Starting a new job comes loaded with so much of anxiety flowing throughout the day. The adjustments required to shift to a different gear gets to you in many ways. There’s just not one switch. A series of switches which you keep turning on and off, in anticipation of clicking the right one which fits perfectly for this particular job.
Leave aside anything else that comes with a new job, there’s such an uncertainty shadowing on the brink all the time. The looming questions of what-ifs and what-wills cloud everything you do, the moment you finally enter the new office. The endless comparisons with your previous organizations and the virtual pros-and-cons list you create out of thin air.
It’s exactly 4 years since I started working. 3 different companies and 4 different roles. And in doing so, I’ve been lucky to have been able to align my career goals with my aspirations and areas which pique my interest. Of course, support from all quarters of family, friends and some amazing bunch of bright minds to have worked with, has been a blessing.
But irrespective of it all, I’ve always had a bigger picture in me head and whenever that has felt to be little obscured, I’ve tried changing it. Only to find some more of it albeit initially. There’s been a clearing ahead and the sun does shine after a while, as long as the focus remained on learning something new. Fortunately, Digital Marketing has no dearth of ‘something new’ if you’re looking to find it.
But you need look for it. Because even in this growing field of Digital Marketing, the comfort of sticking to what you’re good at, following established practices as the holy grail and being jargon-ready at the drop of a hat has started becoming the norm. Trying something new even when the competition hasn’t tried it out yet, becomes a ‘risk’ for even the startup junta. Sad, but it’s catching up to align ourselves in the traditional aspects of marketing.
When I started working, I had the concept of a t-Marketer out on my desk. I’m still not through the entire T (yet). But apart from venturing onto Paid or learning PHP, I done it all. Not claiming to be an expert in all of them, but I do consider myself good in a few of them.
So, what’s next?
Well, the journey has just started. There’s a lot of alignment which still needs to happen. There’s a small side-project which I’ve started, a very minuscule one at that, about which I’ll update once things are concrete.
I’m a strong proponent of things falling into place and I definitely see them falling right where I intend to. Little apprehensive, of course. But, I guess, that’s part of the package.
This year is going to be exciting. Here’s to another Fresh Start.