In thinking about what’s next in my own career, I’ve decided that I want maximum flexibility with the ability to support myself and my family while also doing something impactful that aligns with my most important values.
 
This is a multi-pronged goal.
 
First, there is my ongoing employment as a consultant for a large organization.
 
I used to do a lot of coaching outside of this engagement as well, but the ROI was not worth the time I spent doing it. My business model needed a lot of tweaking.
 
Then after my son was born, I cut my hours so that I could care for him. But that meant cutting my income, serving fewer clients, and turning down opportunities to make an impact in the external world while focusing on making an impact at home – a common role conflict experienced by parents, especially women.
 
Now that my son is almost 2.5 years old, I am ready to take on additional work, but on my terms.
 
I’ve been researching how to build multiple income streams, and some of the streams seem interesting and worth the time investment.
 
A few weeks ago, I took the first step. I opened up a non-retirement investment account. I have a lot to learn about investing, it is clear. But everyone is a beginner at some point.
 
I’m an experienced Career Counselor who has been helping people identify and reach their career goals for 16 years. I’ve worked with over 5000 individual clients and 600+ groups. But I believe now that career decision-making is best when approached holistically, in the context of the individual person, the parts of her or his life, life roles and external economic and social realities. For example, if you want to get ahead in your financial life, it’s not just about getting a good, traditional job with benefits and a 401k. Even that does not fully compensate for a limited social safety net. We also have to educate ourselves on how to build our own safety net and then take steps to put it into action.
 
We need to consider the entire lifespan.
 
It took me a while to come to this view. Or maybe I’ve always been here and just never articulated it this way.
 
Join me in my own career journey as I share career wisdom while increasing my own awareness of personal finance and other aspects of living intentionally in alignment with my values.