Friend,
Sunny AF in London today. I am bare-legged AND on a patio.
In case you missed Monday's email, let me catch you up: It's our birthday week! Two years ago this Saturday, the first ever #ENTRYLEVELBOSS email hit inboxes across the globe.
In the lead up to the main ~birthday~ event this weekend, I'm honoring this week by pulling out alllllll our best material. I'm raising a glass to you and to me, and to all we've managed to figure out in the last two years.
Babe, I'm dedicating this birthday week to y-o-u.
And, my dear, if you're currently...
....drowning in a job search rut
....wondering where this is all headed
....desperately trying to quit your current gig
....indulging the life plan overwhelm a little bit (read: way) too much
....beginning to believe that you're never gonna cut it
....feeling convinced that you are unemployable
....giving up on ever having a career you enjoy
This is the week to tune in.
Today, I'm bringing you something special. This birthday treat, a fan favorite, is one of our most sacred #ELB texts.
We call it: "All hail the middle ground"
Hey, friends.
Strong start to the morning. Just ate a super legit bacon and egg sandwich and there's soul music playing in this cafe-slash-bike-repair-shop place where I am currently sat. I'm in London! Hanging out, doing some work and some play for the week. A bit more work than play, but still. London!
I've had more than a few conversations recently about something I would like to call the middle ground. Naturally, must fill you in.
In the mainstream, college-graduating population of the United States, there seems to be this bizarre anti-spectrum of options when you graduate. On one side, you can get a giant corporate job (I will actually put Google and Facebook and other Tech Giants in this category now). A Grown-Up job. Doesn't matter if you hate it, it's Grown-Up.
On the other end, the Ridiculous jobs. Wash dishes. Be a valet parker. Join a band. All clear signs that you are never going to make it and are just holding off as long as you can on joining the Grown-Ups.
Now, I'm not even going to get into the fact that valet parkers in Vegas probably make a f*ck-ton more money than mediocre middle management white collar employees. Or that your dishwashing job could turn into kitchen management, could turn into opening a new restaurant, could turn into opening your own Michelin-starred burrito joint. Or that the company loyalty meter is running so low at Big Corporations that you could easily lose that job and be out on the street again. A different day, perhaps.
Anyways, back to it. The Safe Corporate Jobs on one side. The Minimum Wage Losers on the other.
And in the middle? Nada. Well, not according to your college counselor, your parents, your friends who chose one route or the other.
Friends, I am here to tell you that there's a spectrum as far as the eye can see in the middle ground. You gotta get creative, and actually want to work, and actually take an interest in finding a job that will make you happy--but it's all there and ready for the taking.
My work? Definitely falls somewhere in the middle. I work for myself. I work remotely, but I've also been a hired gun in offices for days or months at a time. I help companies as needed, and I get paid for it. And I'm proud to tell you that August will be my best month ever for business.
There are so many choices that fall in the middle ground, but no one is ever going to give you permission to do any of it.
Do you have to go self-employed? Not necessarily.
But you do need to take an entrepreneurial approach to your own life. Shape up, kids. There's no more coasting through the corporate career track. (Big corporate jobs are as valid a choice as any--but ask anyone who is climbing up the ladder--those promotions don't just drop from the sky.)
Get interested in something, and start walking that way. I'll high-five you on your way out the door.
Today, I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes ever. It's something Keith Richards said during an interview he did with one of my favorite authors, Caitlin Moran.
"I had to invent the job, you know," he said. "There wasn't a sign in the shop window saying, 'Wanted: Keith Richards.'"
Hugs from ole' Blighty.
PS: If ever there was a time to SHARE your #ELB love.... this is the week to do it!
I wholeheartedly and enthusiastically encourage posting your personal favorite email (which you can find in the archive) on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter all week long. Spread those vibes.