On the basis that the wisdom of many trumps the wisdom of, well, me, I'm going to run something past you and see if you can't help me make sense of my present conundrum.
So, way back when, in the days when I was feeling brave enough to change, if not the world, then at least myself, I made an important decision. I was going to be a writer and, because one needs to eat, find some kind of job that paid me a decent wage but, more importantly, left me lots of time to write, run, and be merry.
Then I finished the novel and this job in Switzerland came up. Career-wise, it's very exciting. In fact, it's about as glamorous as you can get when you're a lawyer with a business degree and can't do properly glamorous things like launch your own fashion line or fly to the moon or something. It means defining my own role, hiring and managing my own team, and watching men drool when I tell them who I work for. It means working with people from all over the place with accents as confusing as mine. But it's not in Paris, it's in Switzerland. And it may not leave me very much time for writing, running, or being terribly merry, what with not actually knowing anyone in that particular city.
Last week another possible job landed on my horizon. It's not a bad job, but it's not something to gush over either. It's for a very French company, where I am likely to be viewed at worst as a threatening martian or at best, as an amusing play-thing. But the hours will be good, and I wouldn't have to move.
So what do I do? Stick to the original plan, take the job in Paris and write novel number 2? Or move on to something new and fly off to the next adventure to see what happens?
Of course, this may all be cart before horse talk. I may not actually get either job - which would have the advantage of not requiring me to make a decision.
There's something strangely blissful about that.
8 comments:
Go to Switzerland...
If you would ask me go for Switzerland! The blood that is running through your veins won't change by the move! So the author bit will move along with you. Switzerland has got many hidden treasures and so also many hidden stories that need to be told. I do smell here some new stories as well and I am not only talking about blogpost that will cover Swiss Cheese!
As much As I want you to take the swiss job (for very obvious and selfish reasons), I say job number two, novel number two!!!
Res, been reading your blog since before you quit consulting. If I could offer one piece of advice it would be this.
You don't need advice on this you already know in your heart what you want to do. Trust yourself!
Go one week to Switzerland, then decide (to stay, obviously ;-). (Oh, and don't even think of using the new job as an excuse to not write that second book!) Seriously now: this is not an easy decision. I wish you all the luck, courage, wisdom,... to make the right choice. And remember: you can take the girl out of Paris, but you can never take Paris out of the girl :-)
My suggestion is... Imagine if you met Mr. Right tomorrow and got married. Would the happy couple prefer living in Paris or Switzerland?
Or maybe another question-- Is Mr. Right more likely to be found in Switzerland or Paris?
Set up a branch office in Paris for the Swiss company
Wow, I'm reading this way too late to weigh in on the decision. (Probably a good thing because 1) no one can really advise you on such a personal decision 2) I want you to stay in Paris so for selfish reasons I might have tried to sway you anyway and 3) I'm not the biggest Switzerland fan - even though I'm named after a Swiss town!)
BUT, there is always an upside when new friends move elsewhere - more places to visit! Your new job sounds novel-worthy, so you're probably going to gain loads of inspiration for novel #2 by going. Good for you!
I'll wish you a bon voyage for now - but you better get your butt back here often, missy.
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