by Leo Wiles
07 December 2018
Moving through different stages in your work life is par for the course – so what stage is your career at right now? Are you new to the game, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed… or dreaming about retiring your dictaphone for good? Take our fun five-minute quiz to see where you’re at.
A) Air-punch, ring-around my posse and RSVP for myself and whoever can make it. Hello free booze!
B) Laugh. If I got a babysitter every time a media launch rolled around I’d be living in a cardboard box
C) Work out if a) I can get a story out of it or b) owe that particular PR a favour before RSVP’ing
D) No one sends me media launch invites these days and I’m not about to remind them to do so
A) Hair of the dog to get rid of last night’s hangover before hitting the gym
B) Thanking my partner for taking the kids out so I can sleep in
C) Locking myself in my study to write to-do lists for the coming week and finish stuff off so I’m ahead
D) Reading ALL the newspapers, old-school and wondering if I can take Monday off and have a long weekend
A) 3am, 10pm, whenever the mood takes me
B) During school hours
C) Daily from 9-5 and sometimes on weekends if required
D) When inspiration strikes
A) I trawl Facebook – there’s always some kooky post that gives me a lead
B) I’ll head to my favourite newsagent and flick through the titles
C) I check out my Twitter feeds, search my email folder of story leads and go through press releases
D) I take a break and read a book
A) Think ‘Hell yes, I need something in my bloody portfolio’
B) Delete, delete, delete. I don’t write for free and I don’t have to time educate idiots who ask
C) Yell ‘Fuck you, pay me!’ at the screen, followed by a carefully worded email to drive that home
D) Laugh, think about how times have changed and send the email to colleagues who I know will appreciate the humour
A) Wherever my laptop and I happen to be, preferably beachside
B) At the dining table after I’ve dropped the kids off
C) In a library or co-working space where there’s also a chance to network / meet people
D) Surrounded by my favourite books in my office
A) Having dinner, drinks or catching a movie with friends
B) Binging on Netflix
C) Shouting at Media Watch
D) Watching the news or reading in bed
A) Changes as frequently as my office space does
B) Is my local barrista
C) Is my librarian
D) Is my faithful feline/hound
A) To be the change I want to see
B) To pay the mortgage, feed the kids and keep the lights on
C) To fight the good fight against all the corrupt politicians, fake and news and corporate greed around me (and making money /winning awards while doing it would be nice too)
D) Not much! Next question…
HOW DID YOU SCORE?
Mainly As We’re guessing (forgive us if we’re wrong) that you’re young and passionate – as you should be. If we can give you any advice at all, it’s this: Don’t work for free, don’t take too much shit, and invest as much $$$ as you can while you can!
Mainly Bs Slow and steady wins the race. Especially now you’re juggling a full plate of sandwich generation responsibilities. The time will come when you can work more so it’s great to keep a range of clients on the boil.
Mainly Cs You’re at the top of your game and intent on staying there, which isn’t a bad thing. Good luck with fighting the good fight (just watch those knee-jerk reactions when it comes to client relations).
Mainly Ds We’d hazard a guess that you’re either a) jaded and exhausted by work and by life/freelancing, b) retiring or c) thinking about retiring. Are we right…?
