A New Season: Embarking on a Career Pause

“Not all those who wander are lost.”?

When I left my job last month to embark on a career pause, things were good. My work was interesting, my team was wonderful, I loved my manager, and the company was successful and purpose-driven. I had been employed by LinkedIn for over 9 years. I’d worked on 4 teams doing 5 different roles for 7 different managers. I was proud of the work I’d done, the relationships I’d made, and the reputation I’d built for myself. So why leave?

This is something I’ve thought a lot about as the decision to pause my career didn’t come lightly. It is a big change for me and for my family. And there are plenty of reasons I shouldn’t have left (each of which I obsessed over). Change is hard, but there are tools to help people navigate change curves (as I’ve learned from working closely with change managers at LinkedIn). Here are 3 questions I found helpful to not only accepting, but wholeheartedly embracing this particular life change: Why? Why now? What’s in it for me?

Why??

Embracing a new season: When I left my job things were good. But something had started to feel “off”. The feeling came gradually, and at first was confusing given that everything on the outside seemed to be going right. Time and energy are our most important resources, and they are also finite. The question I started regularly asking myself was: am I spending my precious time & energy each day working toward the things that are most important to me right now? At its core, the intention of this career pause, for me, is not stepping away from something that is broken, but rather making space to step INTO a new season that is more aligned with my priorities right now. I feel very grateful and privileged to be able to take this step.?

Why now??

• Time isn’t slowing down: My kids are young (5 & 3), but growing rapidly. They still need me a lot right now, and more than that, they still want to spend time with me - isn’t that wonderful? I know that as the years pass they will need me and want me less and less, and I want to be present and energized during this magical time in their lives, not distracted and exhausted.?
• Having it all: For much of my life, I aspired to be a working mom. I worked hard and I leaned in, believing that I was doing this just as much for my daughters and women everywhere as for myself. After 5 years of being a high performer at a top tier tech company while also being a parent, I’ve proved to myself unequivocally that yes, I can “have it all” (according to society’s standards). I’ve checked that box. Closing the door on the “can” question has freed me to throw the door wide open on the “want” question. “What do I want to do”? Or, in other words, what does “having it all” mean for me??
• Crossroads moment: Unfortunately, “having it all” left me so stretched between my demanding job and demanding home life that I had no space to figure out what I want a new season to look like. I was at a crossroads: keep doing what I’m doing for the foreseeable future (which didn’t feel right), or actively make the space to explore what is important to me now and go after my next play with intention and focus. After much thought, planning, and discussion with my partner & kids, I chose the latter.?

What’s in it for me??

• Authentic living: as morbid as this sounds, many of my big life choices are driven by considering “as I lie on my deathbed, will I regret this choice?” Do I think that years from today I will regret intentionally aligning my time and energy to my priorities? Not a chance.
• Personal growth & a new adventure: in my lived experience, the periods of biggest risk & uncertainty have resulted in the biggest transformational moments. Each of these experiences has taught me that I can do hard things. While the future is unknown, I trust that this pause will take me where I need to go to become the person I need to be.
• Setting an example: I want my girls to know in their bones that how you spend your one, precious life is your choice. Steadily climbing the corporate ladder is great if that is what you want, but it is not your only option. As Bluey’s mom (Chili) says: “run your own race.” Trust in yourself. Listen to your gut. Take risks. Be brave.?

Getting clear on these three questions really helped build my confidence as I chose to leave the corporate world for a while. I’d love to hear from others who have taken big risks in your careers: what drove your decisions and how did you embrace your change?

Next up: I’ll share the project management tools that helped me create structure for this transition.