A couple of years in the past, I accepted a job as a director of technique at a small company. One of many perks of this job was that I’d cope with purchasers much less, as a result of this firm had shopper managers to try this, and wouldn’t must do issues like public talking. To be clear: This wasn’t a promise, simply the way in which the job was laid out, and I favored it as I’ve by no means been an enormous fan of formal company work. However now that’s altering.
For some time, I used to be capable of decrease my direct shopper relations work and time spent main conferences, which was nice. Sadly, in 2023 we needed to downsize. Most of the roles that have been buffers between me and purchasers have been misplaced. Now I’m main a ton of shopper calls, which I begrudgingly tolerate.
As well as, although, my firm has began pushing me to provide enormous technique shows, seem on panels, lead trainings, current at conferences, and so on. I are not looking for this! I don’t need to get higher at public talking, or discover ways to educate extra successfully — I simply are not looking for this, full cease.
At any time when I discuss how harassed I get when I’ve to talk, they inform me, “We might by no means inform! You probably did such a very good job!” and say I’m good at it. Which, nice! I don’t care! All I would like is to work quietly. I get that I can’t all the time keep away from shopper conferences, and I’ve no downside with presenting internally. I’m not attempting to by no means converse in public, however this has branched approach out of my consolation zone.
Moreover this, my firm is fantastic, and I’ve labored at sufficient locations to know that I’ve it good. I don’t need to work full-time wherever else. Ideally, I’d transfer again to freelancing, which I used to do, however the market is imploding and I’ve a child and toddler in daycare. I’m very accustomed to the varieties of full-time jobs which might be out there in my space, and they don’t seem to be a very good match.
Ideally, I’d inform my firm that I need to stroll again on all this public talking — however their progress technique contains the individual in my place doing this, so if I have been to say “no thanks,” I’d very a lot danger dropping my job. It’s a small firm, so there’s nobody else on my staff I can punt to.
I really feel like there’s no resolution between “depart my in any other case good job and attempt to cobble collectively some type of freelance profession once more” (which, *gestures wildly at our capitalist hellscape*) or “spend the remainder of my profession doing one thing I actually don’t need to do.” Is there?