Since taking my sabbatical over two years ago, I’ve completely changed my ideas about work, and also what we’re told about work.
Despite the economy changing beyond recognition, we’re still given the same old advice – find a job for an employer and climb the career ladder. The threat of losing this job, or reminders how lucky you are to have one at all mean that you might just stay and hold onto it because you are afraid. Is this a good reason to do anything? Nope. Sure, there’s advice on how to start a business, but it’s the go-big-or-go-home model. Put everything you have into it – get a massive loan and hang your happiness on its success.
A financial adviser would never tell you to put all of your money into a single investment, and yet this is what we do with our work. Even if the investment is shaky, or managed by someone incompetent or downright horrible, we cling on, hoping we’ll make it until some other job offer comes, or make it to retirement.
There is of course, another way. But we’re so conditioned into the status quo that it seems scary, unwise or a downgrade of your status. I’m a proud MEMB worker – I spend half a day a week in paid employment for a small charity that’s so wonderful I glow with pride when I step into their office on a Wednesday, I teach around 10 yoga classes a week for 5 different organisations, I run 5 residential wellbeing retreats each year, I deliver freelance training courses in women’s development and I’m currently creating a management and leadership programme for the construction industry. I also offer values career coaching and teach the odd cello lesson. I’ve just finished writing a book on living and working a meaningful life.
Here are some of the advantages to a MEMB career.
- You can flex your work up and down according to your needs. I can choose to run more or fewer retreats, or take on additional teaching.
- Losing your job when that’s your only source of income can have catastrophic consequences. Losing an income stream that’s one of many is still disappointing, but less likely to result in a nervous breakdown.
- You never have a gap that screams UNEMPLOYED on your CV. Even if I scale my work right back, my CV will still truthfully say that I have been in employment the whole time.
- Doing more diverse things means you develop more diverse skills, which in turn means you’re likely to find further opportunities.
- You’re a more interesting person, more likely to have something in common with the people that you meet and more likely to be connected to your community.
I offer coaching to people moving into a MEMB career, get in touch if you’d like to work with me.
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