I am in tears. I was a fifth generation educator. That was just what the smart, independent women in our family did with our leadership skills. My masters is in early childhood & elementary education from the best progressive educator training program in the country (my resume now only says that I studied "education".) I taught in indepe…
I am in tears. I was a fifth generation educator. That was just what the smart, independent women in our family did with our leadership skills. My masters is in early childhood & elementary education from the best progressive educator training program in the country (my resume now only says that I studied "education".) I taught in independent schools (one of them in Seattle) for all of four years before moving into administration in K - 8, 9 - 12, & community college. None of it was deliberate or with an eye toward a career. The closest I got was a brief foray into fundraising (because there were always well-paid jobs- it was also the most boring thing I have ever done).
I stayed education adjacent through work at a foundation, consulting, workforce development, and now back in administration at a floundering private four year institution.
It has taken me YEARS of fruitless job searching based on "NOT ACADEMIA" and long stretches of unemployment to begin to articulate my unique skill set as well as the kind of environment I want to work in. The bigger utility of my un- and under-employment, however, has been the gift of learning who I am outside of what I get paid to do. I'm setting boundaries now because that Who I Am is too precious & important to sacrifice to a job that does not respect me the same way.
I should have pursued a MBA. It has taken me decades to understand that I am an entrepreneur, a catalyst, a generalist, and a leader. I am now retrofitting myself through data analytics certificate programs to help business leaders see beyond where I've done the work. It will never not feel insulting that people with business backgrounds are welcomed into NGO spaces but the reverse is not true.
We cling to putting people in buckets and silos. Once you understand your genuine value, that becomes anathema.
You know, I did get an MBA. It took me a long time to land where I am now (10y after my MBA) but I had to really embrace sunk costs. Academia is brutal but this article resonated for me because so many forms of work are exploitative and if you derive your value from the markers of success work dangles (titles, pay, special projects, DEI) you will find yourself with all your eggs in one basket, overly committed to an organization (that will let you go at the drop of a hat) and without the things that make us whole - hobbies, friends, community. I dont have a job that requires an MBA anymore but I gained time and my sanity. So many of the MBA women I know who are successful in all the traditional ways have struggled and are pursuing alternative paths. Like Anne, nobody regrets their decisions per se, but I totally agree we need to help our kids expand the ways they derive meaning in their lives and that work is but one aspect of a rich life.
I got the MBA too. And it still didn't let me in to business spaces with a nonprofit resume. That one way revolving door is real and bothers me on innumerable levels. Letting corporate folks run roughshod over nonprofits hasn't helped a lick, for one.
I am in tears. I was a fifth generation educator. That was just what the smart, independent women in our family did with our leadership skills. My masters is in early childhood & elementary education from the best progressive educator training program in the country (my resume now only says that I studied "education".) I taught in independent schools (one of them in Seattle) for all of four years before moving into administration in K - 8, 9 - 12, & community college. None of it was deliberate or with an eye toward a career. The closest I got was a brief foray into fundraising (because there were always well-paid jobs- it was also the most boring thing I have ever done).
I stayed education adjacent through work at a foundation, consulting, workforce development, and now back in administration at a floundering private four year institution.
It has taken me YEARS of fruitless job searching based on "NOT ACADEMIA" and long stretches of unemployment to begin to articulate my unique skill set as well as the kind of environment I want to work in. The bigger utility of my un- and under-employment, however, has been the gift of learning who I am outside of what I get paid to do. I'm setting boundaries now because that Who I Am is too precious & important to sacrifice to a job that does not respect me the same way.
I should have pursued a MBA. It has taken me decades to understand that I am an entrepreneur, a catalyst, a generalist, and a leader. I am now retrofitting myself through data analytics certificate programs to help business leaders see beyond where I've done the work. It will never not feel insulting that people with business backgrounds are welcomed into NGO spaces but the reverse is not true.
We cling to putting people in buckets and silos. Once you understand your genuine value, that becomes anathema.
You know, I did get an MBA. It took me a long time to land where I am now (10y after my MBA) but I had to really embrace sunk costs. Academia is brutal but this article resonated for me because so many forms of work are exploitative and if you derive your value from the markers of success work dangles (titles, pay, special projects, DEI) you will find yourself with all your eggs in one basket, overly committed to an organization (that will let you go at the drop of a hat) and without the things that make us whole - hobbies, friends, community. I dont have a job that requires an MBA anymore but I gained time and my sanity. So many of the MBA women I know who are successful in all the traditional ways have struggled and are pursuing alternative paths. Like Anne, nobody regrets their decisions per se, but I totally agree we need to help our kids expand the ways they derive meaning in their lives and that work is but one aspect of a rich life.
I got the MBA too. And it still didn't let me in to business spaces with a nonprofit resume. That one way revolving door is real and bothers me on innumerable levels. Letting corporate folks run roughshod over nonprofits hasn't helped a lick, for one.
UGH, Jessica. That is so annoying.
It's not even like I've worked for little nonprofits- the biggest brands on my resume operated like corporations.
I've heard the key is finding a hiring manager who made the leap themselves or having a recruiter champion you.