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His career is not working out as he'd hoped. In April, a competing baseball website approached him and he took an interview. He was flattered and he was considering it. Then the unexpected happened: his current boss let him go. He didn't realize how much he loved his job until he lost it.
Fortunately, the competitive baseball website snapped him up. But here's the thing: they assign him articles. At the job he loved, he wrote any baseball story he wished, as long as it was ready post on deadline. He's not crazy about the restrictions but you know what? That's what being a writer for hire is all about. It's time he learned that. (News flash: I didn't choose to write a post explaining the difference between a transmission flush and a transmission fluid exchange. It was an assignment and I got paid. That's how it works.)
Also, neither his old job nor his new one actually employed him. No insurance. No 401k. No paid time off. He's in his mid-20s now and still in his childhood bedroom. He jokes that his car is older than he is, and it is.
He's in love with Bobbie. I met her, and she's lovely. But she's a little older and divorced. I can tell that he's seeing his life through her eyes and now it looks different.
So he's revisiting an old ambition: to become a teacher. With his degree in political science, he thinks he'd be good at American history.* I think with his chill demeanor, he'd be good with younger kids.
He's still in the exploration phase. It's going to be hard for him to pull the trigger and actually make the career switch. His original baseball writing job made him so happy. But even when the going was good, it didn't pay well, and the economic realities of independent media mean even more belt tightening on the part of employers.
I asked Bobbie what attracted her to him. She said his "authenticity." I can see her influence in this. He was once sincerely attracted to teaching. It's more stable and financially rewarding than baseball writing and it appeals to him more than general-assignment journalism (as opposed to writing exclusively about baseball).
I love him and am sorry he's hit this bump in the road. On the other hand, I love him and want him to transition through this so he can embark on the next phase of his life and career.
*Are you still reading, Kwiz? What do you think?
Photo by Erik Karits on Unsplash
I'm not Kwiz, but as a freelancer, I think he would do well to find a good paying job (and teaching is a wonderful idea), move out of his parent's house, not marry the older woman just yet - give that some time - and freelance on the side. I did that for the first 12 years of our marriage. Freelancing (gig work, as they call it now) is not easy, and you can end up answering to multiple editors, only one of whom you will like, and the others will make life miserable for you. But it's a great way to do what you love, keep involved, and learn new things while still making money. There comes a time, though, when moving on to something new is the right thing to do. I went back and finished my masters in 2012 expecting to teach at the community college, and had I not been side-lined by a health issue, that is probably what would have happened. I did teach 2 classes for two semesters before I became too ill to work.
ReplyDeleteHe could dip his toe in and try substitute teaching. He might find that he likes a subject or age he had no intention of pursuing. Because if his degree isn't in what he wants to teach, there are ways around that.
ReplyDeleteWith a political science and baseball background he would be a good fit. I say baseball background because my colleague offers a very popular course on the social history of America through Baseball. I can't remember the catchy title, but if your nephew could put together a couple of ideas for niche electives that might give him a leg up in interviews. Plus his publishing background would be fantastic for a newspaper or 'zine club.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU, LADIES! Fabulous advice from each of you and much appreciated. Over the next few weeks I'm going to try to carve out some alone time with him – just the two of us – and I'll share all this.
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