After the day I had Wednesday, I was reluctant to get up yesterday morning. But the stress that plagued the day before was a memory, and life went on relatively painlessly. I managed to organize most of a large project and get on with business as usual with another one. While neither situation is ideal, I’ve managed workarounds that are bearable.
However, if you’d asked me Wednesday if I loved my career choice, I might have cried. Or ranted on you, depending on the precise moment you asked, for it was a bit of a mess that unfortunately involved emotional baggage – the stuff I hate most and what least belongs in business dealings. No, Wednesday I was deep in a tunnel with no light in sight.
What I despised most about being a full-time employee was the politics and the unnecessary amount of time spent on reinforcing the pecking order that often goes on in organizations. What I enjoy about freelancing is the lack of pecking order (one writer, one client, roles pre-defined) and the huge decrease in political maneuvering. Yet even in freelancing, there are times when you get political struggles, pecking orders, or both. And yesterday was my day to be reminded that even in my safe little cocoon, life can get complicated with unnecessary struggles.
We’re going to face that stuff sometimes. Maybe it’s because we need to be reminded that there’s a world out there we’ve all managed to avoid or escape or leave behind. Maybe it’s because we’ve gotten too big for our britches and need to be knocked down a few pegs. Maybe it’s the karma train arriving on Track 4. Whatever it is, it’s how we deal with it that matters. In our world, pecking orders are someone else’s problem and political struggles are restricted to one or two odd projects. Quite often, clients live pretty steeped in these environments. It’s only natural they try transferring that to us. But we’re the lucky ones – they take it with them when they go, and we’re left to our blissful selves.
Have you had to deal with someone else’s power struggles or hierarchical messes?
Your description of full-time employeedom is exactly why I started freelancing, and why I’m so leery of ever going back to the corporate world.
The closest I’ve come to a power struggle or hierarchical mess since leaving my cubefarm job was being given the green light to start on a project one day, only to have it come to a screeching halt the next because somebody higher up decided to reprioritize. Fortunately, it happened so quick I hadn’t begun any work on the project.
Keep fighting the good fight! It’s hard to remember how awesome freelancing is when you’re having a day like Wednesday, but it’s important to remember that there is always light at the end of that tunnel, whether you can see it or not. We’re sooo much better off not being a square on hell’s org chart.
Your post today describes the very reason I left fulltime politic-filled, evil admin, and management-by-intimidation environments behind for.ever last May. Too old and have paid my dues. (Your Wednesday was a good reminder of how lucky you are not to have to get up and face that junk all day every day!)
Hang in there! I’ve been self-employed for about 20 years and while it has it’s downsides it’s sure nice to know I’m the captain of the ship and can do whatever I want! yay!