If you've taken a step backwards career-wise, were you able to recover?
January 12, 2019 8:55 AM Subscribe
I am contemplating moving back several steps career-wise for a few years, while my children are young. However, I'm concerned that by doing this, I'm never going to be able to recover. If you've taken a step backwards (or several) career-wise, were you able to recover in terms of salary and role?
I have been in the workforce for 15 years and have risen to a senior manager position. My current job is well-paying but incredibly toxic. There is a revolving door of leadership, and my manager is openly hostile and unsupportive. There is no chance for advancement despite performing incredibly well.
I currently work remotely and would prefer that my next job be local. However, the local pay scale is not the same — and the same opportunities are generally not available in my location. I also have small kids (under 5.) So I am thinking about taking a job that would be several steps backwards in terms of pay and prestige — instead of leaning in, I'm considering "taking something flexible with kind people."
However, I can't get around the notion that I'm setting myself up for a long-term career disaster. I worked incredibly, incredibly hard to move my salary and position forward (I'm female, and am still paid less than my male peers in similar roles...) and I don't want to be in a "holding job" forever.
Will going from a senior manager job to an assistant or associate job be terrible? Should I hold out? There's no need to take the first job coming down the pipeline - I have time to think this over, and my leaving is not an immediate need.
I have been in the workforce for 15 years and have risen to a senior manager position. My current job is well-paying but incredibly toxic. There is a revolving door of leadership, and my manager is openly hostile and unsupportive. There is no chance for advancement despite performing incredibly well.
I currently work remotely and would prefer that my next job be local. However, the local pay scale is not the same — and the same opportunities are generally not available in my location. I also have small kids (under 5.) So I am thinking about taking a job that would be several steps backwards in terms of pay and prestige — instead of leaning in, I'm considering "taking something flexible with kind people."
However, I can't get around the notion that I'm setting myself up for a long-term career disaster. I worked incredibly, incredibly hard to move my salary and position forward (I'm female, and am still paid less than my male peers in similar roles...) and I don't want to be in a "holding job" forever.
Will going from a senior manager job to an assistant or associate job be terrible? Should I hold out? There's no need to take the first job coming down the pipeline - I have time to think this over, and my leaving is not an immediate need.
About 8 years ago I stepped down one level, due to having young kids (and wanting to spend more time with them) and not enjoying the job (new management changed the work considerably). I was happy in the lower role and the pay drop didn’t impact as much as I anticipated. A great job back at my previous level appeared with a different employer about a year ago - I got the job and wasn't even asked about why I dropped a level during interview.
posted by chr at 9:27 AM on January 12, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by chr at 9:27 AM on January 12, 2019 [5 favorites]
My sister did and did not recover. She wasn’t even able to get back into her old industry (banking).
If you are specifically looking for positive stories, you should probably say that.
posted by FencingGal at 9:29 AM on January 12, 2019 [2 favorites]
If you are specifically looking for positive stories, you should probably say that.
posted by FencingGal at 9:29 AM on January 12, 2019 [2 favorites]
I did and turned out fine. I moved to the location with lower salary and less opportunity seven years ago. My third job in this location now exceeds my exiting compensation from my previous position by a large margin, and significantly outperforms the local salary market.
As the others mentioned, my peers were promoted ahead of me but I’m fine with that. I don’t want their jobs.
posted by crazycanuck at 9:32 AM on January 12, 2019 [2 favorites]
As the others mentioned, my peers were promoted ahead of me but I’m fine with that. I don’t want their jobs.
posted by crazycanuck at 9:32 AM on January 12, 2019 [2 favorites]
A former mentor went part-time (same organization, reduced work schedule) for these reasons, and a year or so later she jack-rabbit-ed over her boss to a C-suite level position, still with the reduced work schedule. My sense is that there was a fair amount of serendipity that played into that. The more common story is that "leaning out" of an industry often ends up being permanent, especially for women.
posted by basalganglia at 9:34 AM on January 12, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by basalganglia at 9:34 AM on January 12, 2019 [4 favorites]
I’m a woman, and I I took a pay cut and role reduction to get out of a toxic work environment. I was back up to my old role and salary 3 years later- and career-shifted into a much better role and better pay right after that. I was lucky.
But these comments are really anecdotal. I feel like there should be somewhere where you can see actual data of how people’s careers are affected by changes like this. (Not that any data will ensure your success, but you might be able to gauge the risks more accurately.)
posted by greermahoney at 9:38 AM on January 12, 2019 [4 favorites]
But these comments are really anecdotal. I feel like there should be somewhere where you can see actual data of how people’s careers are affected by changes like this. (Not that any data will ensure your success, but you might be able to gauge the risks more accurately.)
posted by greermahoney at 9:38 AM on January 12, 2019 [4 favorites]
I know several elder people (boomers) who did this and came out very fine, and though I know they had very different conditions, I'm looking to them for inspiration as I have chosen to do exactly this, about 6 months ago. Till now, I'm doing fine. Thinking a lot, but feeling a lot better than before.
posted by mumimor at 10:20 AM on January 12, 2019
posted by mumimor at 10:20 AM on January 12, 2019
My husband and I did this after we were both laid off. He drove professionally after being laid off from the IT world. I permatemped as a receptionist after my company was bought and dismantled. It both took us 3-4 years to get back into our respective industries. It might help that we live in a place with a boom and bust economy and everyone has a plan B.
posted by Calzephyr at 10:47 AM on January 12, 2019
posted by Calzephyr at 10:47 AM on January 12, 2019
A few of the comments above mentioned data. Unfortunately career interruptions (e.g., unemployment or obvious cases of "leaning out") are extremely detrimental to income and progression. It's one of the best studied effects in labor economics. There are mixed results on whether the penalty differs by gender, but the effects are large and women are more often than not the ones who do take the interruptions. See a well-known 2009 study here tracking University of Chicago MBA graduates. For example, taking an 18-month interruption resulted in a persistent and lasting decrease in salary that varied from 15-50% depending on profession (e.g., roughly 15% for MDs, 35% for JDs/PhDs, and 50% for MBAs). Claudia Goldin is an amazing academic in this area if you're interested in more.
But there is likely quite a bit of selection bias in these studies since they're observational. If the average women who takes a career interruption does so because she prioritizes career advancement less, and you care more than the average, you may be able to mitigate quite a lot of the effect with effort. Takeaway though is that there will definitely be a consequence on your career of some lasting effect and size—whether or not it's worth it to you is a personal choice.
Sometimes taking the step back is still worth it to focus on family and balance, especially if your spouse earns enough already (a conclusion also backed up by data!). Sometimes what makes us happiest isn't to focus on achieving the utmost in a career, and even if you'll be behind your peers afterwards, you could still be in a job that's fulfilling and challenging enough to satisfy you even if it's not as far as you would've been.
posted by hotchocolate at 12:33 PM on January 12, 2019 [8 favorites]
But there is likely quite a bit of selection bias in these studies since they're observational. If the average women who takes a career interruption does so because she prioritizes career advancement less, and you care more than the average, you may be able to mitigate quite a lot of the effect with effort. Takeaway though is that there will definitely be a consequence on your career of some lasting effect and size—whether or not it's worth it to you is a personal choice.
Sometimes taking the step back is still worth it to focus on family and balance, especially if your spouse earns enough already (a conclusion also backed up by data!). Sometimes what makes us happiest isn't to focus on achieving the utmost in a career, and even if you'll be behind your peers afterwards, you could still be in a job that's fulfilling and challenging enough to satisfy you even if it's not as far as you would've been.
posted by hotchocolate at 12:33 PM on January 12, 2019 [8 favorites]
I took a couple of steps down when relocating to the USA from Europe, rationalizing that my pay was still going up. I have never recovered and people just ignore the senior experience from back in the home country, and minimize it by saying it is way in the past, a situation that just gets worse with time.
posted by w0mbat at 1:25 PM on January 12, 2019
posted by w0mbat at 1:25 PM on January 12, 2019
I used to hire a lot of administrative assistant position, and saw many folks really struggle to get back to higher levels after taking a break.
posted by Ausamor at 3:07 PM on January 12, 2019
posted by Ausamor at 3:07 PM on January 12, 2019
It really, really depends. On average/in aggregate, yes it tends to be detrimental especially if you are a woman with children. But you are unlikely to be an average person - you are you and your career path won't reflect the mean average.
I took a step back AND changed careers about 4 years ago. Kids were part of the reason, plus long-held doubt about my profession (journalism), plus the specifics of my partner's job and career.
It's turned out fairly well. I initially took a significant pay cut but after 2-3 years got back towards where I was.
I was definitely lucky - I was able to specialise in a subject area that was emerging rapidly, I could leverage contacts and prestige from my previous role, etc.
Without knowing your occupation/sector, I'd suggest you try very hard to find something that is (or appears to be) more of a sideways move - ie where you at least gain some new knowledge and expand your range of skills and experience. Eg if you work in something that works in multiple industries, such as finance or tech or media/comms, then try to find something in a particular industry that has good growth prospects and the ability to develop subject-matter knowledge. That way, your downshifting might ultimately lead you to develop a valuable niche/specialist career.
posted by 8k at 3:27 PM on January 12, 2019 [2 favorites]
I took a step back AND changed careers about 4 years ago. Kids were part of the reason, plus long-held doubt about my profession (journalism), plus the specifics of my partner's job and career.
It's turned out fairly well. I initially took a significant pay cut but after 2-3 years got back towards where I was.
I was definitely lucky - I was able to specialise in a subject area that was emerging rapidly, I could leverage contacts and prestige from my previous role, etc.
Without knowing your occupation/sector, I'd suggest you try very hard to find something that is (or appears to be) more of a sideways move - ie where you at least gain some new knowledge and expand your range of skills and experience. Eg if you work in something that works in multiple industries, such as finance or tech or media/comms, then try to find something in a particular industry that has good growth prospects and the ability to develop subject-matter knowledge. That way, your downshifting might ultimately lead you to develop a valuable niche/specialist career.
posted by 8k at 3:27 PM on January 12, 2019 [2 favorites]
I’m a librarian. I went from full time to very part time while I was homeschooling (8 years) and I had no problem getting back in.
posted by Biblio at 3:51 PM on January 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Biblio at 3:51 PM on January 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
My story is really just more anecdata for you but I stepped out entirely for 3 years from a fairly junior position to stay home with kids. When I went back, I leapfrogged up into a director-level and then moved quickly to a VP role. I am making much more than I would have had i stayed in the workforce those three years.
This is an impossible question to answer for you, because statistics are true but they are not destiny. For the most part, women suffer when making this decision. For me, it meant I was available for a stretch job, one that I probably wouldn't have been open to if I'd already been employed.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 7:18 PM on January 12, 2019
This is an impossible question to answer for you, because statistics are true but they are not destiny. For the most part, women suffer when making this decision. For me, it meant I was available for a stretch job, one that I probably wouldn't have been open to if I'd already been employed.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 7:18 PM on January 12, 2019
Generally, including “Homemaker and caregiver” is very much not recommended. It’s widely known that this isn’t paid work and doesn’t count as professional experience, and to include it on a resume makes a person look tone-deaf and super unprofessional.
posted by Autumnheart at 9:53 PM on January 12, 2019 [8 favorites]
posted by Autumnheart at 9:53 PM on January 12, 2019 [8 favorites]
I was not at a manager level, but my boss let me go to part-time after maternity leave, which I did for over 2 years. When I was ready to go back full-time it would have been tricky to convert my existing position back to full-time due to budget issues, so I went to a different full-time position with a much bigger salary. I never mentioned anywhere on my resume or in interviews that I worked part-time for those years, and it never came up. It was in healthcare, though, where part-time employment is quite normal.
posted by Maarika at 12:18 PM on January 13, 2019
posted by Maarika at 12:18 PM on January 13, 2019
A colleague of mine 'leaned out' for a few years following the birth of her child but still stayed in the same organisation. She stagnated and her skills and standing were damaged. If we had had a reorg she probably would have lost her job. She spent a couple of years working very hard to recover, and ended up winning a promotion.
Another colleague of mine left the organisation to look after her kids, and returned at about the same level 3-4 years later in a fixed-term post. Her peers have definitely moved ahead. She might stay long-term and progress but I think it's less likely.
A couple of things that occurred to me looking at the situation you present. What are you long-term prospects, given the location you live in? Would it be better to transition to something sustainable now? By this I mean, it sounds like you are tied to a location that does not offer the kind of career you could have elsewhere. So, are you better off framing this as 'what kind of fulfilling career can I have here?' and ignoring the potential options available to you in a different location as no longer being relevant.
posted by plonkee at 5:23 AM on January 14, 2019
Another colleague of mine left the organisation to look after her kids, and returned at about the same level 3-4 years later in a fixed-term post. Her peers have definitely moved ahead. She might stay long-term and progress but I think it's less likely.
A couple of things that occurred to me looking at the situation you present. What are you long-term prospects, given the location you live in? Would it be better to transition to something sustainable now? By this I mean, it sounds like you are tied to a location that does not offer the kind of career you could have elsewhere. So, are you better off framing this as 'what kind of fulfilling career can I have here?' and ignoring the potential options available to you in a different location as no longer being relevant.
posted by plonkee at 5:23 AM on January 14, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
(What happens is that during the "step back" time, one's former peers and subordinates are moving up. Not just the specific people, but their whole generation. And within a surprisingly short period they become the managers and directors; and one finds oneself an unwanted relic.)
posted by fingersandtoes at 9:17 AM on January 12, 2019 [14 favorites]