Monday, March 14, 2005

Blogging is bad for your career

I just quit a part-time job I had for while now. I've been spending too much time blogging (reading and writing at blogs), that I haven't had enough time for that job! Now, I hope this doesn't spread to my current full-time job.

Google/Blogger are claiming that there are 10 reasons why blogging is good for you career. Crap, it isn't. Here are the reaons they list, and what I think:
1. You have to get noticed to get promoted.
Being noticed for what you write on your blog is hardly the kind of attention you want for yourself.

2. You have to get noticed to get hired.
Being noticed for what you write on your blog is hardly the kind of attention you want for yourself.

3. It really impresses people when you say “Oh, I’ve written about that, just google for XXX and I’m on the top page” or “Oh, just google my name.”
Yeah, right. Especially if what you've written about shows that your interested in stuff that are totally unrelated to your work, or when all the google links you get are from bloggers who are bashing what you've written.

4. No matter how great you are, your career depends on communicating. The way to get better at anything, including communication, is by practicing. Blogging is good practice.
If you communicate on your blog the same way you communicate to get a job, then please stop blogging. I don't wanna hear it.

5. Bloggers are better-informed than non-bloggers. Knowing more is a career advantage.
I've never been asked (and they never cared) about how informed I am in any of the stuff I blog about.

6. Knowing more also means you’re more likely to hear about interesting jobs coming open.
Hmmm, not so far I haven't.

7. Networking is good for your career. Blogging is a good way to meet people.
If you're in Bahrain or Iran, the only people you're meeting are your prison wardens.

8. If you’re an engineer, blogging puts you in intimate contact with a worse-is-better 80/20 success story. Understanding this mode of technology adoption can only help you.
Huh!

9. If you’re in marketing, you’ll need to understand how its rules are changing as a result of the current whirlwind, which nobody does, but bloggers are at least somewhat less baffled.
What if you're not in Marketing or Technology?!

10. It’s a lot harder to fire someone who has a public voice, because it will be noticed.
Hell, Google themselves have fired one of their employees for blogging about the work condition.

So, unless you're blogging in the field of your profession, you're more likely to get fired than hired.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hahaha funny Mo, I was thinking exactly the same thing - what did I used to do with my time before I started blogging?

Al Sharief said...

Wow.. Mo!
you must be working very hard ...
A full time & a Half, and all that blogging ...
Well put at all rates.

Mohamed said...

Yes Praktike. I think you of all people should definetely get paid for blogging.