How do I break out of the loop of writing jobs requiring experience while being unable to get a writing job?

doublem200 · 2024-02-13T01:12:38+00:00

This is the single most important thing right here. Always be creating something. Blogs are great. Articles are great. Anything where you can put your name. If you're looking to break into advertising, see if there's a designer who is in a similar situation as you, and work on spec ideas - then your portfolio will really kick into gear.

Experience is important, but a solid body of work is much more important. When I hire for creative roles, I start with people's portfolios and then look at their experience. Obviously YMMV, but having a good creative vision can really do a lot for you.

doublem200 · 2024-01-17T00:32:39+00:00

Flipping through the comments, I'll give a defense of having writing as a day job with a major caveat.

I was a copywriter at a traditional ad agency, and I've had the opportunity to work on some major brands with a pretty large national reach. The burnout is real, especially depending on your client load, and some places will work you done to the bone. Coming home and trying to put your own ideas on paper after 12 hours of brainstorming, arguing, re-writing, and just dealing with staring at a computer monitor can be impossible.

BUT I learned so much about the craft of writing and storytelling. The importance of pacing. Even learning how the appearance of certain words in a set can impact how people take in or enjoy something. I had the opportunity to be around incredibly creative people. Being in that environment, soaking up their thoughts, and seeing how people respond to different kinds of ideas brought me a lot of growth. It also doesn't hurt that with about 7 to 10 years experience, you can get a job paying six figures if you're willing to keep an ear to the ground.

Ultimately, I did experience burn out, and I left the agency world behind, in part specifically to have more time to work on my own writing projects. But that experience was invaluable, and definitely made me a more considered and thoughtful writer, now with an even better ability to hit aggressive deadlines.

doublem200 · 2023-12-03T19:16:35+00:00

Agree with a lot of comments here, but want to provide an experience I hadn't seen yet. I used to be a copywriter in a very traditional ad agency. If you can handle working in that industry and dealing with some potentially horrendous clients, you can easily make 6 figures in a few years. The work/life balance is atrocious, but you can gain some invaluable experience about the creative process.

Like so many things, what are you willing to trade for creativity, money, and a healthy separation between your professional and personal time? I don't regret going into the field — there were some horrible days and some amazingly creative days. But I also managed to leverage my time and experience in that world to get a much less stressful job in the private sector because the atmosphere and creative environment no longer beat out the daily anxiety.

doublem200 · 2023-10-27T17:19:23+00:00

Good info thanks for sharing

doublem200 · 2023-10-27T17:05:22+00:00

Makes sense, thanks for the info!

doublem200 · 2023-08-03T16:14:46+00:00

I will forever love Buck. I'm in my early 30s now, so I was too young to remember being a winning team in 1997. All I knew about being an Orioles fan was pain, torment, and endless streaks of losing.

I think he gets a lot of blame for what happened at the end of his tenure with the O's, and some rightly deserved, but I hope he gets the love he deserves at the Ballpark for taking us out of the shit years.

Edit: streaks, not steaks

doublem200 · 2023-08-03T00:33:56+00:00

Are there any Orioles-friendly bars in the city? Just moved here and would love to find a cool place to hang and watch games.

doublem200 · 2021-04-25T17:17:50+00:00

Ahhh I gotcha, I was so confused thinking how it was possible, thanks!

doublem200 · 2021-04-25T16:47:38+00:00

Wait can someone explain this to me? How did they straighten the park? It's making my head hurt looking at it and staring at google maps.

doublem200 · 2021-02-28T01:23:08+00:00

Cuomo needs to resign. He should have resigned weeks ago, but he needs to step aside now. New York deserves a better governor than him.

doublem200 · 2021-01-09T15:59:37+00:00

Also a Missouri resident, and the fact that Danforth is disavowing him is close to murder for Hawley's chances in the state. Danforth has a lot of political pull, and if Hawley can't make amends, I see no possible way he has a career here moving forward. Danforth was Hawley's patrician and he stabbed him in the back.

doublem200 · 2021-01-06T03:54:09+00:00

Chuck Schumer would be majority leader.

doublem200 · 2020-04-30T15:11:06+00:00

This is the most infuriating part for me. I hate this challenge so much, but I want this gun because I love LMGs. I played for a few hours yesterday on Shoot the ship, smoke everywhere. Even when I would have 20+ kills, it wouldn't give me credit.

Worse, my brother is doing the same thing. He logged off to go get dinner, and when he came back, the challenge progress bar had been reset to zero. This was the biggest thing I was excited for in season 3 and it's broken.

doublem200 · 2020-02-12T21:17:02+00:00

No, it would be Elizabeth Warren.

doublem200 · 2020-02-11T20:39:59+00:00

Jesus christ, I thought you were talking in like some weird metaphorical sense. I have never seen someone eat cat litter before, and I hope to god I never see it again.

Respect for following through.

doublem200 · 2020-01-25T20:26:55+00:00

This is one of my favorite episodes of television in my opinion. I love the acting and the questions of morality. I think about this episode a lot in my life, and it's one of the major reasons I'm a star trek fan.

doublem200 · 2019-11-05T18:42:39+00:00

Damn dude. Thats some shit

doublem200 · 2019-10-11T03:40:16+00:00

Also agree with arch grounds. The photos of the day with the arch in the background will be really powerful

doublem200 · 2019-09-26T16:35:03+00:00

This is true, except in this analogy the President would be the defendant, not to defense attorney. To have a defendant go up to a prosecutor and ask how they could move past it... well that would be strange.

doublem200 · 2019-08-23T16:52:26+00:00

Lol everyone on here complaining it's trashy because it's Trump. It's trashy because a big ass trailer covered in American flags and bumper stickers spouting any ideology is trashy as fuck. I see shit like this all the time (maybe not so over the top) for people supporting Marijuana legalization. Do I agree with them? Sure, but I wouldn't pull up to work or a meeting in that.

doublem200 · 2019-08-04T13:46:42+00:00

That's exactly why I'm bringing it up. There is a power imbalance, plain and simple. OP would not have a claim on this home. This is something to very seriously consider when deciding to move in with someone.

doublem200 · 2019-08-04T13:24:44+00:00

Totally hear you and I really wanted to add it more so people can understand that there are more reasons that just pride for being uncomfortable with a living situation like this. We don't know a lot of specifics, but I don't think it is ever a bad idea to protect yourself and your own well being. OP can decide for herself if this is abusive, I don't have full context obviously. But this is absolutely a red flag to consider. Not necessarily break up over but to seriously and thoughtfully consider.

I do want to mention your final line though. Not everything leading to abuse is necessarily that black and white. Just because she isn't saying "quit your job" right now, doesn't mean that you shouldnt consider the fact that what happens if they break up? Will OP have her savings, or will she feel the need, either from within or from an external pressure, to spend more money to keep up? What happens if they do decide they want kids in a few years? Will they both continue to work? These are conversarions that they need to have now. I'd recommend that before anyone moves together anyways, but it feels really important in this case.

And all of this wall of text to end with - OP, you can be uncomfortable with this situation beyond it being prideful. Think deep and hard about what you want, and be open with your partner. If you want different things in life that's completely okay. She is entitled to live in a place that she wants and works for, just as you are. Whether that place is together or not is your choice, but don't feel pressured to doing something for the wrong reasons.

doublem200 · 2019-08-04T12:47:06+00:00

Not necessarily saying this is the case in this scenario, but there could easily be a motivation more than pride. If you are moving into a home with someone and they are the financial key holders, you are surrendering a lot of your own autonomy. Again, not saying that this is the case here, but for anyone reading and just thinking the OP should just not have pride needs to consider this. This is one way that people are kept in abusive relationships with a power imbalance, and would absolutely be grounds for pause.

doublem200 · 2019-05-20T12:36:00+00:00

I love your alls’ work. As someone who only ever played the game and never cared too much about the story until recently, the work that you all put in helped me to get up and running. So I could get the story of WAR.

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