select, copy and paste.  

Dear Ms. xxx,


I am writing to inform you that I will no longer continue as an "editorial" intern for Xxx Magazine. Unfortunately, it seems that your magazine is not able to provide the editorial [as in "writing"] experience that I was hoping to gain.



I can find paid administrative work with relative ease, and when I do admin work, I expect to be compensated appropriately; I have been performing in the admin/office management field for over six years and do not need unpaid on-the-job guidance in how to perform such duties effectively. Rather, I am looking for writing experience, and the ability to work with others who have more depth of such experience than I do, so that I may learn from them. This is apparently not the case at Xxx Magazine.



Further, expecting workers to bend to your every whim is not a sign of visionary eccentrism -- it is, however, the quickest route to high employee turnover and general dissatisfaction in the workplace. I am unsure of the image that you wish to craft for yourself, but if you intend to work in a managerial capacity in the future [as I assume you will], you would do well to learn about how to interact effectively with people on a professional level. Condescension is not an effective management technique. Assuming that everyone else is stupid or "just not getting it" does nothing to solve the problem -- namely, that you are not getting your message across properly. Antagonism is equally inappropriate. If at first, people do not understand what you are telling them, it is up to you to express yourself more clearly. Otherwise, you seem less visionary than disorganized and arrogant. These are symptoms of a larger problem that often goes unmentioned, because few people will openly criticize the one who gives them their job.



I had hoped that your lack of a background in the publishing industry would not hinder your ability to create a coherent structure for the magazine, and that I could provide assistance in creating that structure. It seems, however, that your strangley controlling behavior [I don't work on national holidays without pay and occasionally I may be late to work, although I will always call ahead of time] precludes a fruitful working relationship from taking shape between us. I have had more than enough experience with managers who obsessed over every aspect of their underlings' work, and their companies are either no longer in existence or have had extensive litigation levelled against them due to mistreatment of employees.



I will not ask you for the previously agreed-upon stipend of fifty dollars that am I owed for the past week [10.6.2003 and 10.8.2003] plus our first meeting on October third. If you choose to take the ethical approach and send my payment via USPS mail, I will be grateful and moderately surprised. My mailing addressed is located in my signature, at the bottom of this message.



Best of luck to you.



Xxx Xxx

xxx.xxx.xxxx

xxx_xxx@xxx.xxx




xxx Xxx Xxx Xxx xxx

Xxx Xxx, XX xxx

empty.

no longer working at the zine. back to web design. a private project with friends. maybe it will make some cash. eventually.

wondering where to go from here.

i write, but am not a writer.

i write code, but am not a programmer.

i train in martial arts, but am not a dojo rat.

i study psychology and physiology, but am neither a psychologist nor a physical trainer/therapist nor a student.

people tell me that i am "sculpted", but i am not a model.

i can perform, but am not an actor.

i want to talk to someone, but don't want to talk to anyone.

what am i?

a riddle with no answer.

but i need an answer. i am running out of time.