Taking the "On & Off Ramps": Transitioning Home & Work Life
Julie is a stay-at-home mom who once whirled in the
world of high finance and yearns to move out of
the "busy but bored" life she's now leading. Julie is
ready for the "on-ramp".
Cecilia is an architect and secretly wishes she could
slow down her life enough to spend more time with
her family and to take care of her own dreams.
Cecilia is ready to take the "off-ramp".
Julie and Cecilia share the same challenge: what is
the optimal way for them to move in and out of
these often conflicting roles at home and work?
I got an intriguing glimpse into this world, a few
weeks ago, at the Dynamic Women in Business
Conference at Harvard Business School.
Making Choices that Work for You
As I listened to the impressive panelists and
accomplished keynote speakers, I was amazed and
delighted to hear concepts like passionate dreams,
rejuvenation retreats, and life values spoken
publicly to more than 900 women, mostly 20 and 30-
somethings.
I believe this elite group of women are modeling for
all of us a new way to make personal and
professional choices. Women like Julie and Cecilia
may consciously choose to use an "on-ramp" or "off-
ramp" with their career to do what feels right. For
their larger life. Without guilt.
Sandra Day O'Connor, the first female Supreme Court
judge, is a great example of a powerful woman who,
in the midst of her legal career, took the "off-ramp"
for 5 years to be a full-time, stay-at-home mom.
Are You Ready to Relaunch into the Work Place?
So, perhaps like Cecilia and Julie you think you are
ready to take the "on-ramp" or "off-ramp", but how
do you make sure it works out like Sandra Day
O'Connor's did?
Carol Fishman Cohen, one of the fascinating panelists
I heard at the conference, believes high-powered
women who are mothers can purposefully move back
into the work place. She is co-authoring, with Vivian
Stein Rabin, the forthcoming book, "From Playdough
to Real Dough: Relaunching Your Career After Taking
Time Out to Raise Children."
How do you know when it's time to go back into the
career world? What kind of questions do you need to
be asking yourself to make an informed choice? Carol
and Vivian have designed a simple yet compelling quiz
to help you think through and feel into your choices
and consequences.
Are you wondering whether you're ready to relaunch
yourself into the work place?
Top 5 Suggestions for Smart "On and Off Ramping"
1. Beware of high frustration that causes you to just
quit because you're burned out. Try not to get to
that place by taking good care of yourself along the
way.
2. Start networking and nurturing your relationships
BEFORE you need them. When "on-ramping", think
back to who the people were that you mentored or
who were in junior positions. Reconnect with them
now.
3. Be a performance star. Do really well so when you
need to leave, you can negotiate from a stronger
position AND have great references when you
want to come back.
4. Design work to fit your needs--"fit work into life
and life into work." If "off-ramping", create a lifeline
connection to your company that works for you,
even if it's only 1 day every 3 months!
5. If you're "on-ramping", look for companies where
there are successful women at the top AND you like
the life they have. Check out the company culture
for "informal flexibility"--how much control people
have over when and where they work.
Stand confident in the fact that the majority of
women have "squiggly rather than linear" career
paths. (A study done on Ivy League graduates
found that 80% of the women had not worked full
time, whereas 92% of the men had.) So don't
downgrade yourself because you've taken the scenic
route. You're right on track!
(Thank you to the brilliant women who contributed
these ideas during the "The On-Ramp" panel--Carol
Fishman Cohen, Carolyn Buck-Luce, Anne Erni, Anne
Weisberg, and Betsy Stoeber)
Let's Talk!
Isn't this the stuff you wish you had known 10 or 15
years ago--so you could have taken the paved "off-
ramp" or planned for the zippy "on-ramp" rather than
the bumpy off-roading you've traveled?
If you're ready to explore what's next for you and
find that "on-ramp" into stimulating and fulfilling
work OR that "off-ramp" that brings you
home to yourself and family with peace and
purpose, let's talk.
I am a Certified Life Coach and Professional Retreat
Leader who specializes in working with midlife women
who are tired of struggling with the rat race at work
and at home. I thrive on working with women who
are daring to make new dreams, their
dreams, come true in a ways that's passionate and
purposeful--and FUN!
Contact me to schedule a
complimentary phone consultation session.
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