The Next 40 Years: Giving Back After Focusing on My Career

This is my last week of full-time work. On Friday, I say good-bye to a company 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.

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?

WRONG.

Well, funny enough, I actually don’t 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). 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).

Climbing The Career Ladder

But, ever since reading Oliver Burkeman’s Four Thousand Weeks, 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.

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, teach at the college level, led at the Vice President level, 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.

What’s Next? Giving Back

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.