Rethinking the Career Path

My career has not progressed as I thought it would. After I joined the ’real world’ following college, I assumed that I would work my way up the corporate ladder. At this point in my life (nearing 40!), I would be the manager of something with lots of people reporting to me, lots of responsibility.

Instead, I have a mish-mashed career, but one that I love! I do business consulting work on my own, teach college classes and write. I am not in a hierarchy, and am nowhere near a ladder. I work on lots of interesting projects, meet intriguing people and have constant change that I enjoy. I look forward to working and I’m sure that my kids can sense that, assuring me I’ve made the right choice. I don’t know that I would feel the same way had I stayed on the traditional career path.

Blogger Laura Vanderkam at the Huffington Post suggests that maybe we do need to re-think our career paths, particularly if we want a family (check it out here). She points out many successful career women such as mom of three Angela Braly who this summer become the only female CEO of a Fortune 50 company.

Braly is unique in that her children are school-aged. Other successful career women, such as Nancy Pelosi, only moved up the ladder after their children were grown. And so Vanderkam suggests that maybe we need to rethink the family/career path. Most women dive into their careers after college and only brake to think about a family once they’ve reached a high level position. At that point, they battle fertility and are often challenged to integrate a new baby into their successful career. And thus, many opt-out.

What if instead, young women focused on family right out of college, and raised their children as they climbed the ladder? Perhaps even taking breaks on the climb. I know I’ve thought about my decision to wait to have kids many times. If nothing else, I think I might have had a bit more energy to try to manage toddlers and a career ten years ago!

While there is nothing you or I can do differently at this point, it is an interesting thought to consider. Should we be encouraging young women to have a family first?