So here we go again.
After nearly four years with the same company (something of a record in my transient life and career), I find myself considering my next step in the world of employment. Even if we weren’t living through the upheaval of a global pandemic, it would be a challenging time to find work in my field.
The world has got even faster in those four years and the concept of someone still working on print publications seems remarkably quaint and old fashioned. What’s more, I am now four years older and, while wiser, I am not sure sagacity is all that important in this contemporary world of rolling news and constant demands for quick content hits and the lure of contrasting views.
Even if my Tik Tok and inflammatory opinions were more on-point, the fact is that Covid-19 has turned everything upside down and is dragging us towards an inevitable economic crisis.
So with the world so fractured and the job market so depressed, why the optimism? It’s probably foolhardy and this is definitely written in the first emotional fallout from retrenchment, where positivity seems essential to ensure the feelings of rejection (misplaced or not) don’t hurt too much. Regardless, I still feel a genuine sense of excitement about what the next adventure might be.
For now, I can ignore reality and embrace the belief that everything is possible. I can let my mind run wild and fantasise about all the potential adventures I could pursue - and trust me, those fantasy career moves are both wild and unlikely, ranging from explorer to zookeeper to award-winning photographer, to pick out three of the most far-fetched.
Of course, ask me this again six months down the line when the bank balance has disappeared and the ennui has set in, but for now I am just going to enjoy the moment and spend some time to dream of possibilities for a little while longer.