Back to Basics

O man, it’s Back to Basics. I feel ‘that time’ is approaching, it may be in a couple of weeks, it may be tomorrow, it may be in another months time but I know the time is coming. What ‘time’ am I referring to? The time of….

UN-EM-PLOYMENT.

At my current workplace there have been some major changes and it’s sad to see that some of the people I have spoken to regularly in the company – some of which have been there for over 10 years - may be leaving at the end of March. It’s sad but true. Redundancy is a major part of business life. Companies want to maximise their profits, cant blame them, that’s their basic purpose, and an obvious way to do this is cut costs i.e. get rid of some people. So as you can imagine, morale is pretty low and as a result the work pace has slowed. Change is never good if it’s change for the worse, but that’s a matter of perspective. I must admit that most people are very upset and shaken by the fact that their role has been put ‘under risk’ but as they say ‘when one door closes behind you, another one is opening in front’ and I believe this to be true, it’s what keeps me going. I also believe that the level of truth in that statement depends heavily on the individual. Opportunities come along all the time, it’s just a matter of spotting them and seizing them as and when they do. Those who are successful have the knack to spot those opportunities and work with them. I hope to also develop this ‘knack’.

I haven’t personally been told what’s going to happen to my role but as I work for these employees who are ‘at risk’ I would assume my role is ‘at risk’ also. Funnily enough I don’t mind. It’s like a kick up the bum and it also stops me from ‘getting comfortable’ in a role I detest just because I’m getting paid. It gives me the opportunity to explore other options and hopefully find a new role in the sector I do want to work in. I should actually say the sector I think I want to work in. I’m new to the working scene so right now it’s all about exploring and testing until I find something I like. Media is a big industry and there are so many roles and opportunities available out there for me I just need time to poke my head in take a good look.

I look forward to having time to myself, apart from the fact it means I can sit around and do nothing, it also gives me the opportunity to think about my career and in which direction I want it to go. I can also do things that I miss doing because I’m at work e.g going gym at off-peak (cheaper) times and, of course, updating my blog more frequently. When I finished university I started off with ‘I want to work in media’ and now I’ve ended up with ‘I would like to work in marketing, advertising or even fashion (?!)’, who knows? A few months down the line I may end up with ‘I want to work in this particular role’ or even ‘I want to start my own business in this sector’. I think it’s healthy to keep your options open, try new things and see where it takes you.

It all sounds positive (may be due to the sun outside) and I will be lying if I said I wasn’t scared. I pray that my next role is a step up from my current one and I learn new things, meet new people and have a clearer perspective of life and what I wish to do with it. Where I am in my current company is very basic but I admit that I have learnt so much working here simply through the interactions I have had with the people around me and obviously, by using my eyes to see for myself as opposed to hearing about it or reading about it in a textbook. I just hope this leads on to better things.

The sky’s the limit! And remember….there’s always room at the top.