10 Things I’ve Learned about Work During The Pandemic
Bikepacking on the land of the Coastal Miwok people in Northern California.
IT’S OKAY TO LEAVE SOMETHING GOOD FOR SOMETHING BETTER. And just because it’s good doesn’t mean you don't deserve better. Give yourself permission to unapologetically pursue the depths of your fulfillment, joy, and happiness. (Applies to all aspects of life)
THERE WILL NEVER BE A PERFECT TIME TO QUIT. There will always be another deadline to meet, project to wrap up, or idea to follow up on. Don’t stay at the expense of your well-being.
YOU CAN AND WILL BE REPLACED Yes, you are good at your job and can never truly be replaced AND we will live in capitalism. So, you can and will be replaced. Swiftly. Don’t be a martyr. I recently had deep belly anxiety about quitting a job and worrying about who would pick up my responsibilities. Less than 24-hours after I put my notice in, they were talking about my replacement. The organization will be fine, prioritize what you need.
ASK FOR MORE MONEY UPFRONT and be willing to walk away you’re being lowballed. Black women, women of color, queer and trans folks of color, first-gen folks, etc. - I’m talking to you. For many of us, our salary stretches beyond our individual expenses to our families and other loved ones. Ask for more. Not sure how much to ask for? Ask around. Find out what the market rate is for the role you’re interested in. Even if you don’t have added responsibilities, ask for more because you deserve it and white counterparts asking for more.
990s EXIST FOR A REASON. If you work in the nonprofit sector, find out how much the highest-paid people in the organization are being compensated and negotiate accordingly.
APPLY ANYWAY. Job descriptions are written for imaginary candidates. They haven’t met you yet. Show them that you can do the job in a way that only you can do it.
HAVE MEETING-LESS DAYS. How are you supposed to get anything done if you are in meetings all day? Leave space for walks outside, processing, and creativity.
DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. I was inspired by career coach, Jessica Wernli to keep a professional journal and it’s been a game-changer. It’s important to document pivotal moments in your career and to return come back to them when you find yourself in a familiar situation. Document how it felt to put in your notice and what it felt like on the other side. Write down how you went about negotiating for that competitive salary. Document how what you want to do is changing and shifting.
TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED. Gross pay inequities and toxic work environments thrive when we aren’t talking to each other. Share far and wide what you learn about compensation packages, toxic work environments, and other ways of working with people in your network and beyond.
JUST GIVE IT A SHOT As I’m finding my footing as an independent consultant, I’m realizing that I have to create what I want to see and do in the world. There won’t always be examples to move towards and instead, I’ll just have to try a lot of different things and see what fits.
“I’ve been talking to folks about the importance of us building a million different little experiments, just building and trying and taking risks and understanding we’re going to have tons of failure, and failure is actually a norm and a good way for us to learn lessons that help us” - Mariame Kama, We Do This Til We Free Us