Career

*image found at tumblr.com

I’ve been thinking a lot about work the past few days.

My contract is ending soon, and I’m about to become a freelancer, so it’s been a week of transition; a week of stress; a week of thinking about the future, and a little bit of freaking out about it all, if I’m going to be honest.

There’s a lot I’m trying to balance – finances, visa and international residency permit paperwork, planning a family, economist husband’s career ambitions, wild job and project possibilities, and so much more.

A quote I read a few days ago has been in my head on repeat, and I think it’s really good career (and general life) advice:

“Figuring they’ll want “balance” some day, women make choices that put them in less interesting, less well-paid work, which of course then means when they do have kids, they’re not as interested in sticking with that work. Why would you choose a boring job over being with your kids if you didn’t have to? (admittedly, “having to” is an issue for much of humanity — but probably not the women with Barnard degrees). As she (Sheryl Sandberg) put it, “Do not leave before you leave. Do not lean back; lean in. Put your foot on that gas pedal and keep it there until the day you have to make a decision, and then make a decision. That’s the only way, when that day comes, you’ll even have a decision to make.” –Laura Vanderkam

Don’t you think that’s a great piece of advice? So often I find myself frozen, and overwhelmed with the intimidating pressure of having to make a decision I’m afraid I’ll be stuck with. I step back from things as a defense mechanism, thinking that, by not engaging, I’ll save myself from having too much to do later on. That sort of behavior usually leaves me bored and stuck in a dead-end situation though.

Full speed ahead!