What's a job?

I was thinking about the job market, not something I have any authority to comment on, but here we are. I want to keep my options open while I'm still here studying. Not only do I not know if I want to be an academic, it might be moot anyway: if things keep on like they are, there won't be any academic jobs in the humanities in three years' time.

So here is my tip (to myself, really) on how to be something when you grow up: start being it now. I'm already doing it in academia, obviously: I am a historian now, the work I do is researching, teaching, and writing history. But if you want to be a publisher, what makes more sense than to go and publish something? If it's economically impossible to publish on paper, well that's part of the industry itself, you have to find some other way to make it wor, but it can definitely still be done. If you want to be a writer, write; we all know that one. If you want to be a teacher, teach! There are a load of projects that want volunteers for helping out in schools and stuff like that.

This is the beauty of the student period of life: there is an opportunity to do these things, to build experiences, and to try things out. That's something everyone should have, and something I should try to make the best of.