Would you trade a steady paycheck and peace of mind for a flashy title and a hefty salary? Many of us face this dilemma at some point in our careers, and the choice isn’t as straightforward as it seems. As a single parent, the prospect of a hefty salary and a flashy title seems nice on the surface, but if you are like me, other factors come into play that far outweigh the rewards of a big paycheck. Here are five reasons I chose to stay with my steady nine-to-five in a world where job hopping is the new norm.
Financial Stability
As a single parent, the financial responsibility for my family lies solely on my shoulders, and having a regular paycheck and good benefits is essential to our well-being. Longevity at a job provides a regular paycheck and removes the worry of waiting a certain period for other benefits to kick in. A consistent paycheck is crucial for managing my household budget and helps me be able to plan for future expenses. In addition, having access to health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, and other benefits has significantly reduced my out-of-pocket expenses. This was especially crucial for me when my children were younger and one of them consistently needed asthma medications and was regularly hospitalized. The peace of mind from knowing I did not have to worry about high out-of-pocket costs or not having access to adequate medical care was very important to me.
Work-life Balance
When I was parenting littles, a job with fixed hours allowed me to plan better around their schedules and mine. This included coordinating childcare, school drop-offs and pick-ups, and sports schedules. Even now that these little ones have grown into a teenager and a young adult, I find that having a fixed schedule is still great for planning activities with each other as well as having time to focus on building this small business outside of my regular nine-to-five. In addition to having fixed hours, my current employer also offers options for remote work two days a week, personal days, and paid time off that roll over from year to year.
As someone who is in a leadership role, the option for remote days has been a game changer. Having the option to work outside of the regular office environment allows me to focus on certain tasks without the interruptions from staff that can come from physically being in the office. Personal days and paid time off are added perks that allow me time off when I need it, but also allow me to be flexible as I navigate building a business, raising grown children, and supporting aging family members.
Supportive Workplace Environment
As a single parent, having a sense of community is important for me in a job. I value an employer who understands and supports the unique challenges of single parenting. This offers a sense of relief and support and in turn, helps me to be more at ease at work. I know that at any time, I can go to my boss and have an honest conversation about some of my challenges and why I may need to take some time off. This in turn helps me to feel more valued as an employee and creates a sense of loyalty where I show up to work and do the best job possible.
Career Growth and Stability
When I started at this company almost nine years ago, I started at the bottom as a career coach, assisting single parents with identifying their barriers to employment, exploring different career paths, training them on essential workplace skills, and supporting them through on-the-job training activities and recruitment services so that they could become self-sufficient. Since then, I have consistently worked my way up the career ladder and now manage one of the programs with ten other team members that I supervise and support. Staying with this employer offered me a clear path to career progression and led me to higher positions and salaries over time… and there is still more room for career growth. During this time, I was also able to complete my doctorate and a host of other training and certifications that have continued to improve my skills and performance, not to mention the many transferrable skills I have amassed over time.
Emotional and Mental Well-being
As a single parent, prioritizing my mental and emotional wellness has become increasingly important as I juggle work, kids, family, and business. One of the things that maintaining the same employer has provided me with is routine and structure, both with my job and with my family obligations. I know that I have work obligations from Monday to Friday, 9-5, and evenings and weekends belong to me. This gives me peace of mind and a sense of normalcy that I need so that I can reduce my stress and overwhelm. Add to this, the fact that I am not caught up in stressing over job hunting or dealing with an unstable employer.
A Word of Advice
Whatever career path you choose, whether staying with an employer because of the value-added benefits or seeking out new opportunities consistently, ensure that your values always align with whatever employer you end up with. Our values are those things that are important to us, and we should try to never compromise on them. When your values are aligned with your career path, you experience greater job satisfaction. You immediately have a sense of doing meaningful work and are empowered and motivated to do so. Besides, we spend a great majority of our lives at work, so we might as well get what we want out of it.
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