In 1989, I graduated with an MA during a recession. No campus recruiting. Most companies I reached out to weren’t hiring. I got a few interviews, but they ended up hiring internally. It was a terrible time to try to enter the workforce.
I had to earn a living, so I visited a temp agency. At that time, temp agencies placed office administrative workers. Even though that wasn’t my career goal, that agency blessed me with a steady stream of work that paid my bills.
The agency found me a semi-steady position as an office admin at an insurance company several days a week. On the other days, I took whatever one-time positions came up, usually substituting for an assistant who was out sick that day, or providing data entry support for a one-time project. One of my recurring gigs was at a law office. I liked having repeat gigs because I wasn’t always having to learn new names and procedures.
As it turned out, the temp agency would become my mother ship at various times in my developing career. When I went back to graduate school years later, temp work would sustain me beyond my teaching assistant stipend. In future years when I became a freelance writer and editor, temp work would fill in when I was between client projects. I was grateful to learn early on that a temp backup option was always available.
At the insurance company, I learned how to use new technology. In the late 1980s, personal computing and fax machines were fairly new in the office setting. Being comfortable with new technology became a career-long skill.
I learned how to work as part of a team. I also realized a company wasn’t a big, scary institution but rather real people working together. They were all interesting people with a variety of personalities. They were very supportive toward me and seemed sad to lose me when I finally found a full-time job.
The law firm temp job stands out in my mind because of one memory. My main role was to answer the phone. Because the offices stretched down a corridor and phone calls were so frequent, I was told to just shout out the lawyer’s name and which line he should pick up. That was way outside my comfort zone. I would much rather write down the message and deliver it by hand. I tried my method, but quickly realized the calls were too frequent.
It was a big day for me when I finally shouted out, “Percy, line two.” And survived. A lot of fear issues were conquered in that moment. I’m grateful for that experience.
That temping season taught me skills I use today as a freelance writer and editor.:
- I learned that when things get tough or don’t go the way I planned, I can think on my feet, jump in, and find a way to get through the challenging times. That perspective and willingness still helps me today, not only in business but also in life.
- Whether I’m outlining content for a client article or untangling a passage in a book I’m editing, I’ve learned how to approach things from different angles till I find the one that’s needed. Temping taught me how to do that.
- Being a temp also helped me get comfortable with a constant learning curve. No matter how much experience I have in writing and editing, every project is new and requires some level of learning curve at the start.
- During that temp season, I also learned how to move around in different environments, switch back and forth, and take things one gig at a time. That flexibility is a key to freelance success.
Coming out of a challenging master’s program, the last thing I expected or wanted was a recession and a season of doing temp work just to pay the bills. But in hindsight, that season offered valuable experiences that still serve me today.
If you are facing a first job, or a new job, that isn’t close to your ideal, simply because you need to pay bills, don’t hesitate to make the most of it. In any job, no matter how temporary, you can learn valuable skills and develop a helpful mindset that will pay off across your career. One day, you’ll look back on this season and realize what a positive difference it has made in your working life.
