How Women Can Navigate Constant Career Changes

When it comes to any woman’s career, only one thing is guaranteed: Change.

In the words of Quyen Pham, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Swoon, “You have to take the opportunities that speak to you and make the opportunities that drive you. You could have a dozen jobs over your lifetime and multiple careers. It’s nearly impossible to map out the whole road from the start.”

Whether starting a new role, transitioning to a new company, or learning to manage your personal and professional life, you are not alone. Learning from the examples of other women can be an empowering step to navigating the changes you are experiencing.

Transitioning Roles

Michelle Payne is no stranger to navigating career changes. Throughout her career, she has worked in various positions, including full-time, part-time, and freelance roles. Her experiences have made her an excellent example of the frequent changes many women encounter within their careers.

Nine years ago, Michelle Payne started freelancing as a web developer. Her first client was MWI, a global digital marketing agency. Over time, she integrated more into the company by creating new processes, setting up project management tools, and establishing baseline pricing.

As Payne took on more and more responsibilities in the company, her desire for growth evolved. While she still loved web development, she also enjoyed overseeing operational tasks. Learning how to streamline processes became her passion, and eventually, she was given the title of COO at MWI.

“When I’m asked how I got here, I tell others that I simply learned to always say yes to opportunities,” says Payne. “Sometimes, I wasn’t even asked to do new things—I just took the initiative. Taking on these new responsibilities was often scary since change can be intimidating. However, nothing bad comes from trying to be open to anything and helpful in every area.”

Becoming a Working Mother

Payne experienced another change in her career with the birth of her son, who is now three years old. This experience changed her entire outlook on her career.

Understanding that her son would only be a child once, Payne intentionally made changes to align her work with her parenting goals. One of these changes included logging off promptly when her work concluded each day.

“It can be challenging to find balance as a working mom,” says Payne. “For example, today I have my son home sick, my landlord just arrived to inspect the house, and it’s kind of a mess. Also, it has been a difficult adjustment to stop right at five. I used to be able to work ad hoc, as needed, and I can’t do that anymore. I have other priorities and focuses, like picking up my son from preschool and spending quality time with him.”

Although many companies have taken extra measures to support working parents, companies would benefit greatly by fostering greater inclusion for working mothers. Following COVID-19, the number of working fathers increased. However, studies show that mothers still take on the brunt of child care.

Hailey DuFort was fortunate to experience a positive transition from teaching full-time to becoming a stay-at-home mother to two children. The demand she was experiencing at home caused her to lower her hours and transition into a small role. Today, she is a Virtual Assistant at Published Author, a book-writing and self-publishing community.

“Finding a company that would align with my values and supports me in raising my family was a game-changer,” says DuFort. “I am a hard and strong worker and always knew I had much to contribute to any team. However, flexibility is simply required when you are taking on the brunt of childcare. More companies need to allow for women to contribute in self-sustaining ways.”

Changing Companies

Sometimes, it is time to change companies entirely. This kind of transition requires a leap of faith that intimidates anybody.

Kait Heard took a huge leap when she moved from Australia to the United States. She attended night school at DePaul University, and after almost six years at her former company, she made yet another transition to expand her portfolio. Today, as Manager of Talent Acquisition and Strategy at Milhouse Engineering and Construction Inc., she is grateful for her new exposure due to her ability to take risks.

“I think it is important for women to see a career like mine so that they too can feel empowered to be ‘untraditional’ in their thinking, decision-making, and journey,” says Heard. “While ‘recruitment’ has a stigma and many organizations tend to view it differently, I think it is important to make it your own as I did. Build the image you want for yourself, and people and organizations will see the value in you for it.”

Remember, women are perfectly equipped and capable of weathering any change. According to Dr. Sian Beilock, a prominent cognitive scientist, “Given that women tend to hold many different identities simultaneously, whether a caregiver or through their job, I think they are well set up to think about these shifts.”