{"id":1746,"date":"2024-05-28T05:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-28T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amberrfield.com\/staging\/1483\/?p=1746"},"modified":"2024-05-27T16:36:12","modified_gmt":"2024-05-27T21:36:12","slug":"the-next-40-years-giving-back-after-focusing-on-my-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amberrfield.com\/staging\/1483\/the-next-40-years-giving-back-after-focusing-on-my-career\/","title":{"rendered":"The Next 40 Years: Giving Back After Focusing on My Career"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This is my last week of full-time work. On Friday, I say good-bye to a company<\/a> that, for the most part, was a wonderful place to work (for the most part – nothing is ever perfect). Will I ever go back to the grind of “normal” adult working life? Only time will tell. It’s time for me to focus more on giving back than making money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have spent the last twenty years doing what every good working citizen is supposed to do: get good grades, find a good job, pay your taxes. Security, predictability, and working for “the man” (and it is most often a man for reasons I won’t get into here) is what we’re all supposed to strive for. It’s exactly what everyone should want to do with their life. Earn that money, buy a house, have kids, walk your dog and say hi to your neighbor quickly because that’s all you really have time to do, and maybe travel once a year with that hard-earned cash and those couple of weeks your job gives you for vacation. These are the elements of a good life. Just follow the pattern, keep your head down, and you’ll have no regrets, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WRONG.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Well, funny enough, I actually don’t<\/em> have a lot of regrets with how I’ve lived the first part of my life. I’ve been fortunate to find a career that I both love and that more than pays the bills (tech is nice like that). I have found relative balance (whether it be a second major in Spanish in addition to my Comp Sci degree, travel, or outside pursuits like writing<\/a>). I’ve had two wonderful kids who have grown into really fun teenagers (yes, I just said that – they can be both fun and frustrating).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climbing The Career Ladder<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But, ever since reading Oliver Burkeman’s Four Thousand Weeks<\/em><\/a>, I’ve been acutely aware that I now have about two thousand weeks left on this planet. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that what I’ve done for the first half of my life is not how I want to spend the second half. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first half was full of amazing career milestones, family milestones, and a lot of fun. But what I optimized for was earning money and climbing that career ladder above all else. I’ve crushed the patriarchy in many places and have been beaten down by it in others. I have achieved so many of the things I wanted to achieve. I’ve written a book<\/a>, teach<\/a> at the college level, led at the Vice President level<\/a>, had two amazing kids, transformed organizations for the better, and traveled around the world (though not as much as I’d like)! I am really happy with what I’ve accomplished, but now it’s time to give back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s Next? Giving Back<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now I’m going to concentrate on being the change I’d like to see in this world. I’m not exactly sure what that looks like right now, but the things I care most deeply about are the planet, women’s rights (women in tech, specifically), and learning when enough is enough. I’ve earned enough over the last 20 years, but what I haven’t done enough of is giving back. After I take some time to detox, learn how to live at a slower pace, and, of course, travel more, I know I’ll have a clearer understanding of how to move forward. I’m taking a big leap off of a cliff with an invisible safety net. I know it’s there. And when I find it, I’ll use it to spring forward into a future I hope to make much, much better.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is my last week of full-time work. Will I ever go back to the grind of “normal” adult working life? Only time will tell. 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