My advice to a woman whose profession is no longer providing a decent living nor a passionate calling.
Think big, beyond your current profession. Ask how else can you apply your valuable skills.
Think concrete, beyond attractive generalities. Research specific opportunities with the orgs you listed.
Think now, not six months from now. Life is too short to spend another year on the poverty-inducing things you’ve moved past.
Think benefits you provide, beyond particular skills you have. People pay a pittance for skills; they pay well for the ability to produce desired results.
Fill in my Model of Success, pulling together the high demand skills you have. Where is the overlap of what you love doing, what you’re best at, and what big ambitious complex projects demand and will pay for?
Think big projects, where there’s plenty of money for you to get paid well. No more little projects
Think essential roles, big projects where your input is essential and will be well paid, not things where someone can say, Thanks, now go away.
Think lucrative. No more pro bono, or helping those who need you but can’t pay much, at least until you are on sound financial footing yourself.
Think partnering and piggybacking with others, so you’re not trying to create it alone.
Think hard-headed, so you don’t get talked out of good pay for value.
Think high rates, because people don’t value what they don’t pay for.
And never ever subsidize anybody wealthier than you are!
