Today is Job Action Day, and the Quintessential Careers family of sites and blogs has united to encourage readers to take at least one proactive step to shore up their jobs or careers in the face of the current economic crisis. A Storied Career today brings you the story of Nikki Maxwell, who, though in a precarious economic position, is applying pluck, optimism, and creativity to her next steps:
Three years ago, I left my stable job to become a consultant (in the nonprofit sector), expand my earning potential and have a more flexible lifestyle conducive to being a Mama. My husband’s prospects as a freelance video game writer were bright, and it seemed like a good time to make a leap of faith.
Yeah. good times.
The landscape has been shifting over the last three years. Like a moving target. My husband’s prospects dried up, and I lost one of my two major contracts right away after I quit the j-o-b. Wah.
He is now employed through January, and that’s all we know. I was laid off my second contract this fall.
For the first time since I remember, I do not have a paycheck. My middle-class work hard and do-good ethics are not bearing fruit. Yikes.
Here’s the thing though — when times are tough, people get creative. There is no safe bet for me. I can’t go backwards to where I was before, and I’m not really sure what the future holds for me. It’s not a good time to try and be a freelance consultant in the nonprofit world. Nobody has money to pay me upfront, and I don’t want to work on commissions.
Right now, I am in the process of designing a plan as best I can to try and weather the current economic mess, find a way to stay in LA to keep the dream alive and to feed my family.
I’ve decided to try some other markets to find an anchor position I can do from home since that’s my main objective and I don’t want to lose ground on the progress I have made getting out of an office.
I like my lifestyle being flexible, but not laid-off flexible!
Part of what I am finding is the energy to dig deep and connect with who I am. I have always made safe, good choices with my career. Now, there really are not any of those around. That means I have to get creative and think out of the box. I am finding my voice and my passion again.
I am connecting with people and ideas with the intention that by reaching out I will find opportunity.
I have until January to get it worked out.
Good times.