Humans,
How are you?
Careers, where do I start. I think it's lovely when you actually know what career you want from a young age. You go to school pick Health & Social Care for a GSCE, study A Levels or do an access to Healthcare/Nursing course followed by Uni and then ta-da Junior nurse, followed by actual real life nurse.
It's obviously not that simple for everyone (me, not everyone is me), In my older teenage years I always wanted to be a Magazine Editor, I studied Magazine Journalism at University and then bam, realised I was not so much interested in that anymore after studying it for 3 long years. I will forever and always be a magazine lover and here are some you should read just cause (print is not dead)
Anyway back on track.
There is something I have been witnessing a lot lately and it has everything to do with presenting our lives on social media and not wanting to be seen doing a 'basic' job. FYI it's driving me a little crazy. By basic I mean any job that isn't seen as a 'Social Media Gem' like how can you really be anyone on social media if you aren't a 'producer' 'writer' 'videographer' 'Instagram babe' or something else creative and fancy, right?
Here's where we really need to use our brains and be realistic. Social Media is the home of the creative, I have been obsessed with Instagram since I first got an iPhone, I loved filters, hashtags, external apps, feeds etc. and today it seems to be the coolest thing on earth to have THE PERFECT INSTAGRAM feed which FYI does not exist because perfection is non-existent and beauty is subjective. So those people who just like to post whatever they wanna post as opposed to what looks aesthetically pleasing are now scrambling to also have 'perf feeds' and 'vsco goals'.
Let's be honest unless you have a creative job or feel the need to post about your job on social media, nobody will actually know what you do unless you want them to. A lot of us are assuming that every girl on holiday in a bikini with a cocktail in her hand must have some amazing creative job that allows her to work for 4 hours a week in some amazing alternate universe.
So maybe there are some girls actually doing that, maybe they are 'Instagram' girls but also maybe they work really hard at there 9-5 behind the scenes and are good at saving, maybe they have a Sugar Daddy, maybe they have a 'basic' job in your eyes or perhaps they are thousands of pounds in debt. Why are we assuming and allowing social media to cloud our judgement.
What I am trying to say is that your career is SO much more important than Instagram and if the beautiful beachy Instagram snaps have inspired you to create your own business, start a side hustle or chase a different lifestyle then that is wonderful too but please let's not get caught up and panic about what we see on Instagram and Facebook. Despite knowing that these are the highlights of a persons life we are still brainwashed into thinking that this is what they do every single day.
Outside of the hours we spend on Instagram everyday, there is money to bed made, rent/mortgage to be paid and bills lots and lots of bills.
Your career should revolve around whatever you are passionate about and wherever you feel at peace doing. That isn't going to happen over at night. Solutions are as easy as getting a part-time job and working on your dreams outside of work, putting in the needed work to get your dream job or feeling content in the job that you have and knowing that just because it isn't a social media boasting job that you are doing what works for you and that is THE most important thing, don't panic.
If that is nursing, admin, blogging, being a CEO, a TV presenter, lawyer or retail. IT IS ABSOLUTELY FINE AND YOU'RE DOING AMAZING SWEETIE.
The key is to focus on ONE MAIN project at a time and once you are in a stable position then begin a next. I am so guilty of wanting to start 10 things at once, which leaves me feeling overwhelmed and not having the mental freedom to actually start any. At the moment my blog is 1 and my next project is slowly in the works, I've put photography on the back burner for a moment cause as I said one passion at a time, be committed, be focused and work on it every single day.
p.s you do not want to be the person with 6 Instagram accounts for your business ventures that have been inactive since 2013, one step at a time.
What are your thoughts on the social media career panic? Please leave me a comment below and a Facebook like at the top of the page xo
With Love,
Shay RS x
Follow me
Twitter - shayrs_
Instagram - shay.rs
Read More
