The thing about the closet…

I recently came out rather strongly against being “in the closet” as a writer.

… then, bills needed to be paid.

The thing is, the closet has its benefits. If I can work a full-time job, I can usually pay my bills and buy stuff and not feel as if I’m going to lose my home.

Last week, I got a call about a full-time job as an Assistant Marketing Manager for a local tech firm. I wasn’t about to turn it down. Despite my loathing of the closet, I know better than to say “No” to an opportunity for employment. Anyway, since I stopped applying for full-time jobs, I figured this might be the last time I was called in to interview for a position as a marketing professional.

And the thing is, it went rather well. The Marketing Manager I met with had similar sensibilities as me and was very open to my (let’s call it “diverse”) background. She said the more experience you have, the better you look as a candidate. Believe it or not, I normally encounter people who will tell me that it’s not possible for me to have worked as both a technical writer and a marketing writer – not that’s it’s unlikely but that it’s impossible. Basically, they call me a liar.

After I came home, I told Vicky that if I don’t get this job I don’t deserve to work full-time. My logic is that if I am so bad at reading people in the corporate environment – if my corporate instincts are that bad – that I think I had a good interview when I actually just made an ass of myself, my days in marketing should be put behind me. The longer I spend in the trenches as a writer, the better those instincts develop. So, this is a good opportunity to either go or go home.

I should also acknowledge Vicky’s part in this. For those of you out there thinking that I’m taking advantage of her, you’re probably right. But she has clearly stated her support for me while also admitting that I need to find a job of some kind when my unemployment benefits run out – you know, since the whole “finding a marketing job” thing has panned out so successfully. This means, I am not above working retail for the first time in 20 years.

We’re walking a fine line between having faith in my abilities as a writer and keeping our home. The plan is to make those lines meet. We’ll see…