The Edge of Employment Conformity

Walking the line between professional business woman and gypsy trader, is a fine line to walk.  My great worth ethic wants me to work the 9-5 job, receive the benefits and the nice salary along with the 401k.   My care free personality wants me to give it all up and read palms for a living.  I have tried the 9-5 job and the gypsy contractor life and none of them really suit me.  So, how do you mesh the two together without disturbing the natural order of things?

As I continued to work in the 9-5 world, I was not really welcomed as the unique minded, happy individual that I was.  I would walk through the halls dodging the side eye from fellow employees and hushed conversations from huddled groups.  While training I would be sabotaged by those training me so I would fail from the start. People would look down on me because I have tattoos…tattoos that are easily covered by professional attire.  I would take on more responsibility at a job and then be let go due to reasons unknown.  Having a care free, happy personality & lifestyle did not really mesh well in the professional, 9-5 life.

After jumping off the Rat Race Wheel, I dove into the gypsy contractor world.  I became a brand ambassador, was a promotional model, sold merchandise from my car, and was a server, some of these at the same time.  People welcomed me with open arms, accepted me for who I was, and liked how I always smiled.  I do have a care free and light personality, but I can also be very conservative.  I do not like getting tattoos that cannot be covered.  I like to dress sharp but appropriate for every occasion.  I always have a business card on hand.  Many of the individuals that were in these positions with me, always had a tendency to be unprofessional.  Most of the people I worked with, always showed up late.  They would curse in front of customers.  They would do drugs and have sex in the bathrooms.  I couldn’t continue in that environment and expect to really thrive and go anywhere with my life professionally…so I looked for other solutions.

I completely stopped working at that point and thought to myself, “Is there a job out there for me that is professional but not so rigid?”  Some of the companies I researched that looked appealing were Google, Apple, & Facebook, but none of them were hiring in the Delaware area.  I then stopped researching where I could find a job, and researched how I could make a job.  You cannot find this on the internet, or do research at the library.   You do your research by researching yourself.

I had to do a lot of research on myself and figure out what I was good at.  I had to pull all of my training, education, and experience together and figure out what I wanted to do, but more importantly, what I was good at and what I would love to do on a daily basis.  The more I learned about myself, the easier it was to create a small business.  I finally realized that I was meant to work on the computer but help people at the same time.

That is exactly what I am doing now.  I own HC Designs, which is a small Web & Social Media Design business, and I write this blog, with the mission to help people on a daily basis.

Along this journey of trying to find the perfect job, I realized that looking for a job to suit me is like looking for a pair of shoes.  If the shoe is too tight or too loose, that shoe is not for you.  You need to find the perfect fit to feel comfortable, in order to walk the journey.