Hello friends!
I recently have decided to embark on a new career journey, and I thought that blogging might be a fun way to keep track of my adventures. If you’ve found my website, you likely know what path I decided to take (copywriting), but maybe your’e interested in why I chose this path (maybe you’re not; that’s cool too!).
In the beginning:
I feel like I need to start at the very beginning: kindergarten (hear me out, we’ll get to the end quickly!). In kindergarten, I decided that I wanted to be a veterinarian when I grew up. I loved animals, so that was my main motivation to pursue this career. Everyone told me that I’d have to get really good grades, so throughout grade school, I strived to be the best. I worked hard, volunteered at a vet’s office, and went into college knowing that I wanted to be a veterinarian.
Fast forward…a lot…to the summer after my junior year of college. I was almost finished with my bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences, and I was working at a vet’s office for the summer. And I was so unhappy. I knew this was not what I wanted to do with my life. So of course, with one year left in my degree, I panicked as I tried to figure out what career would best suit me.
Cue one of the best things that ever happened for me.
During the fall of my senior year, I took a class called Introduction to Drug Discovery. One of the lessons focused on non-research-related biomedical careers, and my professor taught us about patent attorneys and patent agents. In the medical world, these professionals are typically responsible for writing patents for drugs, medical devices, and other patentable research. I have always loved writing, so I figured this may be the career for me. My professor, Dr. Leahy (a saint of a man, truly), helped me find the right contacts at our school’s patents and licensing office, and by graduation, I knew that I was headed to graduate school to pursue my new dream.
Upon graduating with my master’s degree in pharmaceutical nanotechnology, I started what seemed to be my dream job. I am still currently working at this job, and don’t get me wrong, I really love it in many ways. The company I work for is great. My boss and my team are fantastic. I feel like I’m a part of something important and like I’m making a difference (even if it’s a small difference) in the world of immunology. I am also just grateful to have a well-paying job in my desired field. I know a lot of my contemporaries can’t say the same for themselves, so I don’t want to sound ungrateful or entitled.
So, what changed?
It’s hard to explain why I’ve been feeling the way I do. I guess I just want more freedom. I’m working remotely in my job now, so I thought that would satisfy my desire for freedom, but it really hasn’t. Not in any meaningful, satisfactory way.
I think it’s because I’m looking down the road towards a future of less and less freedom. As I move up in my career, it’s becoming obvious to me that I’ll have to spend more and more time working. I’m the kind of person who wants to find a satisfying job, work hard for 40 hours a week, and have the other 128 hours free to do whatever I desire.
But looking ahead to becoming a patent attorney, I’m starting to realize that my time will likely never truly be my own. There will always be someone who needs me to do something, even if that something needs to be done on a night, weekend, or day off. And I’m just not willing to give up that much of my freedom.
Maybe I don’t have the right mindset about work, but maybe I’m onto something here. There has to be a reason that more and more young people are shifting to a flexible work schedule or trying to start their own businesses. Are millennials really just lazy? Or are we trying to let ourselves have the freedom to have a life outside of work while still making enough money to live comfortably? I’m probably biased, but I’m inclined to think it’s the latter option.
And here we are…
So that brings us to a few months ago. I found an online course called “Write Your Way to Freedom.” Well, I love writing, and I want freedom so, um, sign me up please! It was a crash course in how to start a copywriting business. Unfortunately, I was dealing with some health issues when I first found the course, and my energy was at an all-time low. I barely had the energy to make it through my regular work day, much less try to learn a new skill and start a business. But I saved the emails I was receiving, and put them away for a later date.
Now, I have resolved my health issues, I have much more energy, and I’m chomping at the bit to get this business off the ground. Boy, am I struggling to take it slow! I’m a jump-in-with-both-feet kind of person, but I have to remind myself that I’m looking for sustainable progress here.
So, I wrote up a schedule, and I’m sticking to it. And I want to document my journey for the future. I think it’ll be fun to look back and see how far I’ve come, but I also figure that maybe, just maybe, I can help someone out who’s in the same boat that I’m in now.
I’m excited to see where this journey takes me, and I’m thrilled to have you along for the ride with me, reader. So, for whatever reason you’ve gotten here, whether it’s copywriting needs, editing needs, inspiration, or just curiosity, I hope you’ve found what you’re looking for.
Keep an eye out for more blog posts in the coming weeks as I begin to really dive into copywriting practice and as I start to grow my business. Good things are happening now, and great things are coming!