Day Job Interview: Steven C.

This is the first installment in what will be a regular Day Job Interview Series, with a new interview posted each Monday (from now on). While there are scores of great interviews on blogs, I hadn't read any that focused on what people do to make a living, despite the fact that most people spend more of their waking lives at work than at home.

So, I rounded up some people I know to do brief interviews about their jobs. The point is not whether their jobs are particularly glamorous or lucrative, but about the idea of working -- the variety of jobs people (especially young people) have and the ways they make them bearable.

If you're interested in being interviewed, please email me at teapot [at] dailygusto [dot] com.

Steven C., Associate Creative Director (Advertising)

1. Where do you work, and what do you do?

I work for an advertising agency that specializes in interactive marketing for large corporations. I help make websites and ad banners. My title is Associate Creative Director. It’s a solid middle management position.

2. How long have you worked there?

It’s only my second job and I’ve been there seven months. I’ve been in the industry for over nine years.

3. Does your job require regular hours? If so, what are they?

We’re required to bill 37.5 hours a week. I roll in around 9:30 and leave at 6ish.

4. Do you like what you do? Do you respect it?

When I was fresh out of college I loved advertising. My first job as a graphic designer was one of the best days of my life. I was proud to have a ‘marketable skill.' Yet over time I became more and more disillusioned. Let’s face it. I make something that nobody wants or needs. I’m embarrassed to tell people what I do for a living.

5. What’s the best part of your job?

It’s very easy.

6. What’s the worst part of your job?

Having to take it seriously. Have you ever tried to have an earnest opinion about a web banner?

7. Do you consider your job a career, or is it something you do to make money to subsidize other pursuits (or to bide your time until you can get your career job)? If not, what do you want to be when you grow up?

I make ads for money and I draw comics for fun.

Since I can remember I’ve always wanted to be a cartoonist. In 10th grade I published a comic with a friend of mine in the local newspaper. Later, I tried to get into my college newspaper. The editor rejected my submission and gave me some brutally honest feedback. Devastated, I quit. I went into advertising because I thought it was the only way to be “creative” and make a living.

It was my frustration with advertising that eventually led me back to comics. I saw other people publishing online and decided to give it a shot. In a way, my comic makes my job more bearable. It’s a great outlet and I’ve actually had some success. My comic appears weekly in the Atlanta Journal Constitution and I’ve been in Esquire twice.

My worry is that one day I’ll do comics for money and it will start to suck. What then?

8. Caffeine: preferred source/amount per day?

I used to drink about 2 liters of Diet Coke a day, but that shit will kill you. Now I have a double espresso (1 sugar) as I’m walking home from work. Recently I’ve been sneaking a Diet Coke with my lunch. Nobody’s perfect.

9. Describe the type of people you work with. Are they similar to you (age, interests, etc.) or very different from you?

There are two groups:

a. The group who buy into it and are really ambitious and want to have “Vice President” in their title so they can finally buy a NICE car.

b. The group who thinks they’re SO special because they are SO talented and they are totally wasting their time at this B.S. job!

Steven C. is a committed cartoonist who publishes two strips a week without fail. He also maintains a personal chat/photo blog slightly less frequently.