Once upon a time, way back in 2008, I was on a very specific career path. I worked with fun people and made a commission. I got to travel and had an expense account. I was good at what I did and was promoted and placed with high-profile clients accordingly. Yet the entire time I was on that path, I had a sneaking, hidden suspicion that it just wasn't for me. It took me a few years to realize that I was working in a job like that because I thought it was what I was supposed to do. Degree from top university + prestigious corporate training program + non-stop schmoozy career = Success. Friends, travel, building a family of my own could all be worked in around that eventually.
Don't get me wrong -- it does work that way for some people, people I actually know in real life. That equation does make others happy. But I wasn't. So when I decided to start building a life with Hubs I not only moved to a new city, but I also completely switched up my career. I took a job in HR (arguably one of the more thankless career paths in the working world) at a non-profit (definitely less than I was making before, but I believe in the cause!!). No, I didn't do it to be a martyr or give my former corporate existence the middle finger. There were lots of reasons for rebooting my career -- and the absolute biggest one was that this job allows me to separate my work and personal lives.
There are all sorts of studies about Generation Y and their (our) work ethic. My favorite perception of my generation is that apparently, none of us believe in work-life balance. That is, we're so plugged in to our smart phones and so amped to telecommute that work-life is a seamless state; there's no one or the other. Supposedly, we're all drafting corporate memos on our iPhones while we're out at happy hour. I call bull-honky, as I ostensibly am the complete opposite of what some Boomer psychologist says I'm supposed to be. As soon as I log off my work computer, I am done. I work very hard when I'm in the office, but the second I'm out the door I'm in full Mama-mode. My train commute consists of making grocery lists, searching for baby food recipes on my smart phone (take that, corporate email!), and getting in a blessed 30 minutes of a novel (ah, glorious Me Time). The second I get home, I am playing with, feeding, bathing, and comforting my baby and attempting to be an attentive wife. Who has freaking time to work from home?
This week, I got another promotion. When my boss broached the topic, I had two simultaneous thoughts: 1) "Ooh! More money for HD's college fund!" and 2) "There's no way I can work more hours; I'd never see my kid." Luckily, the hours will remain the same. And no one's giving me a Blackberry any time soon.
Huzzah!
Congrats on the promotion! I'm not back at work yet, but can totally relate to this post. However, I am still at the typical corporate job so we will see how that goes and how long it will last.
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