Every now and then it’s good to look back over one’s career, especially if you’re thinking of starting a new career.

I’ve given some information on me in the blog here. There’s a lot of politics, media and teaching work.

What I don’t include in my resume is the research I did on organisational systems at university. I wondered why some workplaces felt light and breezy, while others were hell holes.

My mind was blown by Gareth Morgan’s book, Images of Organization (1986). He used metaphors to try understand how organisations worked.

I started looking at how insects and animals structure their world. That included everything from bees and beehives to satellite communications.

Sure, I taught writing in the RMIT Faculty of Art and Communication (as it was known then), but much of my intellectual interest was focused on organisational structures and systems. The research papers I wrote for my Master degree was on organisational communication.

I still read books on animal behaviour and you may see me standing on street corners, looking up at skyscrapers or the stars.

Lots of people carry unrealised or secondary careers and interests. It’s good to explore them because they sometimes provide a new career later on.