The FT Is Haunting Me!

A long time ago, I worked for a small division of the Financial Times (yes, THE Financial Times). I edited stock exchange announcements for financial reports on UK and European companies. It wasn’t the most interesting job I’ve ever had, but I learned to read an annual report and became familiar with a plethora of financial terminology.

After, I’d done that for two years (it was in the middle of the UK recession, so I couldn’t afford to be picky), I was happy to move on to a more traditional journalism job, and I put that period behind me. The only reminder of it was a two line entry on my CV. It looked good, and I’m sure it got me many interviews I might otherwise have lost. However, I didn’t work on financial matters again for a long time.

But recently I’ve been getting lots of work from a freelance agency, and I’ve found myself writing about financial matters again. Loans, mortgages, credit cards — you name it. Some of it’s interesting, some is not, but I reckon I’m getting it because of that two-line entry on my CV. And at least it’s regular, paid work. I’ve worked in a lot of different industries. If they go in turn, then I could find myself writing about metals next. Watch this space.

What about you? Have you got any jobs in your past that have come back to haunt you?