As many of you know, I live/work in Madison, WI now. Sort of. Because I actually live/attend school in Chicago. Sort of. Confused yet?
Here’s the update on my new job:
It’s going great, except when I’m not working.
When I accepted the job at Brazen Careerist, my only stipulation was that I didn’t have to move. I have nothing against Madison; in fact, I enjoy the charm of the downtown area. But I have a life in Chicago that I love, and obligations in Chicago which I can’t leave.
So we decided I could commute to Madison two or three days a week. Which turned into five, I think. And to be honest, the whole commuting thing is not going so well.
Here’s my dilemma:
The difficult part about doing the job you want is you also want to be present for it. So I want to be in Madison, working in my little office, just about every day.
But not actually. Because Chicago is my home, and it’s where my heart is. It’s where my family is. It’s where my wonderful friends are. It’s where the skyscrapers that inspire me and captivate me are. So whenever I’m in Madison, I want to be in Chicago.
Chicago. Madison. Chicago. Madison?
It’s tough having two lives that pull you in different directions, and for awhile I really thought I could reject my time in Madison as “my life.” Instead, I would come here on vacation every week, sort of like a summer home. And I didn’t need a ton of friends in Madison, because I already have a lot of friends in Chicago. And I didn’t need a real place to stay and call my own in Madison, because I already own a condo in Chicago.
Here’s the lesson learned:
I was delusional to think commuting would be easy. Yeah, really. Delusional. And everyone tried to tell me this before I took the job, but I decided not to listen.
So here’s the one thing you need to consider when starting a job in a city you don’t live in: how much you love the job. Because trust me, if you don’t really love your job, you are not going to make it.
But for what it’s worth, I’m happy I didn’t listen to the naysayers. Because if I had thought this job opportunity through a little better I would have gotten too scared to do it. And that would have been stupid.
So here’s to the bright side of my double life: I have great coworkers. I’m doing something I love. I get to spend the summer in the beautiful state of Wisconsin. I get to buy all the clothes on the sales rack at Madison’s Urban Outfitters and wear them in Chicago where they would be double the price. My parents and husband are excited for me, and supportive of my career path. The Capitol is pretty when it’s lit up at night.
And I live in Madison. And I live in Chicago. Sort of.
Image Source: FotoRita via FlickR
As the month of February ends, Twenty Set is doing better than ever for a two month-old blog. This post is all about saying thanks to my readers and sharing the future of Twenty Set with you.
Won’t You Be My Subscriber?
Twenty Set currently has over 60 subscribers, which averages to over one person subscribing per day since the site’s creation. Twenty Set has gotten two-thirds of those subscribers just this month and I expect growth to continue into March. By the end of March I believe Twenty Set can exceed the 100 subscribers mark. Thanks to everyone who is reading this from their feedreader – you guys are the bread and butter of this website. As a regular reader, you can help Twenty Set reach its potential by encouraging friends and family to subscribe if you think they will find the content useful.
Technorati Me With Links
Twenty Set has over 40 blog reactions as of today, which is equivalent to the number of posts the site has. That averages out to 4 or 5 links per week since the site’s creation. Thanks to everyone who has linked to Twenty Set, and in doing so endorsed me or one of Twenty Set’s articles. Links are a huge reason I enjoy blogging – because both giving and receiving them is so much fun, and I often find new blogs this way.
What’s New at Twenty Set
I’m happy to announce that Twenty Set is part of the Brazen Careerist network, which will be launching soon (?) I think. I’m confident the network will take Twenty Set (and all the other blogs in the network) to a new level of credibility and popularity in the blogosphere. The potential for the network is pretty exciting, and I’m thrilled to be a partnering with Brazen Careerist.
I started a new section at Twenty Set called This Way Up. This section gives control back to the readers, because you get to ask questions about things in your life you are struggling with. I have lots of topic ideas, but that doesn’t matter unless it applies to Twenty Set’s readership – so here’s your chance to set the topic to something you find relevant. If you’d like to ask a question, just email me (m at twentyset dot com), or send me a message on Facebook, or write on my Facebook wall (sorry, I really like Facebook).
I’ve also decided that I’m fine with reviewing products or services I like on Twenty Set, as long as no one tries to pay me for it. I don’t want to compromise my own credibility by accepting money. Upcoming: I’m partnering with Nintendo (!!) to promote one of their products, and there are a few pre-release books about careers and entrepreneurship on the way to my doorstep as we speak.
Needless to say, there are a lot of great things happening at Twenty Set, and the site is like a snowball rolling downhill – it’s just going to keep gaining traction and speed in terms of growth. Which brings me to…
Guest Posting
I recently said that my goal was to publish 4-5 articles a week on Twenty Set, and I’ve been true to my word; but now that the blog is firmly established I would like to turn it over to my readers. I’ve discussed the benefits of guest posting before and I believe Twenty Set is a unique place to guest post because it’s also a place for personal growth stories and advice, not just careers or starting businesses. As I reach my end-of-the-quarter crunch in grad school, I will have less time to post regularly, so over the next few weeks I’ll be seeking out guest writers for my blog. I’ve passively done this already, but now I’ll be actively emailing other bloggers and commenters for help. Of course, I would prefer you to come to me, so if you’d like to write something for Twenty Set, what are you waiting for?
Thanks again to EVERYONE who has helped make Twenty Set successful so far. Launching a blog has been difficult and time-consuming with all the other stuff going on in my life, but I’m proud of what this blog has become, and I believe it has the potential to get even better.
Monica O'Brien is the Director of Digital at Fizz and author of the book Social Pollination, which helps businesses leverage social media for crazy growth!
