There's a scene from NBC's "Parks and Recreation" that has stuck with me ever since it aired.
During the episode "Filibuster," characters April Ludgate and Andy Dwyer are eating dinner after Andy surprises her with a 19-hour visit to Pawnee. Andy has been working temporarily in London for a rich lord.
Not the brightest crayon in the box, Andy admits he doesn't want to work there anymore because he feels inadequate, scared and confused, and he has no idea what he's doing. He says he's like Chuck Norris, but in present day: "some old guy with a beard who used to be good at karate but became a dumb has-been."
His wife's advice is one of the best life reminders I've heard in a long time.
"No one knows what they're doing," she says in a straightforward voice. "Deep down, everyone is just faking it until they figure it out. And you will, too, because you're awesome and everyone else sucks."
While watching the episode on Hulu Plus during my "lunch break" at home the day after it aired, I realized most of my professional career so far has been just that.
With Patch, everything was so new to everyone who worked there. Even though we were backed by AOL, the veteran corporation that many know as the leader in dial-up Internet in the '90s, Patch was very much a startup.
And even though none of us knew exactly what we were doing, many of us still ran successful hyperlocal news sites. For the editors in the metro Atlanta area, we almost always met our goals for unique visitors and user engagement, and we always met the quota for producing content. On top of that, we were respected and loved by our communities, who are asking for many of the editors to come back. The only thing that failed was the profitability side, which editors had no control over.
While none of that matters now since the company was reduced by 90 percent, it's still something to consider while I'm searching for my next venture. I gained a lot of experience working for Patch, from video editing to recruiting bloggers, but I'm still a baby when it comes to the writing world. Let's hope I can pull it off just enough for my next career.
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| It's back to the books. Credit: Morguefile |
