Occasionally I get to do a bit of financial services PR. Pre 2008 this used to be OK, but now, bloody hell, I'm a pariah! These days I'd compare doing financial services PR to working in the porn industry, here's an example of what I mean.

Why financial services PR is like porn:

1. You sometimes do things that make you feel dirty.

2. No matter how hard you work to make things look amazing and produce something fabulous, people still lump all your work in with everyone else’s.

3. Your work could be beautifully constructed and technically excellent, but no one is looking at that.

4. People think your stories are fluffy and lack depth.

5. Even if you are at the top of your profession, people outside your trade still don’t respect you or your achievements.

6. You often have to work with people that you don’t like and do things you really don’t want to do with them, but you have no choice but to smile and fake it.

7. People who see your work often leave feeling empty and sad.