I don’t talk about my work much. Being an early adopter of the blog platform, I took fast and furious notes when Heather Armstrong was fired for hilarious insights into her work life. I learned quickly, the first rule of blogging is you do you not blog about your job. The second rule of blogging is you do not blog about your job. But things have changed.

Social media acumen and the prevalence of social business in the work place is now a badge of honor, not shame. Though, the new rules are not too different from the old ones. So, I feel freer to talk about my job, but I will strongly caveat that anything I say here is not an opinion of my company. And I will certainly refrain from releasing sensitive information about my company, not that I have any.

For a long time my job has simply been a means to an end—that end being a paycheck. That’s not to say I didn’t like my job. I’ve been a content developer for IBM for 10 years including web copy, solution briefs, and other marketing collateral. For many years it has allowed me the freedom, both financially and physically, to follow my bliss. For example, moving across the country on a whim and meeting the love of my life. As a bonus, it allowed me to channel my love of words into a career. However, it has been one of those rare jobs that is steady, and constant, but reached its potential.

If I had been more ambitious, I would have probably moved on. But the wage was good, the work was decent, and I worked remote. No increase in status or pay could have topped that combination. But I have to admit, even with the comfort and freedom, I longed to do something more.

At ConFab 2012, I gave a lightning talk (an 8 minute presentation) about being a content strategist on an Agile team.

Then, last spring, I got a new assignment, content strategy for the cloud marketing portal at IBM. And since then, everything has changed. I am now doing work I feel passionate about and prospects for advancement are on the horizon. In fact, I’m so passionate about what I do I recently gave a lightening talk at Confab 2012 on the topic for 600 people—my very first public speaking engagement.

For now, I still work from home, though that may be changing soon. I’ve moved on from content strategy to project facilitation (Agile Scrum Master). Isn’t it funny? I worked remotely for 7 years. And now, when working from home would be ideal because I have a child, the situation is shifting. I feel bittersweet about that, but the prospects are too exciting to pass up. Luckily, Chris is ready and able to rethink his role in order to support my dreams. I’m a blessed woman.

I recently read a book by Seth Godin called, Linchpin. This book explores ideas about how to be indispensable in a commodity based marketplace. Godin says, “You must become indispensable to thrive in the new economy. The best ways to do that are to be remarkable, insightful, an artist, someone bearing gifts. To lead. The worst way is to conform and become a cog in a giant system.”

He proposes that it’s no longer enough to just be able to do your job as prescribed, the workforce as defined by the industrial revolution has peaked. The white-collar work-a-day job is being phased out because of globalization and efficiencies in technology. And experimental work solutions, like the Amazon Turk, are a glimpse at a future of a componentized base-skill labor pool.

Godin offers seven abilities to aid in making yourself indispensable in the face of these changes. I won’t cover them all, but I feel strongly that I can carry out some of them in my current role:

• Provide a unique interface between members of the organization.
• Manage a situation or organization of great complexity
• Inspire staff
• Offer deep domain knowledge

By the time I finished this book, I was fired up and even more excited about my new role at IBM. I love my job, and feel empowered to exert emotional labor and produce interactions that people care deeply about—to be a linchpin.

Godin also says, “You can’t always do what you love, but you can always love what you do.,” which reminds me a bit of that Joplin song, love the one your with. I recommend this book for anyone looking for a new perspective on their own labor of love.