i’ve been a nine to fiver for two years today. it is my workiversary. i am accepting presents.
on this, my workiversary, i wanted to talk a little bit about my work story so far, and about working a nine to five (which sometimes gets a bum rap).
it was difficult at first, this transition into a nine to five type of job. two years ago, when i first starting working in publishing, i struggled against the routine of coming to work. my background didn’t really have any “nine to five” trajectory to it, and when i found that the work that i loved to do—that i was good at—came in a nine to five type of package, i went for it at full-force.
i went to school for theatre, then briefly wrote for a paper as a theatre journalist, and was on the academic track before i even started to think of getting a formal, nine to five, job. nothing that i had done required routine. i was a slave to deadlines with no solid ground to stand on.
after finishing a masters degree in the arts, i turned to publishing. a lover of books, it seemed like such a natural fit. and it was! luckily, i stumbled backwardly into a vocation that suited me, and that excited me.
but when i finally arrived in the world of offices and calls to new york and appropriate office-wear, i was truly a fish out of water. my time seemed to fill up with work. even in the evenings, my mind couldn’t leave that world. i worried about appropriate office deportment, career planning, what to wear….
looking back now, i think i must have been in shock.
today, i am surrounded by books, day in and day out. i am learning by leaps and bounds every day. i’ve learned about running a website, web analytics, and internet marketing programs. my work is exciting, and challenging, and busy. i read more now than i ever have before (ah, the joys of commuting). i’ve travelled more in this past year than i have ever before in my life. i am healthy. i am happy.
it has been a busy summer. i’ve trained and competed in a sprint triathlon, visited copenhagen, thunder bay, washington, and numerous cottages. i was sincerely uprooted (in the best ways possible, mind you), and more than anything i am happy to give myself over to the pace of the nine to five.
balance.
and so, a special shout-out to all the other nine-to-fivers out there! i’m celebrating with a cup of coffee, and a stack of emails. how about you?
xx katty lea
kc lea 