Jobs that pay the bills vs. Jobs you're passionate about

The jobs I do only for the sake of having money to pay rent and bills are: My PT-job, babysitting, fashion closet biotch, styling assistant biotch and odd jobs like this. Sometimes the fashion work enters into the jobs-I-enjoy category because it gives me the opportunity to network and meet interesting people, which of course is always a bonus.

The two jobs I'm most passionate about are reporting (celebs, real-life people, experts, anyone) and blogging. I get paid for all of my reporting jobs, so if I could just get more consistent work, I'd be good to GO. But as we know, I don't get paid to blog, which for now is fine because I truly do love it. I'm not going to lose hope (at least not yet!) that one day I will make a little cheese blogging, whether it's for myself or another publication. I just love how it allows me to write in a personal, informal voice--it really gives me a unique sense of satisfaction. Honestly, I never thought I'd like blogging this much when I first started--now I'm addicted!

But when do I just cut the bullshit and start getting REAL? Sure, doing work that adds color to your life is important, but sometimes I wonder if what I'm chasing after is even worth it. Should I focus less on the dream and more on finding a FT j-o-b? I just don't know.

And isn't it interesting that people seem to be more obsessed than ever to find a job they are passionate about? What happened to just putting your nose down and working hard at something? I guess it's people like ME who have totally messed up that idea!

Tell me: What are your thoughts on this subject--Is finding a job you love overrated? Are you passionate about your work?

Lets.get.fired.UP!

Clap, clap, clap clap clap. I was a cheerleader for a YMCA basketball team when I was like 10, and that was my favorite little cheer. Why? Because it was the only one I could remember all of the words and moves to! An.Y.way. You know from this post that I love love LOVE getting little surprises in the mail, and LOOK what my friend Lorraine sent me yesterday!

It's hanging on my wall right above my desk—perfecto! It's so funny, when I first started the blog, some people thought the name meant that I was like FIRED UP about something. Angry? Pumped up? I'm not sure. But nope, I'm just straight up FIRED. 

But as you know by now, plenty of things do get me fired up. One being, that there seems to be so many people with fabulous jobs who just don't seem to deserve them. People with fancy titles who find sneaky ways to get other people to make them look good without even lifting a finger. Hate that. And most recently, I worked with a PR director of one of the fanciest hotels in NYC who was a complete mess—unprofessional, unorganized, un...everything. It just boggled my mind. I really try not to be bitter, but sometimes it's just so damn hard!

So what about you: What's getting you FIRED UP these days?

The FnF Club: "I got fired from Hardee's!"

Sometimes I feel like the ONLY person in the world who has been fired from a job, so I'm making it my personal mission to find as many people as possible who have also received the pink slip. Check out my hairdresser, Ron's, story below!

Ok, so I know I said in this post that I hate when people exploit their gay friends, but I just couldn't resist. Ron is so funny, and I love how he used his unemployment to help pay for beauty school. Fab, indeed! And umm, hello biceps! I think we all needed a little Monday morning eye candy ;)

Tell me: What do you think of this story? What jobs did you have as a teen? I'm sure it won't surprise you to know that my first job was at an ice cream shop! And I'd love to hear YOUR Fired to Fab story! Shoot me an email and I'll make you an honorary member of the FnF club and feature you on the blog!

Working smart vs. Working hard

I struggle with this. I am a workhorse. I love to work. Work, work, work. Go in early, stay late, sacrifice sleep--and sanity--to get the job DONE. But, more times than not, I know I'm not necessarily working smart, in which case clocking in the hours doesn't really mean shit.

It's just hard because I'm juggling so many different balls at once--the endless job search, my blog, a PT job (which some weeks has FT hours), freelance gigs, networking, etc. Sometimes I just want to tackle the tasks that are easy or give me instant satisfaction first. I mean, is there actually a human being who likes writing cover letters? Or has mastered it? If so, teach me the ways almighty one!

Liza's really good at prioritizing and working efficiently and hard without going overboard. I'm attempting to take a cue from her. For instance, the other week I was approached for a freelance gig for a magazine I would LOVE to work for. (And have interviewed with, a few times, and come thisclose to landing a job at.) The phone interview was super casual, and as soon as I hung up, I went into Ellen-mode trying to brainstorm a special project I could do over the weekend to make myself stand out from the rest of the candidates. And then the strangest thing happened. I didn't have ONE good idea. Not one. What the heck? How can this happen to a self-professed "ideas person"? (Well, I can't disclose what the subject matter was, but that actually does partially explain my brain freeze.)

To make a short story shorter, I didn't turn in a project at all. I kept revisiting it throughout the weekend, but nothing was clicking, and I had other work that needed to be done. I didn't get the job (obvi cuz you guys would have been the FIRST ones to know about it!), but I didn't regret not going the extra mile this time. Sometimes doing work just for the sake of it is not the way to go. At least not to me. Plus, I got other things accomplished that weekend, one of which included SLEEP. Ha!

What about your thoughts about working hard vs. working smart? Do you struggle with this?

And what do YOU do?

When I first lost my job, I absolutely dreaded that question. I stumbled over my words as I attempted to explain that yes, I got fired, but no, not in the traditional sense of the word. (I didn't get any warnings, I did NOT suck at my job, etc.) And then I'd ramble on about how I'm freelancing for different mags, blogging and just trying to figure out what will make me truly happy, all the while breaking a sweat, trying to convince the other person that REALLY, I'm FINE! I can't even imagine how insecure I came across.

I've now learned that sometimes less really is more. When someone asks me what I do, I keep it short. I don't try to explain myself. I keep a smile on my face. I'm enthusiastic about my blog, the future and current job opportunities. And if I'm really being pressed for more info about exactly why I got fired, I just make a joke or brush it off by saying, "Well, I did work for a tabloid magazine. I'm still trying to figure it out myself!" So yeah, I've got my little spiel down and it works most of the time.

The other night I met a really friendly girl at a party who seemed genuinely interested in my story and learning more about the industry I work in. So I kept talking and talking, and I found myself feeling the need to explain myself and just what exactly it is I do all day long. I didn't even finish this sentence: Yeah, so the way freelancing works is...when she chimed in: "If I freelanced, I'd spend all my time at the gym!" Ouuuch. Ok, so I know she totally didn't intend to imply that I don't do jack shit all day, but it stung a little. I guess I'm just sensitive to the fact that most people don't realize that I really am busting my ass, even if the work I'm doing isn't always paying the bills. Sigh. 

What about you guys: Have you ever felt insecure or uncomfortable when someone asked about your profession? How did you deal?

Another one bites the dust...

So last week I saw my friend Kirk at a party, and he didn't seem quite like his usual fun-loving self, so I asked if anything was wrong. "I got laid off today," he said. Ahhh! So I joked a while back about how awesome it would be if all my friends lost their jobs so we could hang out during the day together, but I wasn't serious. God, did you hear that? I was kidding. Kirk's got nothing to worry about though--as you can see, he's still totally fabulous, just like yours truly. ;)

It didn't take long though before we were laughing and acting silly—totally putting our worries on pause for just one night. I interviewed Kirk below on his thoughts about losing his job and how it all went down. (FYI, the party was noisy, so you might have to turn the volume up a little) .

Don't you just love how he started stripping when I asked him how we were going to make money? I'm not quite that desperate yet. But apparently I could have a promising future as a stripper if I ever decided to go down that "career" path. The other week without even realizing it, I was standing outside a strip club called Score's waiting for a friend to meet me at a party nearby. This totally cracked-out woman starts talking to me and telling me how cute I am and that I could do well in the biz. What, did she think she could recruit me? Umm, no thanks—I think I'll stick to babysitting!

Despite Kirk's joking, he took a more serious tone the other day when he told me he thought that everyone is being forced to be optimistic during these dire times, but not enough people are looking at things realistically. That people who say things like, "I lost my job, but it's OK because now I'm pursuing what I really want!" is 'formulaic optimism.' Honestly, that made me a little sad. Kirk, I totally see your point, but I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one.

If I wasn't really struggling financially, it would be annoying as hell to so many people to hear me talk about the sunny side of being laid off. But lord knows I am strugglin'. I just think things can only go up from here. Way up. And yes, I am finally pursuing and writing about things I am passionate about. (Not that I didn't love writing about Miley Cyrus's first bra-buying experience or Nick Jonas's firs kiss before). The freelance work I've gotten so far is just barely paying rent, but I've had more quality work come my way in the last six months than I have in probably the last three years. And no, this blog isn't paying the bills, but it makes me happy, damnit! Seriously, it's the main reason I jump, not drag myself, out of bed each morning.

Check out this article from MSNBC.com about how people who have been laid off are actually better off. Interesting. Hope is not lost, Kirk!

So what do you think: Should we be looking our current economic situation more realistically or optimistically? Am I annoying anyone with my optimism?

When's the last time you've had to swallow that pill—called pride?

So I never told you guys about this, but about two months ago I applied for a part-time job at a spinning studio to work at the front desk. (It's actually the same studio I told you about in this post.) I was asked to come in and try a class and then get trained for the position. As I was being taught how to clock people in and fold the towels a certain way, I was thinking to myself, Am I seriously doing this right now? Am I really this desperate? Apparently, I was. It actually wasn't so bad. The people were cool and I got to take a free spinning class, but I knew it wasn't for me. Dealing with grumpy rich women who've had entirely too much Botox and haven't ingested anything other than non-fat lattes in over a week is not my idea of fun. I was only there one day, but if I had heard a bitch complain about how her "assigned bike isn't close enough to the front of the room" one more time I would have shot myself. In the foot. 

I wasn't technically offered the job, so when The Knot emailed me the next day about helping them with a research project, I jumped on the opportunity. Honestly, I never thought that at (almost) 29 years-old, I'd be cruising Craigslist for the same type of jobs I had when I was eighteen. 

Even though the consistent paychecks from my current gig are certainly helping, I'm nowhere close to being financially comfortable yet. So, when I was recently asked to babysit on a Saturday night until 3am, I said yes. (Is it terrible that I asked for cab money home in addition to my hourly rate?) Babysitting is fine, and the girls are sweet, but I do feel a little weird about it. I mean, it's just totally awkward when the parents come home wasted and hand me a wad of cash. 

So yeah, I guess you could say I've had to just suck it up and swallow my pride lately. Can anyone else out there relate to this?

Help, I need advice! Should I get a part-time job?

So I've been putting off getting a part-time job. Not because I'm lazy—quite the opposite—but because as a freelancer, I want to be as flexible as possible. When editors email me at the last minute to go out on a reporting assignment or to turn around a project in 48 hours, I want to always be able to say yes. I don't want anything else holding me back. However, it's getting to the point where I don't really think I have a choice. 

Yesterday, I turned to Craigslist. I felt kind of silly looking at jobs, like jobs I had when I was 20 years old, but I suppose this is not a time to let my pride get the best of me.( I've already participated in focus group studies for a little extra dough.) As I searched, I saw some interesting and very questionable jobs. One posting was for girls who were willing to be tickled for hours on end for money. At the end of the ad, it said "nothing sexual will be involved." Alllrighty then. Next. 

My ideal job would be something very early in the morning that wouldn't really interfere with my daily routine or other job opportunities. I suppose those jobs would be something like working at a desk in a gym (I'd get a free gym membership--bonus!) or working in a cafe. Most of the barista jobs I've seen want someone with experience though, so I guess that's out. Hmm, what else could I do?

I have been a waitress several different times throughout my life, and although I think it is something everyone should be required to do at least once, I just cannot do it again. I've had enough "character-building" experiences to last me a lifetime. I don't need any more. Plus, I have my own problems to deal with—handing grumpy customers on a weekly basis will only bring me down.

I'm off to a reporting gig I do for Glamour a few times a month, and after I'm thinking about applying to a part-time cashier job I saw at a popular, casual downtown restaurant. I just don't know if I could do it though. If I worked there, I would see people I know frequently, and I'm not sure if I can handle the embarrassment. 

What do you guys think? Am I being a baby? Do I just need to suck it up? HELP!!!