Lost Your Job? Level Up
A freelancer’s job is never secure. One day, you’ve had a lifelong career. The next, you’re out on your jobless wonder behind. But it’s quite alright, really, as long as you back yourself and take the time to optimise your skillset.
As a freelance writer in Brazil I’m always just a day away from losing my job. But I’m not complaining, because I absolutely love it, and I’m not afraid of receiving the ultimate email explaining that my employer has moved in-house and they will let me know if they need anything from me in the future. I never liked working in the office and its fluorescent-lit labyrinth of cheap desks and oversized plants.
You can imagine that I did everything I could to steer my career away from the office and in the direction of working not from home but from wherever I wanted. Thankfully, copywriting is a position that, when you are trusted enough, you will be allowed to do wherever you want. I can be propped up on a beach chair on Ipanema so long as I get the work done and keep a watchful eye on my laptop.
But, of course, a freelancer typically wanders through the world without a contract to back them up. And, without the loving security of a carefully-worded contract, your lifelong employer could turn off the tap of demanding clients and leave you halfway across the world without the faintest idea of what to do next.
At first it was terrifying, how on Earth am I going to sustain myself? Then, with time, I embraced the gloom and had these three joyous realisations:
1. I can reconnect with my love for the profession
Your love for the profession? The profession that after years swallowed you up and spat you out via a near-thankless email? Yes, of course that one! When we spend too much time focusing on the one aspect of the job we grow complacent. This, inevitably, leads to a disconnect from the profession, and one in which inhibits our desire to undertake the dreaded process of upskilling
But, I love my profession, and I wish to still partake in this industry. I have discovered a passion for upskilling, messing around with the latest apps, strategies and technology to become a more well-rounded content creator. I have become literate in many modern digital skills that I thought were exclusive to the freshest of Gen Z social media coordinators and it feels damn refreshing.
2. Or, I can train for a new profession
Because, hey, I’m a professional copywriter in Brazil, if I want to I can transfer my skills in English into teaching. But that’s only if I want to, as today I might be nodding along to a disastrously tedious TEFL course while tomorrow I might be opening a bake-at-home Basque cheesecake company. I have the time, I believe in my skills and in my ability, as a now somewhat-mature 32 year old, to endeavour to create something new, exciting and sustainable.
The new era is replete with career shifts. People are losing their lifelong professions in the millions. Academics have been discussing this threat since I was an arrogant dimwit drinking my way through uni. The time for change may be upon us, and many of us, and whilst I might enter the world of low-paid English teaching in the future, I actually wish to continue on with my upskilling endeavour to optimise myself in the digital profession.
3. But I’ve had some time to enjoy
Losing your job anywhere in the world is an absolute bummer and I’m lucky enough to have lost mine in my favourite city in the world. I’ve had some time to relax, readjust and envision what it is I want out of my profession and, consequently, my life. Thanks for reading my plug, I’m refreshed and ready to go with world class copywriting services in Brazil, get in contact if you want to optimise your digital campaign.
