Work That Fits
Illustration by Beth Waygood
Words by Francesca Hughes
In June 2022, I turned in my ID badge and laptop and stepped out onto the streets of central London and away from my corporate law career, with no idea what I would do next. I didn’t know it then, but I was part of what would later be called the “great resignation” which saw record numbers of UK employees quitting their jobs that year.
The pandemic and its fallout triggered a wave of career changes, initially out of necessity as people were furloughed, made redundant, or saw their businesses go under; and then later, as workers re-trained, monetised their hobbies or - having been faced with the fragility of life as we knew it - were emboldened to do the things they had always longed to. Recent research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that four million people have changed careers since the pandemic and the rate of career changes shows no sign of letting up.
My story
I had been unsure about the career path I found myself on for a while and, in March 2020 following a major milestone in my legal career, I took a trip to explore Australia by campervan. I had completed my training at a top-tier city law firm, qualified as a solicitor and accepted a position as an associate of the firm. Driving across those vast landscapes with plenty of time to reflect, I realised that despite how hard I had worked to get this far in my career, the gruelling years of studying, exams, training, competing against my peers etc., I didn’t want to climb this corporate ladder any more. I knew it then, but Covid hit and my trip was cut short. I managed to get a flight back to London before the borders closed. My laptop was couriered to my flat and I was assigned to new cases. At that time I was just grateful to have my health and a secure job, so I got back to work and kept my head down for the next two years.
Eventually, the doubts and desires that were suppressed during the pandemic resurfaced with a vengeance. I found myself living at odds with my values and devoting all my time to work, rather than to the people, activities and causes I cared about.
I tried to figure out ways to make the job fit. Perhaps if I worked for a different firm? What if I changed specialism? Finally, I accepted that I needed a total career pivot. The thought of completely redirecting the course of my career, leaving behind 12 years of studying, training and building a profile in a niche profession was really scary. It would mean starting over.
Statistically, women seem much more likely to pursue complete career changes than their male counterparts. Barriers and inflexible working conditions force women, who often have greater caring responsibilities for children or older relatives, to reinvent their ways of working. In fact, just one in three women return to the same industry they left after parenting-related career breaks. Whether parents or not, what I found most interesting is that “when women do become entrepreneurs, they tend to focus on more meaningful, mission-driven pursuits” which lead to more fulfilling careers than the ones they left. This chimes with many examples from our local community.
Susy Davies
Like many people, Susy left school and fell into a job which turned into a career. It wasn’t planned, but working in IT for a local insurance company suited her for two decades. It was through this work that she met her husband Matt, and for over a decade it offered decent paid part-time work which the mum-of-two could fit around her family commitments. It therefore came as a shock last year when the 42-year-old was told that she was being made redundant. “People said it would be the best thing that ever happened to me,” Susy recalls. “Did I believe them? Of course not. But they were right.” Susy, discovered a deep love of running in her 30s, vital for her physical and mental health. It pushed her to new achievements like running the London Marathon and it was from her running obsession, and the injuries that ensued, that a whole new purpose-driven career for Susy. She used her redundancy pay to enrol onto a Level 3 diploma in Sports Massage Therapy and her own enterprise, Endorphin Massage Therapy, was born (see endorphinmassage.co.uk). Susy now gives sports therapy massages at her home studio in Bournemouth, as well from at LV’s offices (her former employer!), a Ferndown-based chiropractor and pop up studios at events across the region. “I'm already going from strength to strength, getting incredible feedback from my clients which keeps driving me forward, and for the first time in my life I can say I actually love my job.”
Becky Hougham
Becky, also from Bournemouth, spent over 15 years of her career in corporate communications. When her dad became seriously ill with dementia, Becky found herself caring for him along with her mum and sister before he sadly passed away last year. “My workplace at the time was neither sympathetic, nor supportive,” Becky reflected, which triggered her to reprioritise. “I realised that I’d dedicated a lot of my time, energy and self to helping other people make money - people who weren’t really bothered about my welfare.” Becky started looking for more meaningful and flexible work, taking a significant pay cut to move into the charity sector where she secured a social media job with a dementia charity: “It’s been over three years since I left the
corporate world and I’ve never looked back.” Here she found a neurodivergent staff group initially for support with dyslexia, which she was diagnosed with as a teenager. This took her down a path of discovery and the 46-year-old has since been diagnosed with autism and ADHD, leading to Becky finding another purpose-driven job with a national charity that elevates the voices of autistic people. “Working for organisations where I can use my lived experience to help others has been one of the most fulfilling things I've ever done. It's also given me the belonging I've been searching for. I struggled all my life thinking that there was something fundamentally wrong with my personality, and that I was somehow ‘broken' - but now I finally feel like I've found a spiky-shaped hole for my spiky-shaped peg.”
Alexandra Sebire
“You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.” - Benjamin Mee, We Bought A Zoo.
On a random Saturday mid-2023, I decided to take Benjamin Mee’s advice and ask Di Venti Boutique in Poole if they would take my art. That one question has led me to practise embarrassing bravery on a regular basis. Embarrassing bravery is asking the questions and turning up, because if you never ask and you never turn up, the answer is always no. This philosophy has resulted in stocking several shops, a solo exhibition in the Dolphin Centre, group exhibitions in London, collaborating with local creatives, hosting workshops, joining local co-working sessions, doing markets, making new friends, leaving my full time job in corporate marketing and (most recently) launching a podcast with local to international guests in the lineup. Twenty seconds of embarrassing bravery has led me to discover the belonging I always hoped to find, but never believed I would. And to pursue my dreams with a supportive, multi-passionate community around me. Now almost one year into my business, Solemniko (see: solemniko.com), all I can say of belonging is that if you risk your ego for twenty seconds, embracing the concept of embarrassing bravery, then chances are the path you walk as a consequence will lead you to the belonging you seek.
The decision to pivot careers is daunting and can feel lonely at times, so it is comforting to know there are so many of us making risky and resourceful moves in the pursuit of more fulfilling work lives. Like Becky, I transitioned from the corporate world into the charity sector and like Alexandra, I left a singular career for something more blended and creative. I now work remotely from Dorset for an organisation that improves the lives of young people, I swim in the sea and I write. It wasn’t a smooth process to get here. After quitting I experienced a mental and physical burn out that took the best part of a year to recover from, my income plummeted and I often worried that the risk of throwing away a stable career wouldn’t pay off. I was surprised at how much I felt the loss of status by trading an impressive job title to a role that doesn’t carry much gravitas. Over time, none of that mattered because my work contributes to society in a small way, feels more aligned with how I want to live, and has allowed my life outside of my day job to become bigger.
Like Susy, Becky, Alexandra and so many of us, a career pivot has involved much more than just a job change. It is about reinvention, about changing your trajectory and about finding a way of belonging within our own lives.
