plan on being here next year. I don’t know how I’ll do it, but I will not be around for the inaugural events of my projects in March. If December rolls around and I still haven’t gotten a face-to-face interview, I will start taking weekly trips down to my anticipated place of relocation and knock on doors until someone will talk to me. With my season ending, I plan on being more aggressive in the quiet winter months. Whatever has to be done will be done, but I will not be sitting down to scan something that lasts for 10 hours in March. No way–I just can’t and won’t do it another year. I’m done with this position. D-O-N-E. I know my determination will pay off, especially with the opportunity and time that’s coming up for me. Because I am DONE. I cannot stomach another season of this crap, and huge part of me thinks I won’t. I don’t see myself at this office beyond the New Year–let’s hope that’s true (knock on wood). Even if I have to rent a cheap room and work some stupid retail job until I get full time, I will not be here. Okay, that might not be the smartest way to do it, but in my wildest plots to get there, I can see myself putting up with a crappy room, sucky roommates and a retail job just to have a local address. I doubt it’ll come to that, though.
Anyway, back to the work complaining . . .
However, the fact that the company is eliminating the one thing I enjoy also adds to a sense of desperation that sometimes clings to me and makes me think I will be here next March. I am not a number cruncher and do not plan on spending my time making graphs and charts instead of writing out paragraphs of information. Oh sure, the production time on the reports will go down, but only by maybe 30 minutes when it comes to a writer like yours truly. I can’t see the point of someone who has an M.A. in English and a wealth of experience spending her time scanning events and making charts. The written parts of the reports aren’t overly long and you can’t get very creative with them, but I’m relatively sure I have the best-written paragraphs of information in the company; I don’t use cheesy metaphors or puns, I use words that are more than two syllables long, and I provide little factoids that my fellow editors never seem to want to include but that clients seem to appreciate. Now they’re taking it away in favor of charts? Ugh, as I said to my friend, ugh.
I am baffled by the idea of taking the words away from the clients who really seem to enjoy having them. I am baffled that they honestly think this change will not cause of roar of indignation from said clients (it will) and that they think it’ll be a time- and money-saver (it won’t). I know this change comes from the owners’ greed–they want more money in their pockets because none of the money saved will go to the company or, God forbid, our pockets. It’s just another attempt to have more money to spend on white trash memorabilia. I am frustrated by the lack of care for the company or for us as employees. I am frustrated that the one thing that makes this tolerable will be taken away from the position (though, please, please let me not be here to see the change!).
But really, I should calm down already. I will not be scanning the first event of the year. No way, no how. I don’t know how I’ll do it, but I’ll do it. It’s kind of like when I was on mile eight of the half-marathon last Sunday; I knew that there was no question that I’d finish, I knew that there was no consideration of stopping at all, but the last five miles were a frightening prospect all the same. The goal would be achieved, but getting there might be a blur. Well, I feel the same about a new job. It’s at the finish line, and I’ll make it there. No question about that. Just getting through this journey will be a blur.
I’ve got to write my race report. Once I get a new job, I can model a "job report" on the race report.
