Advice

Hello Kitty Is Not Your Role Model

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I know Hello Kitty has fans.  In fact, I have to admire Sanrio for creating a sort of Seinfeld of cuteness.; Hello Kitty really isn't about anything.  Hello Kitty is sort of a brand of general adorable cuteness and pathological amounts of pink.  It's just that when it comes to it, there's not a whole lot of "there" there.  Hello Kitty just sort of is.

She's darling, as is her collection of friends, but she's not about anything.

Sanrio's success aside, you don't want to use her as a role model for personal branding.  Even if you like Pink. A  whole lot of Pink.

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Why Not Create Your Own Job?

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You're not happy with your job.  You don't like what you do.  Worse, nothing out there in the job market that appeals to you.  The final kicker is that of all the jobs you've heard of none may appeal to you.  You've got all this energy and skills but nothing out there is what you want to do.

So let me suggest, my fellow progeek, that maybe it's time to invent an entirely new job.

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The Lessons Of Fandom: Customer Service

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So last week we discussed how fandom teaches you good business sense, one of those useful "general skills" you'll need in your life.  This week we'll explore another thing fandom teaches you.

Customer Service.

As I noted previously, many fandom activities are run like businesses – conventions, websites, etc.   They may not make money, of course – they may not be intended to – but they are like businesses in almost all regards.  Thus they are very educational to work on because you learn good business sense.

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