this is not where I thought I'd be at this point in my life...

#MerryMonday 🎉

Today is my birthday and the start of a new decade (I'm Gen X so it's a BIG one).

I have to say, a decade ago I didn't see myself where I currently am - looking for work and having metaphorical doors slammed in my face. I know I've faced age discrimination ("you're overqualified"), and I've lost opportunities because I haven't used Xero (please, I'm Gen X, I can learn any software).

But the biggest issue is actually one I've brought on myself, I've set boundaries and they're non-negotiable. Maybe it's because I've spent my entire career being paid a salary for working 40 hours a week but actually working 50, 60, sometimes 70 hours a week. A quick calculation tells me I've worked over 15,000 unpaid hours in my career. That's the equivalent of working for over 7 years for free and you know what? I'm done doing that.

Unfortunately that doesn't land well with recruiters, hiring managers and business owners. I'm perfectly happy stepping into a lower role but that's been met with skepticism ("you'll get bored", "you'll leave when you find something better", etc.). I've repeated these answers over and over:

• No, I won't get bored
• Yes, I do realize this is a lower level position
• No, I don't expect to make 6 figures

And even answering the questions honestly, I'm still not believed. If I'm lucky, I'm emailed "thanks but we're going with someone else", but more often than not, I'm ghosted.

Here's the thing: I no longer want the stress of leading the department. I want to do my job but be able to leave it at end of the day. I don't want to wake up in the middle of the night, remembering something I have to do the next day at work. I don't want to have to put off visiting family out of state because month/quarter/year end is coming up. Why is that so hard to find?

So I've been doing what others are doing, I'm freelancing. Unfortunately I don't have enough steady work so I'm also looking for a traditional job. But I'm being intentional about it. If the JD reads like it's 3 positions combined, I won't apply. If the salary isn't listed, I won't apply (I live in a state where salary has to be disclosed). If the JD includes "weekends as necessary", I won't apply. Any company would be lucky to hire me but I'm not interested in working for someone who questions my motives, doubts my intentions, or expects me to be available 24/7/365.

I was recently asked if I could guarantee that I'd stay for the next 5 years. Can anyone actually guarantee that? I was also once asked if accounting was my passion. Sorry, it's not. But that doesn't mean I'm not good at it, nor does it mean I won't give you 100% while I'm at work.

I've realized it's not my age that employers are scared of, it's my boundaries.

I guess realizing that is a birthday present to myself 🎁

Better late than never.

#freelancer #FreelanceWork #FreelanceLife #WorkFromHome #RemoteWork #CatSitting #CatSitter #WorkLifeBalance #JobHuntingChronicles #HappyBirthdayToMe

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