I Hate Your Job

A Bit of Background

I started this blog back in June, so we’re coming up on the anniversary of the launch. At that time, I’d just left a job that was a bad fit for me, and I wanted to do what I could to help others stuck in a similar situation find a way to enjoy work more. I met an interesting guy with an innovative approach to career assessments, and with a shared passion for helping match people to the right job, we teamed up.

I started the blog to lay a foundation for that business, but it quickly became clear that I was enjoying running this site for its own sake and that some readers felt the same way. Eventually, we decided to part ways as friends, but I had really taken to the site I’d built, the cause of enjoying work more, and the readers and bloggers I’d gotten to know.

Before I knew it, this site had helped me get a few professional writing engagements locally (copywriting, not stuff like I write here), and encouraged by those modest successes, I started entertaining the idea of going back to school, getting a PhD, and eventually teaching and writing for a living as an academic.

AWOL: A Winter Off-Line

It was at this point, in November, that I let things slide. Believe it or not, blogs can take a lot of time, and I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed. With working a couple of part time jobs, studying, exploring doctoral programs, and trying to be a good husband, the time I was spending on blogging seemed to be disconnected from my new direction. At the same time, it didn’t seem right to announce an end to the site as I never made a conscious decision either way. I just let it slide, unintentionally at first and then accepting that as a choice by default, even if a choice I was unhappy with.

In other words, I valued what the site had become and the people I’d gotten to know, but as a few days of no blogging turned into a few weeks and then months, the sense of guilt over the mounting neglect made approaching the site a daunting task, especially since I still hadn’t settled on a decision for what to do with the blog.

Of course, there’s more to this story of coming to be overwhelmed and letting the blog lapse. Some of it is too boring (yes, even more boring) to talk about here, and some of it is too personal. In general, though, I think this gives an explanation (though not an excuse) as to where I’ve been with this site.

Now What?

Well, during the hiatus, my life continued to move forward. While it may seem fickle after reading the above summary, I have decided to forgo the PhD and the academic life, choosing instead to return to work in business. I love my new job, and while the past year has been trying, I’ve learned more about myself and about business, tried more new things, and developed more new skills than I could have otherwise. It is a combination of my previous full-time work experience and this past year of freelancing, start-ups, blogging, and learning that has enabled me to be qualified for this great new job and to recognize just how good a fit for me it is once I found it.

Why I’m Resurrecting the Blog

When I worked up the nerve to log back into this site after months of absenteeism to examine the damage that had been done, I was surprised at what I found. The site had continued to have a healthy stream of traffic even while I wasn’t one of the visitors. A couple hundred people a day were still out there, searching on Google, and landing here at various articles. That may not be surprising to you, but after putting so much work into building the traffic, I was expecting it to have all dried up.

Even more surprisingly, some of those people were leaving comments, again in my absence. The concept of object permanence is supposed to solidify sometime while we’re still in diapers, but the concept of blog permanence escaped me until that moment.

The topic of the blog was still relevant, the articles I’d written in the past were still being read, and the people who visited the site were still interested in talking with each other and with me. In addition to the persistence of the readers, my wife has been unwavering in her encouragement (gentle encouragement) to resume blogging since December. Other bloggers have been particularly encouraging as well. Thanks to Elysa from GenPink as she was the most influential blogger in getting me to bite the bullet and publish something to break the silence. Thanks also to Jason Wray at SaturatedMarket.net (who himself has been known to disappear on occasion), Rebecca Thorman at Modite, Tiffany Monhollon from PersonalPR, and Bush Mackel for dropping the occasional note to check in. Special thanks to Mark who blogs at Chronicles of Mark who left one of the first comments when I initially launched and then again when I re-launched, he was one of the first to comment.

Help Wanted

In addition to actually producing content, there are some other changes I’d like to make on this blog going forward. Most importantly, I’m looking to transform IHYJ from a solo project to a group project. How exactly that would work depends on each individual’s interest and ability, but ideally, a small group of people comprising skill in graphic design, writing (in styles similar to those I’ve got on the site already), coding, and overall development of IHYJ into something more interactive and helpful for readers.

If you’re interested in helping shape the future of IHYJ or contributing in any way, let me know in the comments section or drop me an email at my address which can be found on the sidebar or in the about section of the site. I don’t make any money on this site to speak of ($1 total, to be precise), so this isn’t about getting rich. It’s mostly about participating in something good, but if we eventually are compensated somehow, that’s fantastic. By the way, I want to replace those affiliate links on the side with some select books that helped me in my search and transition.

Thanks

Thanks for your time in reading this and thanks for the second chance. Here’s hoping some of you out there feel inclined to drop me a line about forming a team and we get this thing cranking like never before. It sounds like fun, doesn’t it?

Other Posts You Might Enjoy:

• Twenty Years From Now: Regrets or No Regrets
• Forget the Planet, My Job Sucks!
• Are You a Sleep-Worker?
• Why do I hate your job?
• Funny Commercial: Being Nice Goes a Long Way