To say I was cock-a-hoop when I was offered a job at the BBC would be an understatement. I was ECSTATIC. But I noticed my boyfriend had gone strangely quiet and asked him what was up. “I’m worried you’re going to turn into a w**ker,” was his sulky reply. Reader, I did not marry him.
But it is true that our job can transform who we are and our lives beyond the 9 to 5.
When we join a company, a new world forms around us. There’s a unique culture to understand and find our place in. Sometimes an unfamiliar language to get to grips with (especially if the new place is a fan of the dreaded acronym). There may also be a new town, area or office to explore, alien at first but that one day will feel like home.
What’s most exciting is the countless opportunities that open up every time we move somewhere new. Artsy by nature, my husband has just joined a science organisation, and is already going to lectures and planning family trips to the events they run. Wherever you work, it’s an immersive experience that can draw in the people around you, if you let it.
As a freelancer, I’m destined to be a traveller – hopping from one land to another, squirrelling all the best bits in my backpack. The Sir Walter Raleigh of the work world.
But you’re probably still wondering if I turned into a w**ker. I’ll leave you with a photo of me dancing behind Cher on Top of the Pops and let you decide for yourself.
Main blog photo by NASA on Unsplash
Katie Jones 