I'm Cookin'

Well, Pizza Hut panned out (oops--no pun intended). I start work there tomorrow as a cook, with the professed intention of moving up into management. It's strictly a part-time gig, at least for now.

The only reason this particularly merits its own post is because of a couple relevant questions I was asked during my job interview regarding my BA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing. The first question was why I'm not off making millions, which you probably know the answer to (and I'm sure did he, except insofar as he wanted to watch for warning signs that I might take the job too lightly).

The second, though, was why I'm not working in publishing professionally, and what it is that I do want to be doing.

Of course, the first answer was that I am working in publishing professionally; I'm a real, live copyeditor under contract by a real, live book publisher. The problem is that I can't expect more than one project a month.

To "what do you want to be doing," my reply went something like, "Well, more or less what I'm doing now... I'd just like to get paid more for it." This was referring to something I'd said earlier: basically, that I was working part-time on freelance writing, editing, and publishing jobs while looking for something stable to pay the bills.

Then he asked if I wouldn't rather be doing that creative, freelance stuff full-time, like going off and writing the Great American Novel.

My answer was, "Well... no. I don't think I'm at the point where I could write a novel or anything like that. I went to college because I wanted this kind of creative work, and I've got it. I don't need anything grand, at least for now."

There's a little bit of idealism in that, but for the most part, it's honesty. Part of going through college in this field is learning not to expect the grandiose visions of the entertainment business that our culture has presupposed.

Now, keep in mind, this is a question of degrees. I have an undergraduate degree in freakin' Writing; entry-level jobs aren't the same deal in every field. Part of it is also that I don't live in New York; if you want to work in publishing and you're willing to do that, great.

Still, it goes as a general principle that jobs in which success comes rapidly are very, very, very few. Especially in entertainment, where the path to success isn't clear (cf. "no front door"), it's easy to mistake rational living for giving up on a dream. In fact, there's always mobility as long as you don't get stuck of your own accord (or do something extraordinarily dumb, like plagiarize a novel or run a production company into the ground).

In any case, I need some sleep. Work starts in 12 hours.