Savage Counsel – how to follow your heart
Each week in Encore, Chris Savage tackles your career and agency dilemmas in his advice column. This week he suggests how to follow your heart without compromise.
Hi Chris,
I have a confession to make. I’m falling out of love with marketing and I’m thinking about leaving. I find myself drawn to an entirely different field – teaching – but the pay is, let’s be honest, shit. Should I follow my heart or stick it out for the cash?
Follow your heart. Always. Unless you have children to feed. Then follow your heart, commercially. Good luck.
Seriously, there is another way of looking at it. You’re thinking outside of the box here, or taking what I call a career ‘pivot’. In other words, you are making a dramatic change in direction in your career. With it comes a big dip in dollars.
Maybe there is another way. Rather than thinking outside the box, rather, extend your box. Perhaps you could shape a role in your current career and company, teaching ‘marketing’ to staff. In other words, keep one foot firmly bed rocked in what you are good at and where the current value is – the marketing world – while you develop your skills as a teacher.
This could start as just part of your job, then you could add more depth to your offer, and go deeper. Perhaps you’ll get some real momentum and you can start a consultancy providing marketing teaching to agencies and clients. Write a book. Give speeches. Become famous for it.
This first appeared in the weekly edition of Encore available for iPad and Android tablets. Visit encore.com.au for a preview of the app or click below to download.
