A Wren Says

I complained to a loved one about my job, my boss, and all the frustrations in between. She told me, “You sound like Andy in the Devil Wears Prada.” That is when I decided to rewatch the movie for what would be the first of many times. It had nothing to do with the fashion. It was all about career advice.

After Andy fails to get her boss Miranda Priestly out of Miami in the midst of the hurricane, Miranda calls her out for incompetence. The scene that follows really struck me. It plays out like this:

Andy: She hates me. I don’t know what else I can do. Because if I do something right, it’s unacknowledged. She doesn’t even say thank you. But if I do something wrong, she is vicious.

I could see myself in that line. The times I felt myself in that same position, of wanting to be acknowledged for the work I’d done and only being recognized for my mistakes. It hurt.

The scene continues with Nigel telling her to quit. And she pushes back saying that’s not what she wants. She just wants “a little credit for the fact that [she’s] killing [herself] trying.”

And then comes the moment, the reality check. Nigel delivers this cutting assessment:

Nigel: Ah Andy. Be serious. You are not trying. You are whining. What is it that you want me to say to you? Huh? You want me to say, “Poor you. Miranda’s picking on you. Poor you, poor Andy?” Hmm? Wake up, six! She’s just doing her job. […] And what’s worse. You don’t care. Because this place, where so many people would die to work, you only deign to work. And you want to know why she doesn’t kiss you on the forehead and give you a gold star on your homework at the end of the day. Wake up sweetheart.

Andy replies, “Okay so I’m screwing it up. I don’t want to.” And I could feel my gut respond the same.

Andy has a decision to make. She could either quit or step up. She chooses to own her power in the situation. She undergoes a fashion transformation, embracing style as part of the job. She starts to learn more about the designers and takes an interest in the industry. She puts in the long nights without complaint, on her own terms. And all of those efforts pay off. She rises in her career and is ready to take on the next challenge when she chooses to leave.

There was a woman, at the start of her career, feeling stuck in a job she didn’t want but who had somehow figured out how to make it her own. How to impress her boss, even though she thought the woman was unreasonable. How to embrace an industry she never would have dreamed of ending up in. How to succeed despite the challenges in her way.

Just as Andy did, I had/have to start taking responsibility for “screwing it up.” Yes, there are factors outside of my control and unreasonable people and elements all impacting me. However, none of that has left me without choices. I, too, can choose to quit or step up. I can choose to reframe how I view my role, dive more into the industry, increase my focus, and ultimately choose to leave when I think the time is right.

 I may be frustrated, but I am not powerless. I can choose to transform myself, with a little inspiration from Hollywood to find the little ways to tweak my approach to my career and head towards my own success.