What if you lose your dream job in fashion? Marloes tells us
What if you lose your dream job due to restructuring in the company? What if it wasn’t just a job but a childhood dream that you’ve spent days, months and years working toward? What if it, in some ways, defined you? It’s what happened to magazine editor and fashion stylist Marloes de Jong (28).
One year later, she opens up to CHAPTER FRIDAY on how she survived and got her life back on track. This is her story.
“Imagine a little girl, always flipping trough fashion magazines and coming up with stories. That was me, twenty years ago. As soon as I could read, I was fascinated by the wondrous world of print and it was crystal clear what I wanted to become when I grew up. A magazine editor.
After degree in fashion, a Masters in journalism, two internships and many test assignments, my dream became reality: I got hired as a full-time editor at a fashion magazine in the pulsating city centre of Amsterdam. The reality topped my wildest imagination. In my first year on the job, I flew to New York, London, Milan, Miami and Paris for fashion shows, photo shoots, press events and interviews. Our running gag was; it’s a tough job, but someone has to do it!
Then, one morning years later, I got called into my boss’ office. “Marloes, you might be expecting this…” she began (Well… no!). Due to a huge reorganization, my contract wouldn’t be extended. The salary that I would receive in about three weeks would be my last payment. The icing on the cake was my boyfriend breaking up with me and having to move out of his apartment.
So here I was. Twenty-eight years old, with no home, no man and no job. Life took an unexpected turn, for sure.
After a few days, six bottles of wine, piles of handkerchiefs and a carton of cigarettes, I had moved past the initial panic. It was time for a battle plan. After contemplating long and hard, I came up with three options.
Option one: find a new job. That proved to be tricky. I’m sure you know how many girls want a job at a magazine… Many! And how many available jobs would you guess there are? None!
Option two: apply for benefits. With my accumulated employment, I was entitled to more than five months of unemployment benefits, but during an intake at the local UWV I felt I could do more than just hold up my hand.
Fortunately, there was option three: become my own boss. Could I do the work that I had always wanted to do on a freelance base? The thought of a variable income made me break out in a sweat. At the same time, this seemed like the only realistic way to preserve the best job in the world.
So I went to the Chamber of Commerce, filled in three little forms and left the building as an entrepreneur. Easy does it! I decided I would give myself a year to figure out whether this had a future or not. Shortly after, I got my first assignment. Hysterically nervous I delivered the first article, but then a second and third one followed and not much later I was working six days a week.
It’s not luck, it’s hard work
Recently someone said to me: “How lucky are you, huh? You have so many jobs and publications!” Let me burst your bubble: that’s has little to do with luck. It all comes down to hard work and a passionate and enthusiastic approach. Last month, I spotted four magazines at the newsstand featuring a publication of mine. I’m proud to have managed to achieve that on my own, but it does come with a price. My laptop is never turned off. As a freelancer, you are responsible for your own business so if something needs to be done, it needs to be done now. I regularly cancel dinners, parties or appointments because a job has come up. Right now, work always comes first.
What about the future?
Right now, it’s exactly one year later and I am busier than ever. Whether I will continue freelancing for the rest of my life? Secretly, I hope not. I’m happy that everything turned out the way it did, but in the end it’s rather lonely. I love being part of a team and sharing ideas and plans (for the weekend!) with colleagues. Not to mention the huge amount of administration work, that drives me crazy. Saving money works out better than ever though. Not because I earn more but because I simply do not dare to splurge. There’s always a little bit of lingering fear that I won’t have any work next month and can’t make my rent, or that I’ll become ill.
On the other hand… Nice weather on an afternoon? I can drink a coffee outside, enjoy the sun and work in the evening (or the next day, when it’s going to rain really hard). Looking back at the past year, my biggest lesson is that I didn’t have to worry as much. I still have a job that’s very close to the one I dreamt of as a little girl and this time, no one can fire me!
3 x what I love about freelancing
- Self-organizing your time: Monday? Beach day!
- More work usually means more money
- Many different clients and a broader network
3 x what I find more difficult
- You’re your own mentor. With a permanent contract, you can often take logical steps to develop your skills as you’re part of a bigger team. Being self-employed, you must push yourself to grow
- No ‘real’ colleagues or company trips: no Christmas party with a drunk boss singing carols at the top of her lungs
- Sometimes it takes weeks before an e-mail is answered. Sometimes it takes months before your bills get paid. Be. Patient.
Oh, what a year! But #imstillstanding
This story was originally written for Dutch Cosmopolitan Magazine.
Text by Marloes de Jong
Photo’s by Emma Peijnenburg
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