this one got kinda long and tangential, sorry.
i was telling a friend recently, that i hadn’t seen in a while, about my new job. she said, “you have to create your own job anymore.” something that triggered a poignant feeling, but then i remembered that it actually worked out in my favor.
years ago, when i started at pleasant company, i was a temporary employee. i worked on many web projects. most of the front-end work was being done by an agency (named clotho, who may or may not still be around; their website has a copyright of 2010), but the design work was done in-house.
i remember the first round of layoffs. they got rid of my favorite creative manager, myland mcrevey. it was a very upsetting day. not long after that, my boss left to start her own design company. and, not too long after that, they offered me a (permanent) graphic design position. i told them i’d rather stay temporary and have a boss than have a go at a regular position.
so it was, for a little while longer, a project came up that afforded me the opportunity to write my own job description as a front end developer. years went by and the decision to not continue with design, but to go to the technical side of the web started to feel like a huge mistake. my other designer friends were becoming creative directors, art directors, freelance designers, etc. while i was stuck in the same spot ten years later, developing for IE7 because the company wouldn’t upgrade and everyone’s browser was stuck on compatibility mode.
after “you have to create your own job anymore.” soaked in, i happily realized that i wouldn’t be where i am today if i hadn’t done just that.