Jack (or Jill) of All Trades, Master of Some: The Raw Materials for a Fulfilling Communications Consulting Career

By Marilyn Woelk | Senior Member

I never set out to be a journalist or a business owner. In college, I initially majored in music and minored in English, but switched my major to broadcast production, thinking that I would end up somewhere in the entertainment industry (either behind a camera or in front of it).

When I graduated from college, I realized that I didn’t want to hold props in a TV studio or show up at 4:00 AM to do the work to eventually land me a significant role in film/broadcasting. Instead, I ended up substitute teaching, and then worked for a book publisher as an advertising copywriter. It was my last “real job.” I began freelancing, first as a copywriter for a giftware company, then as a textbook editor for a major educational publisher, and later as an instructional designer, technical writer, and editor for corporations such as Xerox Corporation, Fujifilm USA, Johnson & Johnson, Eastman Kodak Company, Heidelberg, and others. My background in broadcasting taught me how to plan a project from beginning to end and how to map where all of the key transitions will occur. It also taught me how to choose a good “cast.”

After freelancing for a few years, recruiters began to ask me to refer people for job openings they had. I did referrals for about a year (collecting small “finder’s fees”) and then realized that instead of referring people to work for others, I could open my own company. Before long, I had 14 employees and 10 subcontractors working for me on Fortune 500 accounts. My company began providing training development, change management consulting, technical writing and editing, marketing communications, and website development. We specialized in highly technical information about which competitors’ companies might have had difficulty learning.

My consulting business grew, and I grew with it. Although I was told in college that I couldn’t have so many different interests and needed to focus on a specific career path, I realize now that being a “Jill of All Trades” helped me be successful as a consultant.

As a Jill, I was interested in seemingly opposite things that were beneficial to my success as a consultant. Some of these interests included:

• managing the big picture, and also the details of a project;
• documenting existing processes, and developing new processes and change management procedures;
• writing extremely technical copy (because I always learn something new) and developing very creative copy that helps others learn something;
• determining where to delete graphics in favor of white space, and where to add new graphics and branding; and
• working collaboratively and also individually.

In order to build my business, I needed to use a wide variety of skills and interests in creative and technical areas. I didn’t need to be an expert in all trades, I just had to know enough to manage the project or manage the talent. I also had specific expertise that others didn’t have. I was Jill of All Trades in some areas, and I was an expert (master) in others.

As a person who has felt torn trying to choose just one area to study or one career to focus on, I refused to fit into a mold and ended up in a job that provided me with the first real moments of satisfaction in using all of my interests and expertise to my full potential.

If you are thinking about becoming a consultant, here are some things you should consider:

• Do you like to work alone?
• Can you deal with less structure and create your own daily work habits?
• Do you know about contracts or have a resource to help you with this?
• Do you know about finances or have a bookkeeper and accountant?
• How will you charge clients? If you charge by fixed bid, how will you amend quotes as project scope changes?
• How will you track and collect accounts receivable?
• Are you able to move beyond implementing what is requested by a client in order to suggest best practices for your client’s project needs?
• Do you have a bit of knowledge in several business-related subjects, and a lot of knowledge in specific client services you will offer?

As I have embraced the Jill in me, I have tried to keep current with a variety of new technologies that my clients may need so that I understand the marketplace and continue to learn about all trades. If you think you might be heading toward becoming a Jack or Jill/Master, and you need a Jill to talk to, I’m your girl! Happy trails on trading your career for a destiny that you can master. Don’t fear the journey!

Marilyn Woelk is an STC Senior Member, a past president of the Rochester STC Chapter, the current acting manager for the Consulting and Independent Contracting SIG, and the president of Wingz Creative and Technical Group, Inc.—a business and communications consulting firm in Rochester, NY.