I am 31F in the Atlanta area with a B.A. in political science from a reputable but not elite university. I have spent much of my career in media (about 10 years in journalism counting freelancing, four years at a major newspaper in a top 10 market, covered a presidential primary and general election at a smaller market paper, two years as executive editor of a small magazine with statewide distribution) and spent about three years in the marketing/PR space. As a reporter, my main interests were politics, state government, arts and entertainment, food, and criminal justice.

I currently work as an editorial content strategist for a large media company. My main responsibilities include content enhancement, search engine optimization, hub and spoke modeling, heuristic evaluations, creating topic audience reports (researching a high priority topic and creating an audience profile re age, socioeconomic status, gender, race, location, habits, etc), and building new content designed to rank highly in search. I've been told by a friend in UX design there is some overlap between UX and content strategy, but I have no experience in UX or tech.

I have ADHD and have been diagnosed since I was 15. This affects my organizational capabilities, short-term memory, ability to self-motivate without pressure, and predisposition to procrastinate. I find I do the best in roles that have short-term or quick-turn assignments compared to long-term projects. I can succeed in long-term projects when tasks are broken up into individual pieces with their own deadlines, so I can check items off a list instead of feeling the entire project looming over me.

What I love about my current and previous jobs:

• Conducting research and learning new things
• Having a tangible outcome of my work
• Problem-solving (examples include figuring out how to structure an article once all the research/reporting is done or working to enhance an article's keyword density, SEO ranking, and comprehensiveness)

What I don't love about my current and previous jobs:

• Being bound to an office
• Being bound to a 9-5 schedule
• Corporate culture bullshit (mandatory fun, having to make facetime with VPs who don't remember my name, endless meetings)
• Interested in but not terribly enthused by the work
• I would simply rather be doing so many other things

What I enjoy on my own time:

• Crochet - I like to design my own clothing, blankets, accessories, pet toys, home goods, etc. I know I can sell these things in theory, but the administrative work involved in setting up an Etsy shop overwhelms me
• Gardening - I love growing my own food, starting plants from seed, figuring out the right placement and nutrition, seeing the progress in the plants, etc. I maintain both an outdoor edible garden and many indoor houseplants.
• Crafts and Creating Things - I regularly get into phases like wax sealing or covering objects with disco tiles. I have the same issue with the stuff I make that I do with my crochet work -- yes I could sell it, but the admin work is overwhelming for me. I make things like disco tile globes, disco tile coasters, self-adhesive wax seals, felt ball garlands and coasters, scented candles using thrifted glassware as vessels, etc
• Non-fiction writing - I like to journal and am interested in first-person non-fiction or opinion writing. However, there are not a ton of platforms that pay for that material anymore
• Interior design - I am very passionate about creating a space of my own, and interior design is one activity in which I can be very focused on the details
• Thrift/antique shopping - I am knowledgeable about high-value and high-quality brands and items that can often be bought secondhand. I have basically been a personal thrift shopper for two friends -- one for wedding decor and one for china and decor for a lunch party. I have tried advertising myself locally for this kind of work, but nobody has bitten.
• Bartending - I do this part time and it really works for the way my brain works -- it's all about quick-turn tasks to check off and being good with customers. I'd probably bartend full-time if I knew it would pay the bills.
• Wine/beer/cocktails - I worked in retail wine sales for six months and have been in my brewery bartending job (which also includes making cocktails) for nearly a year. I have a working knowledge of wine that makes my friends think I may as well be a sommelier, but that an actual sommelier would probably recognize as advanced beginner or intermediate knowledge. I am a Cicerone Certified Beer Server, which means I passed the first level test for the organization that is basically the sommeliers of beer. I would like to get a wine certification (probably WSET or CWS because I don't want to work a restaurant floor), and potentially a cocktail/spirits certification if I continue working in the beverage world. I would probably pursue a wine certification eventually even if I wasn't working with wine because I love learning about it.
• Film - I love watching film classics, indies, and foreign film; I've watched at least 120 new movies this year so far. I love thinking critically about film and the meaning behind it, as well as how it is made and the decisions directors and actors make. I was a very bad actor in middle and high school, but got two opportunities to student direct and one opportunity to direct a one-act play, and I loved it. I wanted to pursue directing for the stage in college as a minor when I was 18, but my mom said I had to have a "real degree"
• Music - I have 10 years of classical voice (opera) training and singing has been my one true passion my entire life. I wanted to major in vocal performance in college, but parents nixed that as "not a real major." I would've been allowed to major in music education because my parents saw that as a better employment prospect, but I hate children and do not want to be a teacher. I have looked for choirs and other singing opportunities locally but haven't found anything that's a good fit.
• Hosting parties - I love creating a party, from an extravagant food and beverage spread to fun decor. This feeds both my creativity and my need to socialize.
• Fashion - I have always had a really strong interest in fashion, and I am known by my friends to have a loud, bold style. I am really aesthetically driven and love a combination of highbrow-lowbrow.
• Comedy - I have completed five levels of improv comedy classes (the full curriculum of one theater in town) and occasionally perform improv and stand-up locally, for free. I never really considered comedy as a career path because it is a grind and few people can actually make it full-time. But the skills I have as an improviser/comedian include humorous writing, working well with others, being open to new ideas, and being willing to put myself in uncomfortable situations.

My Strengths

• Creativity - crochet, crafts, interior design, fashion, comedy, etc
• People skills - The last time I was interviewing for jobs, I was told by multiple interviewers that I was great with people, have "great energy," I was a "great interview" etc. In my bartending job and previous retail jobs, customers have repeatedly told me how kind and helpful I am, including one person saying "You're the nicest person who works here." I think I can capitalize on my inherent people skills -- journalism was a huge boon in building these because I spent a decade cold-calling strangers who didn't want to talk to me in hopes I could convince them otherwise.
• Curiosity - I love research and learning. I got my Cicerone Certified Beer Server not because my bartending job wanted me to, but because I saw my bartending job as an excuse to finally take the leap on the certification. I'd loved craft beer for years and already did a lot of learning, and always wanted to start the Cicerone process. I like challenging myself and expanding my knowledge and skill set. I also have so many ideas of things I'd study if I could afford to go to grad school (women's studies, media studies, sociology, urban planning/public policy, fiber arts, product design, etc)
• Broad cultural knowledge - Because of my wide range of interests, history in journalism, and a brain that seems to retain exclusively information useful at trivia night, I know a little about a lot, and sometimes a lot about a lot. This helps me with learning curves often, as I tend to have a little more information and context than the average bird.

Limitations

• Money - I am not in the financial position to quit my job without another lined up, start a degree or certification program, or invest in another kind of training program at the moment
• Network - I don't know a lot of people out of my field locally

What I've Previously Considered

• Opening a store - Biggest limitation is money. Unless I won a few days of Jeopardy, this is unrealistic
• Floral design
• Interior design
• Production design (film and TV) - Atlanta is a big film/TV production hub. Biggest limitation would be lacking professional experience, which would probably put me low on the ladder and thus in a low-paying job
• Wine sales - I love wine and learning about wine but I don't really like sales. But this is the best-paying option outside of being an on-the-floor sommelier, which I don't want to do.
• Event planning - I would excel at the creative side but I would not be good at the logistics
• Film programming - Probably unrealistic as there are very few of these jobs; this role is usually for festivals and art house movie theaters. While I know a lot about film, I have no academic or professional film background
• Film/music/fashion/cultural criticism - Similar problem as above. These jobs barely exist anymore, are mostly freelance and don't pay great unless you can get on salary at a big publication.
• Comedy writing - feels like a pipe dream even though I know I'd be decent

If you've read all of this, thank you so much. If you have any suggestions on what a potential future career change could be, I'd love to hear them. I'm stuck in a career of doing things I'm good at, but that I don't love and don't always find stimulating. I want to do something that I enjoy doing and feel a little more freedom in my day-to-day. What do you think could be a good fit?