I work 40 hours a week (sometimes a little more, depending on the project), and the workload and stress are super manageable. UX design. Look into it, gals!" —Anonymous, 44, Massachusetts The best part of working for my company is that my husband was able to retire right before his 40th birthday, and he is a very happy househusband, taking care of me and our fur babies. I thank my lucky stars every day that my company recruited me, and I will work this boring-ass job until I can’t anymore. 😂" —mrsdubdub In REALITY, I’m ‘working’ about two to three hours per day with intermittent meetings and emails in between. I love my company and I love what I do, but I do tend to get bored with my downtime." —Anonymous, 31, California —td5
Being a consultant instead of a nonprofit employee means management doesn’t BS with us. I am kept out of office politics, and my advice is given weight. When new programs are being workshopped before being submitted for funding, I can apply my learnings from my master’s program, which means I am finally using my degree as well." —Sarah, 30, New Jersey It is a perfect fit. I no longer deal with the stress of courts and clients. I just help whoever needs it by creating systems or documents that will make their job easier. I love it! It’s like solving puzzles every day for money." —Janet, 58, Georgia I know SLPs in the schools and hospitals face some more stress than I do, but overall, I love being in a field where I feel well compensated, have a flexible position, and am autonomous with no supervision or anyone telling me what to do. The best part of the job though is definitely the change I make in people’s lives. I have been in the room with children who say their first word, tell their parents they love them for the first time, and teach children how to read, which changes their lives with communication skills." —Virgina, 30, Washington My advice? Start at a small mom business. The pay isn’t great, but they will let you learn anything and try anything. Want to take on coding emails? Go for it! Want to take on designing a post card for the top customers? Cool, let us know when it’s done. You’ll gain working experience that you can put on your resume. Your path is 100% what you make of it. And when you decide what you think you want to do, check out the current job market for that position. Then you’ll know what those skills are worth, who your audience is, and what other skills you may need to stand out. Once you think you’re close, build your resume and RUN!" —Anonymous, 38 Kansas