The fickle nature of grads and salaries

Hello! I've been away a while I know, but I'm sorry. I've just been terribly busy you see. Yeah, I know, not an excuse...oh well.

So I feel I should set the scene. I'm sitting in my lovely local (pub) just off the Uxbridge Road in Shepherds Bush. I have a pint of Peroni to my right, complete with little dribbles of condensation, and a half eaten pub-made sausage roll on my left. In short, I'm in heaven.

Up until five minutes ago I was working. Now I'm not and you have my full and undivided attention.

Just recently the Hotwire office has been overtaken by fresh-faced grads. It's the highlight of the annual calendar purely because of the enthusiasm and joie de vivre they add to the place. Dallington Towers has literally been buzzing for the last two weeks as a result of these awesome individuals and I've even been given the privilege of line managing one of 'em - Chloe.

It got me thinking of the time when I started in PR and my expectations of the industry. There was one thing that captured my imagination most - money. Being a poor student, the single thing of most interest to me was the process by which I would prevent my self from starving and I found PR to pay perfectly well.

It was only when I moved to London and started rubbing shoulders with the finance crowd, which but for my academic incompetence I would have joined, that I started feeling short changed and hard done by.

I should point out that is by no means my opinion on my current pay packet - I'm very happy thank you very much - but just a reflection of the twinges of jealousy I felt when talking to my far better off mates working in the field of accountacy and banking.

Funny thing is though, that they didn't/don't feel better off or happier. They were hanging around obese felines that made their remuneration look measly. I know it's too easy to fall back on the old "money can't buy happiness" routine but largely it's true......ish.

My single piece of advice to any newbie to the industry is not to judge your job solely on what it pays - although that's got to be a factor after all - but judge it on the satisfaction, creativity, responsibility, the opportunity to learn, to hang around awesome people, to be supported in your endeavours that your choice of career brings.

If you want a single proof point of this I recommend that you check out the blog of the greatest awards ceremony in living memory - ever.

The Flackenhacks have re-emerged for 2008 here. The organisers are taking advice from you lot about award categories and other shizzle and if you want to participate your ideas and other bits and bobs do it on the wiki here.

Anyway by now I'm slightly pished and should be getting on to my next pint. Speak soon chaps.

Ta-ra.