Today my new column “Your Career with Eve Tahmincioglu” debuted on MSNBC.com and the topic is paying dues.
eve’s column
Ok, so you’re wondering what the heck does this writer know about paying dues.
Well, I actually had to pay some.
When I first got out of college, ready to embark on my journalism career, I had visions of working in the newsroom of a big city newspaper. I ended up writing about underwear and bras for a small trade magazine.
I held out for a while before I took the gig, waiting for my “dream job” but nothing, just a stream of rejections. I realized I had to get writing and reporting fast, so I could get my feet wet and at least be in the profession I admired from afar.
Now, I’m not knocking it. Not totally. I did get a lot of discounted intimate apparel samples and did write news stories, albeit about foundations. While my lingerie drawer was bulging, I was, however, embarrassed to tell people where I worked.
Looking back, taking a job at the underwear magazine was the best career decision I ever made. That job got my foot in the door at fashion powerhouse newspaper, Women’s Wear Daily, which gave me the opportunity to write about labor and workplace issues, and set the stage for my whole career.
Today, I am a regular contributor to the New York Times business section and BusinessWeek’s SmallBiz magazine. My articles have also appeared in Salon, iVillage, Workforce Management magazine, Kiplinger’s, Newsday, Working Mother, Pink Magazine and Time. I was also a staff business reporter for UPI and the St. Petersburg Times. My book, called “From the Sandbox to the Corner Office”, came out last week.
(check out my book, and also, if you missed it, USAToday did a story on my book that deals with CEOs and how they were spanked as kids — CEO spanking)
So tell me your story, or if you think paying dues is indeed a good idea when it comes to career advancement.
October 10th, 2006 at 8:37 am
Paying your dues is not a once in a lifetime thing. You do it daily - either through the grunt work at the start of your career, or by leveraging the talent, relationships, and wisdom you’ve acquired later in your career.
The objective is to understand how and when you pay different dues so that you can capitalize on your experience.
I enjoyed the MSNBC article on CEOs and spanking - particularly Richard Parson and his father’s corral method of parenting. It is what I try to do as a parent and with those who worked for me. I want my children to be independent and self-directed. I want employees to be free to make mistakes, correct them, and create their own success.
Matt Moran
Author: The IT Career Builder’s Toolkit (Cisco Press)
October 10th, 2006 at 4:44 pm
Interesting idea. Question: Is there a point when you should decide to stop paying dues? A friend of ours is weighing a job offer that would be a good step from a career standpoint, but it would be a significant step down financially. She’s agonizing over the decision right now, and I don’t envy her making her decision.
October 10th, 2006 at 5:31 pm
I made that decision twice in my career, to take take a cut in pay for what could lead to career advancement. It worked to my benefit big time both times.
October 10th, 2006 at 6:10 pm
Thanks; we’ll share that with her. Methinks she would like to take the gig, but her hubby may not yet be on board. Understandable on all sides.