There’s news. Well, there’s always news, but this news pertains directly to me. If you follow the Twittersphere, yesterday you saw this Tweet go out:
Opposed to thoughts of the contrary, it is true that I no longer work for Paramore. Without going into the gory details, let’s just say I didn’t piss anybody off or do anything wrong/bad/icky, it’s just the nature of the business that sometimes people get let go. This time, I happened to be that person.
Termination Terminology
It’s a funny thing, the terminology everybody uses for it:
- Getting Laid Off
- Getting Let Go
- Getting Canned
- Getting Fired
- Shown The Door
- Got Axed
- Get Canned
- Terminated
- Permanent Involuntary Separation From Employee
I’ve wrestled with what to call it as well. I can’t tell people I got fired, because that implies I did something wrong or unforgivable. Canned, Axed and Shown the Door has similar negative connotations, so they’re out. Not that this is a positive situation, but I don’t want people thinking that I was stealing office supplies or holding late-night raves in the office.
What I’ve been saying is that I was “Let go” and that seems to be working. Another thing I’ve been telling people instead of the above euphemisms, is that I’m “out of work”.
But that doesn’t really work either.
Time To Get Deep
Are any of us ever really out of work?
The author of this blog and most of the community here are storytellers and communicators of some kind. I may not have permanent employment at the same place I did last week, but the terms “out of work” seem to imply that there’s no work to be had for those willing to find and acquire it. I will always have a story to tell and there will always be people to hear it.
I’ve been in talks with people who are interested in learning more about how a solid social media strategy can help their brands and companies and will be working, even if I’m out of work. I’ll be writing to you and learning and developing strategies, even outside of the hours of 9 to 5, even if I’m out of work. I’ll be reading books, teaching classes and giving speeches, even if I’m out of work. And I’ll still be drawing crappy comics critiquing social media and literature, even if I’m out of work.
I’ll still be working, just out of work.
I think everyone needs to take a minute here and there to work, even when you’re out of work. Grow in your craft. Push yourself. Get uncomfortable and scared.
And then……….
work.
Tags: digital marketing, facebook, got laid off, how does Google+ work, looking for work, Nashville social media, social media consulting Nashville, social media job hunting, twitter
You are very talented Joey, I have complete confidence in your next chapter and can't wait to hear what it is. One suggestion, why just Nashville? It's 2012, you are internationally viable talent. Just keep your options open my friend.
I didnt see your tweet and just reading this now. WOW! You know I just went through this myself last summer and it was a jolt to the system. I was so scared at first but then I started thinking about all the time I had to spend catching up on all the things I was missing because I was working so much. I read more books, started my blog and spent time on my friendships and connections. Now that I am employed, I look back and wish I had time like that again.
We all have faith in you, your knowledge and your ideas so I know you will perservere and find something even better :)
C_Pappas Thank you so much. I really appreciate your support. I'm hoping this turns into a fulfilling adventure and not some terrible black hole. : )
Having been self-employed all my life (28 years now, eegads), I've never tasted what "employment" is like. Oh, I've had long term contracts over the years, but most of the time it's daily "work to find work", and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Sure, it can be scary, disappointing, challenging and unknown. And it can be exhilarating, rewarding, satisfying and...unknown. So embrace the opportunity. "Grow in your craft." Reach beyond your grasp. And ask for help when you need it. We're here for you. Cheers! Kaarina
KDillabough Thanks Kaarina, I truly appreciate the comment and the support. It's all about finding that next thing or locking in that next job or task. Gotta keep that snowball rolling. : )
As a former service technician for the electronics automation industry who pretty much got keel-hauled by the tech sector recession ten, twelve years ago, I say "Yarp. Been there. Done that. (At least two dozen times, actually.)" It can be unfortunate, but it can also be the best thing that ever happened to us.
Don't think of this as being out of work, Joey. Think of this as you getting ahead of the curve. The future of work is going to be more and more about individuals specializing and offering their services to multiple customers. That's right. No more "attracting and retaining top talent," only to treat them like clueless imbeciles or line items on a generally accepted budget.
The future is going to be all about each of us delivering our very best to multiple clients. No longer beholden to a single employer and source of income, we'll become more stable, more secure, more selective than at any other point in history.
And you just jumped to the front of the line. Great opportunity to do a little Venn-thinking. Three circles, my friend. What I love, what I'm good at, & what people will pay for. Then again, maybe you can gamify your search for meaningful, gainful employment. Status, access, power, stuff, right?
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll.
Brian Driggs Brian, that's an awesome and uplifting comment. Thanks so much for leaving it and stopping by today.
I'm excited about where the future will take me and I if I know anything, it's that I'll still be awesome, wherever I end up. : )
I were a company in need of a social media contract, I'd feel confident in your confidence and stable way of looking at employment. I appreciate the advice to keep working, even when out of work. I did, and just keeping my skills honed was what landed me a job when I wasn't expecting one.
Joey, I'm sorry to hear it but glad to see you're putting your situation to 'work' for you! ;) Like Shonali said, if there's anything I can do to help, please let me know. There's lots of work to be had out there and you're a fine fellow to do it.
Love the image, by the way. Our house is FULL of LEGOs and the accouterments that go along with. Did you take the photo yourself?
EricaAllison Thanks, Allison! I truly appreciate it. All I'm asking right now is that if people hear of consulting work (social media management or gamification) to send me a link or a contact. I'm fine with travel and remote work and love collaborative projects.
I appreciate your comment and you reaching out and sadly, no, I did not take that picture myself. I love Legos but don't really have a lot of them, but I saw this picture and LOVED it.
Cheers! : )
I've found myself in this very same situation at the close of the year - and it's both eye-opening and damn frightening all rolled into one. My creative output has only increased and that means more eyeballs and more traffic which can only (I hope) lead to a bigger opportunity down the road.
It has freed up my hands and my brain but financial troubles do put a damper on things, don't they? :/
jasonkonopinski I was thinking the other day that if it weren't for the stress and the no-money thing, this would be perfect. LOL.
joey_strawn Seriously.
That is just a BRILLIANT way to look at it. I'm not "out of work" but it's funny, I was thinking something similar yesterday. And sometimes these periods are the best of your life - because you can spend time learning, reading, experimenting... doing all the things (ok, at least some), you wouldn't otherwise have time to do.
I don't know if I can help you in any way, Joey, but if I can, you know you have only to ping me, right?
Shonali Thanks so much Shonali! I really appreciate it. If you hear of anyone looking for social media management consulting, let me know. I travel and work remotely. : )
joey_strawn I sure will!
Conversation from Twitter
shonali : )
ericamallison Thanks, Erica!
joey_strawn Pleasure. Always good to read your stuff, Joey!
bdorman264 Haha, I like the way you describe that. Very applicable. : )
Recent Blogroll Additions……
[...]usually posts some very interesting stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[...]……
Superb website…
[...]always a big fan of linking to bloggers that I love but don’t get a lot of link love from[...]……
Related Blogs…..
[...] listed below you will find the link to many sites that we feel you should see [...]…
Cool sites…
[...] Only one website which I could possibly think about for deeper information [...]…
Related Blogs…..
[...] Sites of interest many of us have a link to [...]…
Great website…
[...] undoubtedly one of our visitors recently suggested the following websites [...]…
Websites to check…
[...] Tend not to smoke a cigarette or drink as they can as well lead to heartburn. The correct way concerning how to remedy heartburn should be to lower the spice materials [...]…
Coolest blog entry……
[...] despite the fact that websites we link just below are noticeably not associated with ours, we think they are actually worth a go over, hence have a look [...]…
Blogs to visit…
[...] Lots of men and women have total-time function and are gonna be undertaking an occupation change [...]…
Recent Blogroll Additions……
[...]usually posts some very interesting stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[...]……
Gems from the Internet…
[...] we wish to honor all kinds of other internet sites on the internet, even if they may not be linked to us, by linking to them. Under are a couple of webpages worth visiting [...]…
Blogs ou should be reading…
[...]Here is a Great Blog You Might Find Interesting that we Encourage You[...]……
Skyzzq…
Great blog post, saw on…
Trackback for this post…
[...] Pages of interest we have a link to [...]…
Superb website…
[...] Splendid story, reckoned we can easily combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless truly worth taking a look, wow did one learn about Mid East seems to have a lot more problems just as well [...]…
Discount Kasper Suits…
[...]the following are some web page links to internet sites I always link to seeing as we feel they’re worthy of visiting[...]…
Informative and precise…
Its difficult to find informative and accurate info but here I noted…
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
Superb website…
[...]always a fan of linking to bloggers that I love but don’t get a lot of link love from[...]……
the readers from start to the end….
there is a considerable portion of the population, due to certain circumstances, that has to stay at home instead of finding a viable job. studies have shown that more than sixty percent of married women are stay-at-home moms and approximately five…
Great Clips Coupons…
[...]following are a few listings to websites I always link to for the fact we think there’re truly worth visiting[...]…
Great Clips Coupons…
[...]below are a handful of web page links to webpages which I connect to as we believe they really are worthy of browsing[...]…
Fantastic Sams Coupons…
[...]right here are a handful of references to web sites I always link to seeing that we feel they’re really worth visiting[...]…
Wikia…
Wika linked to this place…
san diego website design…
Thanks for the great post, I have linked back to your site here. http://www.arselin.com/sites-we-like/ Thanks for the great article….
Supercuts Coupons…
[...]right here are several urls to places which we connect to seeing that we believe there’re seriously worth browsing[...]…
Great Clips Printable Coupons…
[...]in the following are a couple of hyper-links to online websites which we connect to since we believe they’re definitely worth visiting[...]…
Websites you should visit…
[...]beneath you will see the link to some sites that we think you could visit[...]……
command on language, and it offer good…
stuff. you can check review regarding any book, you are planning to buy. they will tell you the true story. if people have benefited from this book, they will tell that how this book has helped them. in this way, you…
Check this out…
[...] that is the end of this article. Here you’ll find some sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[...]……
both for book-length manuscripts and even magazine…
articles, already know that marketing starts from the beginning. most traditionally published non-fiction authors will come up with an idea for a book, and maybe write a chapter or two just as a writing sample, and then submit a proposal for…
because if you get paid a few…
hundred dollars or a few thousand dollars to setup a brand new membership site for someone, you don’t have to start from scratch anymore. you can start by duplicating your exact membership site. i fact, i know several freelancers who set…
I will spin and SUBMIT to 1500 article directory , Article Submission for $5…
very good put up, i definitely love this website, keep on it…
in the future.step 3. register an account…
and follow the instructions. choose a design template that will perfectly suit your website. the control panel in blogger and wordpress are very user friendly. don’t be scared off, ok? both of them do provide a huge range of default templates….
Unlimited Worldwide Traffic…
very good publish, i definitely love this website, carry on it…
Websites you should visit…
[...]beneath you’ll find the link to few sites that we think you could visit[...]……
makes it much easier to provide consistent…
posts without having to write each and every day.3. promote your contentthe last thing you have to do in order to create a successful blog, is promote the content you put up. there are many ways to go about this and…
passion, a blog has no way to…
succeed. it will be dry and lackluster, and who wants to read that? most bloggers begin their blog because they needed a release for their passion. successful blogging hinges on that passion staying fresh in order to provide captivating and enriching…
have to and in blogging there’s no…
difference.most of my blogs have been with wordpress. i’ve had a few with other companies too. wordpress provide a nice looking, easy to use blog. there are lots of templates and they have some good widgets, but the problem there, is…
Its hard to find good help…
I am regularly proclaiming that its hard to get quality help, but here is…
Excelent…
I like this site very much so much good info . \”Marriage should be a duet — when one sings, the other claps.\” by Joe Murray….
get maximum benefit by your guest post?…
the only constraint is to get your guest post approved by top blogs. they have strict criteria to accept guest blogs, i mean guest post should be grammatically correct and should be informative. in guest posts you can put link of…
cultures around the world. the new knowledge-based…
society embraces online education in integrating and understanding global communities.the changing future requires educators who can adapt to teach and instruct in ways that encourages a knowledge-based teaching environment in both theory and practice….
blog, and you’re using a tool provided…
by your blog platform for free, that you already have. you just have to put it to action.take action, join blog groups, give them your feeds. together we will turn the tide on the niche marketer and get our readers back!…
your blog site is by having a…
unique, interesting, and catchy blog name. just like a book and its title, your blog name will give people an idea on what your blog is about. so if there are browsers looking for blogs with a subject relevant to your…
first time, do not put off scheduling…
the course; in fact, it should be one of the first courses on your list. during your college career, you will be asked to write many papers, and your grades will reflect your ability to express your thoughts.english composition can be…
SEO Outsourcing Pakistan…
You are so interesting! I do not suppose I have read through a single thing like this before. So nice to discover someone with a few genuine thoughts on this topic. Really.. thanks for starting this up. This site is one thing that is needed on the inte…
Trackback Priority…
Great work! This is the type of info that are meant to be shared around the web. Disgrace on Google for now not positioning this put up higher! Come on over and discuss with my web site . Thank you =)…
to your blog header, spend some money…
on it. it’ll be worth it if you want to create a successful blog.also, put your picture on there!! at the end of the day, aren’t you trying to build a network marketing business? let people see who you are! oh,…
the customer. this letter is friendly, personal…
and sales structured. however, what if you are a credit manager and you have to write a fourth letter to a dealer who appears to have no intentions of paying an account that is months past due. in this situation business,…