There’s nothing like a great metaphor to make a point. I often look for metaphors that illustrate my mission to help women “Find the Work that Fits Your Life”, and I love one I just saw on the Levo League web site that equates building a career with climbing trees.
In the Levo League article, “6 Career Lessons Learned from Climbing Trees“, Melissa Stanger interviews Christina Vuleta, who says that your career path is more like climbing a tree. She gave Melissa the six most important lessons she has learned from “climbing trees”:
1. It’s wise to explore different branches.
2. It’s okay to move to a lower branch.
3. Look for where there’s growth.
4. Take a step back. See if you missed any interesting branches.
5. Know that you can always go back to a previous branch.
6. Do some trimming and fertilizing.
From this brief list, it’s easy to see the lessons both Christina and Melissa are trying to pass along, but I encourage you to read the full article that provides good career anecdotes and explanatory detail.
The biggest lesson from the article is that a “career ladder” is an antiquated notion. Few women start climbing a career ladder at age 22 and leave that ladder from a higher point at age 65. There are many new metaphors to adopt—like the idea of a twisting and turning career “labyrinth” that leads you in many different directions, a career “lattice” that allows for lateral, upward or downward moves, and an “arc” (told to me by Anne-Marie Slaughter) that extends into the future and allows for a career pinnacle long after children are grown.
Whatever metaphor you choose, know that you can chart your own career path, in and out of the workforce at every age and stage. And all the while, be sure to get lots of life+work exercise, reaching beyond your own resources – “Up, Down, Sideways and Out” – for collaboration and inspiration as you take each new and important step. –KAS
Post originally on: 9 Lives For Women
