By Will Eichler
I have to say that one of my least favorite things in the world is applying for jobs. The tedious, seemingly endless process of clicking on apply buttons, attaching my resumé, and filling out boxes of personal information leaves me feeling numb and wanting nothing more than to shut my laptop, close my eyes, and fall asleep. The detachment and impersonal nature of the job hunt is perhaps the most discouraging part of it. Well, that and the often deafening silence on the part of the many businesses that do not give me any sort of response. And the worst part is, there’s really nothing to be done about it except keep applying, keep pushing through the boredom and emotional exhaustion until you eventually get the “Yes” you’ve been so desperate for. I wish I could say that Next Page Ink was the final “yes” that I needed because I love the work I do for this magazine, but it is still only one piece of a much larger puzzle for me when it comes to working as a professional writer. I’m still working a day job (really more of a nights and weekends job, but I digress) so I can pay my bills and live comfortably. While I do not wish or intend for this blog to simply become one espousing the importance of perseverance, it is something that will inevitably come up often in my posts simply because when it comes to being an “up-and-coming writer,” sometimes all you can do is persevere. There will be days when you may kick yourself for not picking a more “useful” field, and there may be days when you can’t bring yourself to fill out another application. That is fine, take a day to close that application tab, try to do something you enjoy, or at least shut your brain off, and pick things up again tomorrow. Just keep going.