Work + Money

When it comes to our careers, there is a constant stream of opportunities flowing past us. Some we miss because we don’t recognize them as opportunities, like meeting someone at a dinner party in a similar – but slightly different – field. Or we’ll pass one by because it intimidates us; we say to ourselves, “Oh that would be so great – I wish I had that skill/could apply for that job/take that class.” Chances are, most of the time we could if we only let ourselves. Other opportunities present themselves and we’d like to take advantage of them, if only we had the time or energy.

And some opportunities, we recognize and run with.

Like this, my new blog. It all started with an email I got from my friend Meagan Francis a few weeks back. She is considered a “micro-celebrity” in the writing and blogging world and was asked to participate in a panel discussion to get user feedback on this new Yahoo! site for women called Shine. Did I want to be her “and guest” at the event? It was to be held at the super toney Peninsula Hotel in Chicago and included food, make-overs and goody bags (she went for the hard sell). I thought it sounded like a great way to blow off an afternoon of work, so I agreed.

At the reception, I felt out of my element. As far as I could tell, I was just about the only woman who wasn’t a blogger. Many women already either knew each other or at least knew of each other. Everyone was chatting, passing out cards and taking advantage of the opportunity to network. As Meagan and I were loitering around the refreshment table (of course) I was greeted by Dory Devlin, editor of Work + Money on Shine. We had a great chat about work, kids and working with kids. When I told her I was a copywriter and not a blogger, she suggested I give it a try.

As a copywriter, I usually don’t get to write anything longer than two sentences. And I certainly never get to hop up on a soap box and pontificate about whatever strikes me that day as pertinent or profound. So I sharpened my long copy, loosened up my adjectives and metaphors and dove right in.

I’ve had several people ask me if I’m getting paid for these posts. Since I do a different form of writing for work, why would I blog without getting paid? Because, I said, this is a great opportunity for me to expand my skills. To try out a new form of writing. It is a chance for me to write about what I want to say instead of being the mouthpiece for someone else. It is an opportunity for me to have my writing seen by hundreds, thousands or even millions, depending on how much this site grows. In just a few short days, some of my posts have gone viral, people sending them out to friends and co-workers. I’ve gotten great feedback which has emboldened me to see if I can expand my career into editorial writing. And it’s been a lot of fun. So I will continue to take this opportunity and run with it to see where it takes me.