Follow Your Bliss

Sometimes I am amazed at how lucky I am to be doing for a career what I want to be doing. Sure, there are days (sometimes lots in a row) that I hate my job for whatever reason, usually because I'm dealing with people who I can't mind meld with. But those bad times are made up for by the many, many good times in marketing and communications. In fact, most people want to be doing my job so much they try to do it for me.

It seems very romantic to be involved in creating television and radio advertisements and to work with the media. Creativity is exciting and can be very refreshing. However, to get to that really incredible finished product, like the ads created for St-Boniface Hospital, takes a lot of work, negotiation, input from the agency, input from the client, input from people who are considered stakeholders (see my blog on research). When it all gels - you get a product like the Hope and Healing campaign.

Other times my job is about sending off copy and design instructions and then waiting for something to come back to review, then sending changes, then back, then forth, then back, then forth. Lots of that goes on. Lots of phone calls to get information. Lots of meetings to confirm information. Lots of sales calls from vendors who want us to try their product or service.

As much as I love writing and really enjoyed having that as a big part of my job in the past, as I've advanced in my career writing has become a bit of a luxury. It requires concentration and being able to set aside chunks of time for interviews, research and then actually sitting down and writing. Fortunately, there are a number of really good freelance writers available to help with the bigger projects. I still get a real sense of satisfaction when I write something, review it and realize, "Hey, I'm darn good at this." Then I move on to the many other demands of directing a marketing and communications department.

For someone who is trying to decide if marketing and communications (public relations, public affairs, media relations) is something they want to pursue as a career, I would suggest they ask themselves three questions:
1. Am I interested in other people and what they do?
2. Do I like feeling the stress and thrill of having to meet deadlines?
3. Can I rise above being told by everyone from the janitors to the accountants telling me what will work in order to get to what my education and experience has taught me WILL work?

If you can answer yes to those three questions, you could be on your way to enjoying a fulfilling career in marketing and communications.