Episode Transcript
You’re wondering – and not for the first time – how you’re gonna thrive as an engineer among the ups and downs of life.
How you’ll be able to handle the rigors of your career and still manage a family. Care for loved ones. Or be involved in the community.
It was easy when it was just you.
When life was simpler, and you could totally focus on your career. But now…
You’re facing any of many new challenges.
You could be juggling 2 thriving careers between you and your partner.
Or deciding to have children.
(You’re excelling in your job right now. But what’s gonna happen when you have children?)
Or perhaps your life is about to get busier as your kids get older.
Or as your parents age.
Or as you or your partner take on more challenging roles in your professional lives.
This is when it gets stressful. Because you wear many hats. And you love them all.
Adjust the Pace of Your Engineering Career to Fit the Ebbs and Flows of Life
Life is gonna be what it’s gonna be. But that doesn’t mean you have to give up your career.
The trick is to expect the ebbs and flows of life and adjust the pace of your career to fit your situation.
There are ways to accommodate all versions of you.
There are even ways to make it easier for you to do so.
I’m not gonna tell you exactly what those are. Because it depends on lots of things.
And the same approaches don’t work for everyone.
You’re gonna have to figure that out for yourself.
But I am here to support you. This is a very common concern among my clients.
I’d love to work with you and help you find the solutions you’re looking for.
To keep you thriving in your career and life overall – at the same time.
You’re a resourceful person. But you also have a lot on your plate.
Working together, we’ll come up with an optimal strategy that meets your career needs right now.
Go to HerEngineeringCareer.com and click on Work with Mary. You’ll find more information and an application there.
Or feel free to connect with me through my contact page or LinkedIn.
How to Tailor Your Engineering Job to Fit Your Life Right Now
To the extent possible, you can plan life events around your job. And you can certainly find outside help with home and family obligations.
But you can also tailor your job to help you out in busy life times.
There are way more options than there used to be. And I have some examples to share with you.
Here are 9 possible ways to tailor your engineering job to fit your life right now:
- Adjust your schedule using flexible hours or a condensed work week.
- Use remote or hybrid work options as your job allows.
- Look into special projects that have more flexibility, fewer OT hours, or less travel.
These are usually temporary assignments, like advanced schooling or training courses, or simply working on a different project or with a different group instead of your current job.
- Take your leave.
Use your leave in creative ways to give you more time away from work. Like:
- Schedule a half day off per week.
- Take longer breaks when the kids are home.
- Arrange time off to handle home or community projects.
There are lots of options here.
- Go on sabbatical.
Now may be a good time to take a sabbatical.
This option can reduce stress because you can usually focus on just one project.
And you gain more flexibility in your schedule.
- Take a part-time position.
Many parents choose this option when their children are young.
It can ease the pressure of working while getting used to managing a family.
One caution: be sure to set your boundaries and don’t allow a full-time job to be crammed into a part-time position.
This happens more than you think.
- Temporarily pause your career.
Another viable option for parents is to just stop working for a while.
Depending on how long you’re away, it can be a challenge to re-enter the workforce.
But today there are many programs to help you with that.
To make the transition easier. And so you don’t lose momentum in your career.
- Set up a long-distance arrangement with commuting between family and work.
This sounds scary at first.
But many couples – even parents – use this option when both partners have valuable or high profile jobs in different locations.
Or requiring a lot of travel.
It can work for you too.
- Take turns pursuing opportunities.
This is a common option when you and your partner each want to pursue challenging opportunities.
Like going back to school. Or taking a high profile assignment.
You provide support by scaling back your work while your partner gets immersed in their work.
Then later when the situation gets reversed, you switch roles.
Making Creative Choices to Suit Your Engineering Job and Yourself
Some version of each option is likely available to you.
Discuss them with your boss or HR person.
Check your organization’s policies. And take advantage of those that serve you.
And btw, this is not an exhaustive list.
You can come up with your own solutions.
Get creative. Get ideas from others who’ve been through similar situations.
Then try a few things out. Figure out what you want. And ask for it.
Communicating your situation with your boss is really important.
Not only because they can serve you best when they know what’s happening with you. But because they’ve been through this before with other people.
They may even have ideas you haven’t thought of.
What ideally would you like to do?
How do you want to tailor your job right now?
What can you handle?
What works for you, your partner and family, as well as your career?
Figure out what you want. And ask for it.
Most of the time you’re experiencing a temporary phase of life. And maybe you have to take a slight detour.
But things will change again. And eventually get easier.
The most important thing to remember is that, no matter what your work-life situation is, there’s a way to manage it.
There is a way to get to your goal that works for you. Without abandoning your dream career.
Next time on Her Engineering Career Podcast we’ll explore seeing yourself as a successful engineer and how important that is to being one.
Be sure to tune in for Episode 154.