This is the final post in my 3-part mini-series on lessons from the trail. You can view the first post here and the second post here.

 

 

 

 

I’m a fit person, but my feet were killing me after just a few miles. We’d planned to camp for two nights, but mid-way through the second day of hiking, we determined that it was best not to stay a second night. The biggest factor, was that we felt the payoff wasn’t worth it. Honestly, hiking with a 30 lb. pack, eating freeze-dried food, and going to the bathroom in the woods isn’t all that fun! It’s the scenery and the quiet connection to nature and each other that makes it worth it… but the scenery wasn’t amazing, and the wind was picking up to the point of discomfort. Our feet were in terrible shape during our Half Dome hike, but standing on top of a mountain is pretty good at melting away the pain. I also figured out that the 30 lb. pack was killing my feet more than any other part of my body, but my standard-size backpack during the Half Dome hike didn’t have nearly this kind of impact (even though the load was not well-distributed like it is on a backpacking pack). Basically, the little extras in my pack for a few days had way more impact than the one-time stress of the standard backpack.

So, I have to ask, is your payoff worth it at your job? Is the money, work, and sense of accomplishment actually making the pain worth it? Does the “dream job” measure up? I know we all have bad days at work, and sometimes it feels like we’re ready to retire at 30, but for me, I’m generally happy and satisfied when I’m working at my job. The pain in the job is usually a long commute, boring work, low pay, or long hours, as opposed to aching feet (although, I’ve had my share of aching feet after trade shows!). It’s these “little things” that end up making the payoff less than stellar. For me, a long commute is a pretty big impact on my payoff, as the cost in gas, time away from my husband and my hobbies, and stress of traffic makes me hesitant to accept a job that requires more than 30 minutes on the road (traffic included, hate it!). I’m terrible about rationalizing that the stress isn’t that bad, but the little things add up. And, if you’re waiting for a payoff that never comes, you need to re-evaluate your career path. The “little things” take a mental, physical, and emotional toll, and you need to know when to pack up and head home.

I thoroughly enjoyed my first backpacking trip, but it taught me quite a lot about what is and is not worth it. A little pain is acceptable for the right payoff!

I think I’m grumpy today, so this post may sound a little sour. However, the sentiment is spot-on, so I’m going to attempt to write about it in a balanced, professional manner. We’ll see how it goes!

First, let’s talk about “internships”. I’m not talking about the legitimate, paid, really-gives-you-a-hands-on-look at the business internships, I’m talking about requests for free labor disguised as internships. As a marketer, I possess a soft skill, which means that my role and abilities are often hard to quantify and measure. This makes my role much more susceptible to offers for “internships”. The postings usually go something like this: “Seeking a Marketing Intern for a great opportunity! We can’t pay you, but we’ll provide a fun, passionate environment to help you grow your skills! You’ll learn from some of the industry’s best, with talented mentors and a variety of projects. We expect everyone to pitch in around here, so we’ll need someone who doesn’t mind a little administrative work when it’s needed. Are you ambitious? We’re the company for you!” They proceed to require something like 3-5 years of experience in Marketing, a bachelor’s degree, and several special skills in design software, social media management, event management, and PR or advertising. I’m sorry, but with those credentials, you better stinkin’ pay me! If I’m a freshman in college with a complete lack of experience, you might get away with this, but years of experience and a degree? This is not an internship, it’s a request for free labor. Don’t fall for this, and don’t under-value yourself. You have valuable skills and expertise that this company needs, and you deserve to be compensated for it. Internships should offer some form of compensation, and many will offer college credit as a form of payment. However, be aware that many colleges, particularly for Business majors, require that the internship be paid. Why? Because the whole point of majoring in business is to learn to make money… so there’s a fundamental flaw in working without pay. Don’t get suckered in to an “internship”, but harshly evaluate any opportunities that pretend that a “cool workplace” is a valid form of compensation. (Note that volunteering or pro bono work is completely different. It’s categorized as such, and you know that your compensation is your own personal fulfillment for helping others).

Second, let’s talk about administrative support. Again, I recognize that my skills may be hard to measure and quantify (I make sure that I include specific goals and a “measurement” piece in all my projects to combat this), but they are special skills nonetheless . No, a Marketing Coordinator should not double as a secretary by inputting expense reports and taking phone calls for the boss. If you need someone for these tasks, hire an office manager. It’s not a marketer’s job to keep the white-out and staples stocked. Again, I get frustrated when I see postings that require multiple years of experience, a bachelor’s (and sometimes master’s) degree, specialized skills in a particular area of marketing, and then mention that it’s also the marketer’s job to do admin work. I know that sometimes the lines are a little blurred, as sometimes a marketing role includes activities like “scheduling travel” or “organizing presentation files”. However, the Tradeshow and Event Coordinator should not be required to book random travel for executives and do data entry for their expense reports. This person is responsible for travel related to a trade show, and accounting is responsible for processing expense reports. Individuals should be responsible for collecting their own receipts and putting them into the Excel template that’s given to accounting. Organizing presentation files should not spill over into “filing” random items that have nothing to do with my projects. Again, let each department file their own papers, or hire an “Archival Specialist” to do the filing for the whole company. From a business perspective, it makes no sense to pay a marketer’s salary to someone who is just going to file papers or do data entry (and no, the solution is not to just offer a marketer an admin’s salary, see point #1 about “internships”). If you don’t have enough work to hire a full-time marketing person, just say so, and tell them you need someone for 15-20 hours a week! Just like you need someone with special skills in accounting, engineering, and operations, you need someone with special skills in marketing. Don’t waste your time or money on marketing if you think it’s something that “anyone can do” in between filing papers and ordering office supplies.

All this grumpiness to say, marketers have valuable skills. Experienced professionals with degrees deserve compensation. Your expertise is WORTH something, so be selective in your job hunt and career path. This economy makes people feel desperate, but don’t succumb to an employer’s lowest expectation. Challenge yourself to make the right choice to showcase your skills and expertise, and don’t waste time with dead-end “opportunities”.