I was rejected by 40 companies. But I became an "editor"—the desire to do what you love is your strongest weapon
Hello.
I'm Tsuchi@HappyCareer, the manager of this note.
Today, I'd like to share a little bit of my story 😛
Back in college, during my job hunt, I was rejected by over 40 publishing companies.
Actually, to be precise, there were some companies that wouldn't even let me apply, so if you count those, the number is even higher 💦
My career counselor even said to me,
"There's no way someone from a university like ours could get into a publishing house, right?"
and looked at me with disbelief...
My job hunt was a total disaster.
But I really, truly wanted to be an editor.
I loved writing.
I loved seeing printed text, and I loved the smell of paper.
Laying out text and photos on a blank sheet of paper to create a page—
that's what I thought "editing" was all about.
◼️I had more passion than anyone else
But as for my brain... well, I wasn't exactly confident about that 😅
So, I wanted to find any connection I could, so I contacted every professor at my university, begging them to introduce me to an editor they knew.
I mean, professors usually have at least one or two books published, right?
So I figured they must have connections.
I started a part-time job as an editorial assistant,
and back then, you had to request application forms from each company to apply,
so I desperately collected them from the publishers I was interested in,
and I tried every trick in the book, doing everything I could to challenge them.
The result?
Zero job offers.
In the cold wind of October, while the rest of the world was buzzing with "job offer ceremonies," I thought to myself,
"Am I not needed by society...?"
◼️My greatest weapon is that I'm a bad quitter
I couldn't give up, so I looked for other ways if making magazines at a publishing house was too difficult,
and I found a path forward at an **editorial production company (hen-pro)**.
That's where my life as an editor began.
◼️A life of staying at the office from Monday to Friday and napping on the Yamanote Line
The job I got (as a full-time employee) paid 120,000 yen after taxes.
Rent was 60,000 yen, so there was almost nothing left.
On top of that, the work was so brutal I couldn't go home.
Staying at the office from Monday to Fridaywas a daily occurrence.
When there was no place to sleep at the office,I'd take a nap on the Yamanote Line.
The Yamanote Line takes about an hour to complete a loop, so you end up back at the station you started at, which is perfect for a nap 😀
It felt great to claim a corner seat that was easy to sleep in.
When I tell people that, they're usually shocked at how "black" (exploitative) it sounds,
but I was just happy that I had become an editor,
and it felt like the night before a school festival every day,so I just kept charging forward on pure desire.
◼️My days as a truly hopeless rookie editor
But,I was absolutely terrible at the job😢
I didn't understand the meaning of "concept" in a proposal, so I looked it up in the dictionary and it said "overview,"
and when I looked up "What's an overview?"it just led me back to the concept in an infinite loop.
How many times did I cry and plead with my editor-in-chief, "I don't understand!"
There were many colleagues around me who could handle their work much more smoothly than I could.
Yet, everything I did took time and didn't go well, and
honestly,"Maybe I just don't have any talent"I seriously thought.
"Maybe I made the wrong choice."
◼️Even so, my desire to do it drew people in
Seeing me like that, one by one, seniors and colleagues started helping me out, saying, "I guess I have no choice but to help."
They would look things up with me and teach me how to do them.
The reason was that,my "desire to do it" was stronger than anyone else's.
That is what I believe.
Even if someone is clumsy, you want to support them when they are working hard, don't you?
◼️Little by little, I became able to do it
I produced nearly 10 mooks (magazine-books) in one year.
At first, it took forever and I couldn't help it, but
as I gained experience with one book after another, I gradually, little by little, began to see the "tricks" to it.
The sense of fulfillment and achievement in creating mooks grew larger.
And then, one day,a "hit" was born.
◼️The big hit "A Little Trip Along the Seibu Line"
I was in charge of a small mook about traveling around the quiet towns along the Seibu Line.
It was an era without the web or social media like we have now.
Moreover, as mentioned above, it wasn't an area that would be featured in information magazines,
so gathering information was extremely difficult.
But I pounded the pavement,and gathered up charms that even the locals hadn't noticed, and gave them shape.
The result was,an unexpected big hit.
"I never knew our town had such charm!"
"I just happened to move to this area, but I've come to be a little proud of my town."
Reader postcards like these poured in,
and in the end, it was even adopted as teaching material for elementary schools along the line.
It recorded an exceptional number of copies for a travel guidebook.
And then, I was treated to a meal by the bigwigs at that publisher.
I was surprised and so happy.
Because a young person in their early 20s was being treated to incredibly expensive-looking food at a wonderful restaurant I could never go to on my own.
Moreover,that publisher was actually one that wouldn't even let me apply when I was job hunting..
◼️The desire to "want to do it" becomes the strongest driving force
Now, I work in career support.
"I don't know what I want to do"
"I have no strengths"
"I have no experience or skills"
Because of that, I can't change jobs, and getting the job I want is a dream within a dream,
I hear these kinds of worries a lot.
But you know,is that really true?I think.
What I want to say is,
if you have "something you want to do," that becomes your strongest weapon.That is what I mean.
Skills and track records are important.
However, the passion of "I want to do this!" or "I want to be this!" moves people and changes you as well.
◼️ To those of you who don't know what you "want to do"
And if there is anyone out there right now struggling because they don't know what they want to do, I want to tell you this:
The "seed" is already inside you. It is just buried and hidden from view.
That is why I want to help you find it.
If there is anyone struggling because they don't know what they "want to do," I want to tell them this:
Because my own future opened up solely through the heat of my "I want to do this!" desire,
I now want to be a source of strength for those who are feeling just as lost.
I currently support people in finding what they truly want to do and who they want to become, using their own personal preferences and values as clues, through a career course called "Happy Career" which has had over 600 graduates.
The reason I do this work
It is because I am someone who knows firsthand the true value and power of "wanting to do" and "wanting to be" something.
◼️ In closing
I was a failure.
But I kept holding onto that feeling of "I want to do this."
So, if you are currently thinking,
"Is it okay to stay like this?"
"I have nothing," then
It's okay, don't worry!
Your spark has not gone out.
It is surely just waiting for its turn.
Because the moment you decide "I want to do this," your story begins to move.
All that is left is for you to find it.
The day will come when your sincerity moves others.
And you will surely be able to see your own path.
I can say that with certainty.
🔗 For those who want to find the seed of their own "want to do"
First, to explore your true feelings,
why not turn your attention to the innate qualities you were born with?
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