Coming Around Again

It isn’t official until tomorrow, but the Tuesday after Memorial Day last year was the day I started my copywriting job.

For awhile this past year seemed to be flying by, but so much has changed that it really does feel like a year since last May 30 (and when do I ever say that?!). So many people have left my department since then—lots have left since our Christmas party. We’ve started graying people out of the Christmas party picture (people who’ve left), like America’s Next Top Model. Four are gone. (I wonder who’ll be the last?)

And I’m not sure what it means that I spend my day writing a lot of stuff I don’t believe in and yet I really like my job. Should I want to be improving people's lives or the world with my writing? Once I would’ve thought so. Am I just a sellout? Probably. Do I care? Not really. The thing about making these compromises: you can’t really sit in judgment of anyone else’s job choice. And I definitely used to do that, so at least this job is making me less of a prig.

Plus I've learned how to write a headline, to deal with a crazy boss, and I'm starting to have an opinion about good and bad copywriting. I've dealt with plenty of workplace drama; I've cried in my manager's office and survived.

All in all, I don't think that's too bad for 364 days. Here's to 364 more.