Seventh Salon: What it is that we do.

[jenett]

Welcome to our seventh salon discussion thread. Wander in, invite a friend to come along, and chat! (Not sure what's going on? Here, have a brief FAQ.) You can find previous ones in my salon tag. Please take a quick look at the reminders at the bottom of this post, too. (Quick note: I'd originally said we'd do these through at least July. I am formally declaring that we'll keep going through at least August.)

Topic of the day:
A couple of conversations this week have gotten me thinking about jobs. One was a conversation with a friend yesterday (hi!) about job hunting, another was a meeting of a committee I'm on for staff awards, where we were asked to introduce ourselves (it's the first time we've met) with something we do that we're really good at (work or not.)

The committee is staff from all over the campus, only one of whom I already knew. And one of the things we were talking about is how recognising people for doing things well can take a lot of forms - but it's also complicated, because talking about what we do well is really hard, and sometimes (often!) other people don't really know what goes into our jobs. (And yes, I talked a little about both Imposter Syndrome and about synecdochic's weekly Pride Thread)

And yet, it's really important to talk about what we're good at, for a dozen reasons and more. (Morale, helping us do more of the really awesome stuff, helping other people do more really awesome stuff, appreciating the work other people do that keeps things running smoothly - we were talking about the school health service, and how you never hear when things are fine there, but it's important that they *are* fine.)

So, my question: What do you do, and why do you like it, and how did you get into doing that thing? I'm curious both about job-that-pays-you stuff but also about ongoing projects that aren't your job.

For bonus amusement, last January, there was a meme about describing things (your job) using the ten-thousand most common words in English. (Inspired by a xkcd cartoon). You can use a web-based tool to write one. If you did that meme and want to share in comments, that'd be awesome. (Or if you want to play with it and share something new!) Mine's in the first comment.

Currently reading: Queen Victoria's Book of Spells: An Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy - like the title says, this is gaslamp fantasy, not steampunk. Thus far I am generally agreeing with Brit Mandelo's review over on Tor.com, but even the stories that aren't quite my thing are making me think, which is pretty much what I ask for in an anthology.

Quick reminders

- jjhunter did a great guide to following conversations here on Dreamwidth. Also a roundup of regular Dreamwidth events.
- If you want to post anonymously, please pick a name (any name you like) that we can call you - it makes it more conversational and helps if we have more than one anon post.
- Base rule remains "Leave the conversation better than you found it, or at least not worse". If you're nervous about that, I'd rather you say something and we maybe sort out confusion later than have you not say something. (I've heard from a few people who worry they're going to say something that's going to be taken weirdly. If it helps, I am usually around and if there's a thing you'd like to get out in the conversation, but you're not sure how, feel free to PM or email or IM me, and I'll nudge the conversation that direction.)
- The FAQ still has useful stuff, and I added some thoughts about getting conversations going this week.
- Comments tend to trickle in over the course of a day or two, with a few nearly a week later: you might enjoy checking back later if you're not tracking the conversation.

Comments

[kakiphony]

Up-Goer Job Description:
I explain, in writing, the classes and other things that my school offers to students (both kids and grown-ups). Then I explain why we need money for those things (and money to help the people who take classes pay for them). Then, in writing, I ask for money to help pay for these things.

I also learn as much as I can about people who might be interested in my school. Learning about people, especially people with lots of money, helps me find the right people to ask for money. They are the right people because they like the right things and have enough money to give a lot.

Using a few more words:
I am a grant writer and prospect researcher. Most people understand the main functions of a grant writer (describing our programmatic, capital and scholarship needs and then asking for money to support them -- usually in a pre-determined and often fairly technical format). Less people know about prospect research -- which is basically researching individuals in order to identify the right people to ask for money (and making sure you are asking them for the right amount, at the right time, to support the right program). I do all the background work and then feed the information I find to my front-line fundraisers, who introduce the people I research to our institution, get to know them, cultivate the relationship and, eventually, ask them for a major donation

I compile general biographical background about people, but also perform analysis of their wealth (as measured by stock, real estate, boats, and almost anything for which there is a public record) in order to determine how much they have the capacity to give. I engage in data mining and use Prizm scores and wealth screening data from companies like Wealth Engine. It's all taken from public record sources, but people get creeped out by it. And the Prism surveillance program has not helped me explain what I do...

What I like to do:
This is actually taken from a post I made a few weeks ago trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. I don't mind my job, and even mostly like it, but I don't want to do it for the next 30 years. I would like a job I truly enjoy more frequently. Sadly, most of my skills and likes tend to lend themselves to either lower paying jobs, another degree (I have a BA and a JD), or owning my own business, none of which are financially feasible for me.

1) I like short term projects and tight deadlines. Throw some complicated research or writing task in my lap and give me 24 to 48 hours to complete it and I am happy and fulfilled. I am the queen of getting these things done and done well.

2) I do not like long-term projects and projects with nebulous deadlines. You know what I do with those? Procrastinate until they turn into #1. This is not a good thing. I'd like a job where I didn't fall into that trap.

3) I like helping people. I like being the person others come to with questions, and the person who can jump in and problem solve. This is directly related to #1. There's a sense of accomplishment in helping, and of fixing things. It motivates me.

4) I like variety in my projects. If I have to write (or research or plan or whatever) the same thing over and over I get bored, and then I procrastinate. NEW keeps my brain engaged, and when I am engaged I do good work.

5) I like research. I liked it when I worked at the public library and was helping with everything from genealogy projects to school reports. I liked it as a prospect researcher when I had to research everything from rich people's family trees to the race horses at the Derby. I like doing it now to determine where a foundation gives their money (and if it actually fits with their stated priorities.) I like doing it in my personal life when I learn about beer or whiskey or gardening methods or myth or or or. I just like it. As long as it doesn't drag on for too long and get repetitive.

6) I like sharing my research/knowledge with others. I like doing it in writing (formal and informal) and I like doing it in person (one-on-one and in front of groups small and large). I like being approachable, and being the person others on the team come to with questions. I like knowing that if I can't immediately answer their questions, they can count on me to find the answer (through logic, intuition, or research).

7) I like working with people, but not too many people. My ideal team is somewhere between 2 and 10. More than that and I don't know names. Less than that and I get lonesome.

8) I like brain storming and idea generation. I like analyzing plans for projects/events/etc and pointing out their strengths and pitfalls.

What I do for fun:
Consume enormous amounts of fiction (mainly books and television), cook, practice yoga, and drink + talk about + attend events about beer (my husband is in the industry).

What I used to do for fun but for some reason no longer do:
Write fiction.

[jenett]

In my previous job, I spent some time a couple of summers doing data entry in the advancement side of the school, and I found the bits of prospect research I got to do really fascinating. (Not enough that I want to do them all the time, but you're right, there's all sorts of really intriguing things out there.)

[kakiphony]

It's fairly fascinating both for the data bits (I kind of love the logical way wealth scores work) and for the biographical bits. Let's face it: Rich people are interesting. They get all sorts of opportunities to have great careers, meet fascinating people and have really cool hobbies. (The horse racing people are still some of my favorites, because it meant I got to read about horses. Which, of course, turned into reading Jane Smiley...) But really all the old money families are fascinating. I got to generate a family tree for the original plantation families in Hawai'i a while back.

[elisem]

Back when I worked for a particular large non-profit entity, I was across the hall from Major Donors (which wasn't the donors themselves, but rather the people who worked with them). That's quite an art, when done well. Seeing happy donors is pretty darn cool; it gave us a feeling of being entrusted with something, in our work.

At a different large non-profit entity, years before that, when an exhibit would open there would be a special party for the major donors and the people who had worked on the exhibit. (By the latter, I mean everybody: the people who sawed and hammered as well as the people who designed.) They were fascinating events where people talked with each other who otherwise might never meet.

[jenett]

Yeah. I did the data work relatively early in my stint at the school and in the Twin Cities, and it was *fascinating* to see how that connected to the history of the region.

[kakiphony]

The more we talk about this, the more I realize how much I actively miss that part of my job. We hired a second person a year ago so I could concentrate on grants. I was so much happier before that happened. I think it's because I found the research so much more interesting than having to constantly find novel ways to ASK for money.

Too bad there's no going back now and no real shot of doing that work for any other organization here...

[jenett]

You never know if someone's going to change jobs on you. And at least now you know more for whatever's next?

(I'm with you: I think research is way more fun than grant writing.)

Though I do have a secret superpower also entitled "Fill out complicated government forms" which I do not advertise (because I do not find it fun) but after getting the ex-husband through immigration without a glitch, and then getting a non-profit (with a bit of complicated history) through the process with only very minor revisions, I think I get to claim it now.

[elisem]

It's the time span in which you got the non-profit through the process that's the truly remarkable part.

[jenett]

We were a little surprised by it, yeah.

(There was a lot of wrangling old documents that I didn't do because they were in other people's garages.)

Pro tip: if you think you might want to form a non-profit, don't wait until the org has been going for nearly a decade. Or else keep examples of what you've been doing from that entire time somewhere tidy and coherent.

[kakiphony]

The only time I formed a non-profit, it was an odd format, it took 2 tries for the 501(c)(3) paperwork to go through. It was a co-op for developmentally disabled adults and the upon-dissolution distributions were unusual.