Leaper of Love
Barbara Saunders, 41, San Francisco
Job then: Recruiter for a consulting firm. Salary: $65,000.
Job now: Program coordinator, holistic veterinary clinic; writer. Income: $75,000.
Scariest moment: Taking a transition job in her new field that felt like a step down.
If there's a holy grail for shoestring reinventors, it's the part-time job that pays benefits. Saunders landed one in 2005, when her firm began retooling and wanted to hire a lot of people quickly. Knowing there would be no better time to strike a deal, she asked for a three-day schedule that would allow her to keep her benefits. Her boss agreed.
With two days a week free, she went after what she most wanted: time to write and a way to turn her volunteer work with animals into a paid position. Soon she was landing commercial writing jobs that paid well and could be done on a flexible schedule. Also, she had once worked as a personal trainer, and now she found a few clients.
In the meantime, she became a regular presence at the local SPCA office, walking dogs, writing for the SPCA magazine and assisting in treating animals, all the while letting everyone know that she was seeking a staff position.
A year later Saunders left her job at the consulting firm, and shortly after that the position of public information coordinator for the SPCA opened up. Saunders got it. It was a decent transition job, but with less money, prestige, and authority than her old work. Still, it brought her into contact with the wider animal-welfare world. Last September, she heard of a job she liked much better, managing a holistic veterinary program at Pets Unlimited, a nonprofit hospital and shelter. She was hired.
The new position pays $10,000 less than her recruiting job, but she earns $20,000 writing. She's already mulling over the next stage of her dream: moving to the country, opening an animal sanctuary, and writing more. She's sure she can make it happen.
No-Net Takeaway
- Use timing to your advantage.
- It's okay to take one step back, then two steps forward.
- Call on all your skills to produce tide-me-over income.
Marci Alboher writes the "Shifting Careers" column and blog for the New York Times.
Originally published in MORE magazine, June 2008.
