Last updated on November 26, 2023
What am I? Who am I?
It’s easy to dismiss the questions as a bit silly. The “who” is a philosophical question beyond the what, yet the answers create a Venn diagram because who we are is what we are.
I am a father and husband. Those are the roles that sound like good replies when asked who and what I am. However, I always return to writer when contemplating what I am. I am a writer.
My wife works as a technical writer. Our oldest daughter writes stories constantly. We live in a house filled with books. There’s no hesitation when I describe myself as a writer.
Too often, I read that “only Americans” identify as their professions. I am fortunate enough to know many people from around the world, and, contrary to claims to the contrary, most adults do identify as (and with) their professions. We connect within the community of our professions, which is why there are professional organizations, conferences, and other ways to reassure ourselves. If you’re with others in your profession, you must belong, right?
Generally, when you ask someone to tell you about themselves, they start with where they live and what they do. They add in relationship status, children, and other details. Yes, the order of identities we embrace varies slightly depending on cultures, yet our roles become our identities.
This seems particularly true of elite, respected careers. Teachers around the globe identify as teachers. Physicians promptly inform you they are doctors. The more prestigious the career, the more likely it will be mentioned quickly by someone you meet.
Not having that professional identity feels like not having an identity at all if you invest decades earning credentials specifically for a career path.
I have two undergraduate and three graduate degrees. My studies were focused on writing, technology, and teaching. What appears unfocused to some was a carefully designed path in my mind. I wanted to study and teach about economics, design, and persuasion. Now I realize I should have focused my studies for the audience of hiring committees. Ironic that with a doctorate in rhetoric, I struggle to sell myself.
Since elementary school, I’ve known I wanted to be a writer of both fiction and non-fiction. But, I was going to be realistic: fiction writers rarely find financial success. I would write about technology, science, or business as a reporter. The media industry started to collapse while I was in college, so teaching became a logical path. After all, many writers are teachers. I could teach about technology or business, within
Career options, in chronological order:
- Writer… always a creative writer, at least as an avocation.
- Computer programmer specializing in interface design and typography.
- Reporter covering the tech industry, economics, or politics.
- Teacher, ideally teaching classes in media production.
- College instructor specializing in technology and communication design.
- Professor, researching how concepts and information from economics are communicated.
My professional path always comes back to writing in some form. When creative writing didn’t seem feasible, I shifted to communicating via technology about technical concepts, such as economics or computing technology. I’ve tried to be many things, and I am none of them, at least not in the sense of being a financially stable professional in a respected field (or fields).
I taught college courses, having been employed full-time as an assistant professor and part-time as an adjunct instructor. I’ve had a few plays produced. I am a freelance writer, specializing in technology and daily life. However, I am currently underemployed and over-educated. Freelancing for a few dollars here and there doesn’t equate to having a career.
Ideally, yes, I’d earn a living as a writer. Paid or not, I am a writer.
Everything else I’ve done or tried to do was part of an effort to be employed doing things I find interesting. Writers seem to do other things because that’s how financially secure creative writing is for 99 percent of aspiring authors.
Writer. Husband of a writer. Father of a writer.
I have an identity to which I cling tenaciously.