A long time ago, the newest editor of the small-town paper where I worked, asked me what my major was. I told him Creative Writing. He said, "That's useless."
To be fair, I think he was drunk when he asked me that and answered that way. He lost his job as our editor shortly thereafter for drinking on the job. (not uncommon in the old school world of newspaper journalism, I don't think)But I digress ...
In his book, "Never tell people what you do: How to advance your career," Bruce Kasanoff says: "If you don’t know how to tell a memorable story, you can’t be an effective leader, raise money for a startup, be a number-one sales professional, or even get your kids to listen."
Kasanoff's main message reminds readers to practice kindness in order to advance one's career. Ouch! I couldn't remember the last time I was nice. Well, ok, I try to be nice in really simple ways: I smile at cashiers. (Please, do this! Anyone who's worked as a cashier will thank you.) Sometimes I'm nice on the Internet, by posting an answer for a question on a thread, or offering a positive review, but I'm usually wagging my tail and asking for a biscuit afterwards. Like if I put a tip in a tip jar, for example, I expect a "thank you!" I don't think that makes my gesture any less kind, though. So what if I like to tally up my karma points?
Anyways, Kasanoff relieved me by saying that he associates jobs that have to do with "delighting customers" as being able to offer that kindness while also getting paid. Now I'm not so mortified to be a waitress!
On a side note, does anyone even care what people major in these days? I think Creative Writing as a major is quite useful.
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