Expert: Cheryl Palmer Date: 12/25/2007 Subject: New job: is it a step up or down?
Question Hi Cheryl,
Like many others, I have graduated college and found myself paying the bills with a dead-end job completely unrelated to my field.
I want to do something with editing/writing or art. I am skilled but inexperienced in the former, while the latter was my undergrad major. I'm hoping this goal will become more realistic next year when I move to a bigger city.
In an effort to steer my work experience towards editing, I just accepted, but have not yet started, a part-time second job tutoring K-12 students in basic reading, writing, and math. But now I'm having doubts about that decision: will this really show magazines and publishing houses that I can read and write? Is this a step up towards my goal? Or is it just another menial part-time job for which I'm overqualified?
There's a three-week probationary period, and I don't want to stay after that if it's not going to help my career. In any case, I'm still applying for tutoring jobs with older students, and I plan to ditch the current job if and when one of those becomes available.
But then there is the issue of "hopping around" on one's resume . . . and also the issue of putting the current supervisor down as a reference if I only worked there for the probationary period . . .
Advice, please?
Thank you!
Answer If your aim is to move into a writing position with a magazine or publishing house, I don't think tutoring will signficantly help you towards that goal. To position yourself to move into an actual writing job, it would be best if you look for opportunities to become published, even if these opportunities are unpaid. That will give you credibility in the field.
Another suggestion is to find a volunteer or part-time paid position as an assistant editor where you can get some hands-on experience in the field to build your credibility.
If you are interested in pursuing volunteer work on a part-time basis to gain experience, you can go to www.volunteermatch.org and search by your zip code for volunteer opportunities.
