Great post Kathy. I worked for large organizations for 40 years and I enjoyed it. Yes, there were frustrations. Yes, I had some toxic managers.
But I gained a truck load of skills that I'm now using to write my Substack posts.
There is nothing wrong with a corporate job if it's the most viable option to run your life.
I've been watching the entrepreneurial world for over 10 years and I'm a pretty loyal follower, so I've seen how many creators present themselves over time. And often, the story they put out now about their journey is not what I remember them saying back when they started out.
Are they outright lying? I don't know. But they are definitely bending the truth about their success pathway.
And the ones who live in their mum's basement, have never had a job and want to sell me high price coaching? I won't tell you what I say about them as it's not polite!
Corporate jobs are where you get the experience that make people believe you are capable of helping them.
There are many many reasons to stay…and to go. I personally spent a lot of time in each camp at different times. Both provided a lot of- and a hole in other ways. What I’ve learned is that there is a season and reason attached to each. And that’s ok!😊
Thanks, Maria! Yes! You are one of the OGs in navigating the transition back and forth. It's so easy in social media to default to villainizing one path and valorizing the other, but really, it's as you say: you need to figure out what matters for the season of life you're in and then choose :)
There seems to be an ongoing tussle between the corporate and non-corporate worlds at the moment, when really, there wouldn't be one without the other! It will be very interesting to see how the next few years play out in terms of cuts etc, as I think stability is a huge incentive for people who want/are in corporate jobs. But I agree there is joy to be found in them beyond that.
ah the point about profit vs revenue had me nodding HARD. Such a simple and yet critical distinction that often gets ignored.
Thank you for highlighting the point about networking. I've been through this challenge when I started workign remotely back in 2016 supporting founders on the other side of the world enter the UK / EU markets. So much so that I was actively having conversations with people as to whether I should go work for a 'recognisable brand'. Thank you for articulating this so eloquently
Thanks for sharing your experience, Daphne, and for weighing in!
I wanted to shine a brighter light on what's lurking underneath the social media posts and actually enables people to leave corporate roles effectively. It felt obvious to me because I had been thinking about and plotting a move on and off for 20 years. But for many others, it's not so deliberate, and it's more of an emotional reaction. I'm not saying it can't be done well, but I hope this post helps more people make a rational choice grounded in facts, and not just emotions.
Thank you so much for this Kathy. You did say something valuable. I’ve had pressure to “start my own thing” and it’s just not feasible for every reason you’ve pointed out. Yes, corporate can be miserable but there’s still more for me to learn and contribute too. I’m finding more and more value in defining my own success than what others perceive—in and out of corporate
I’m so happy it landed for you and the reality is that life can be miserable whichever path you choose. I’m actually thinking about writing a post about how to find your rose colored glasses. i worry it’ll sound like toxic positivity, when in reality, I think it’s more about how we both feel our negative feelings and not let them take over our perception of our reality and the strategic choices we are making.
Kudos to you for seeing both — the reality of your corporate career and how you can relate to it in a positive way!
Great post Kathy. I worked for large organizations for 40 years and I enjoyed it. Yes, there were frustrations. Yes, I had some toxic managers.
But I gained a truck load of skills that I'm now using to write my Substack posts.
There is nothing wrong with a corporate job if it's the most viable option to run your life.
I've been watching the entrepreneurial world for over 10 years and I'm a pretty loyal follower, so I've seen how many creators present themselves over time. And often, the story they put out now about their journey is not what I remember them saying back when they started out.
Are they outright lying? I don't know. But they are definitely bending the truth about their success pathway.
And the ones who live in their mum's basement, have never had a job and want to sell me high price coaching? I won't tell you what I say about them as it's not polite!
Corporate jobs are where you get the experience that make people believe you are capable of helping them.
Great article!
There are many many reasons to stay…and to go. I personally spent a lot of time in each camp at different times. Both provided a lot of- and a hole in other ways. What I’ve learned is that there is a season and reason attached to each. And that’s ok!😊
Thanks, Maria! Yes! You are one of the OGs in navigating the transition back and forth. It's so easy in social media to default to villainizing one path and valorizing the other, but really, it's as you say: you need to figure out what matters for the season of life you're in and then choose :)
There seems to be an ongoing tussle between the corporate and non-corporate worlds at the moment, when really, there wouldn't be one without the other! It will be very interesting to see how the next few years play out in terms of cuts etc, as I think stability is a huge incentive for people who want/are in corporate jobs. But I agree there is joy to be found in them beyond that.
Thanks , liberating ;)
ah the point about profit vs revenue had me nodding HARD. Such a simple and yet critical distinction that often gets ignored.
Thank you for highlighting the point about networking. I've been through this challenge when I started workign remotely back in 2016 supporting founders on the other side of the world enter the UK / EU markets. So much so that I was actively having conversations with people as to whether I should go work for a 'recognisable brand'. Thank you for articulating this so eloquently
Thanks for sharing your experience, Daphne, and for weighing in!
I wanted to shine a brighter light on what's lurking underneath the social media posts and actually enables people to leave corporate roles effectively. It felt obvious to me because I had been thinking about and plotting a move on and off for 20 years. But for many others, it's not so deliberate, and it's more of an emotional reaction. I'm not saying it can't be done well, but I hope this post helps more people make a rational choice grounded in facts, and not just emotions.
Thank you so much for this Kathy. You did say something valuable. I’ve had pressure to “start my own thing” and it’s just not feasible for every reason you’ve pointed out. Yes, corporate can be miserable but there’s still more for me to learn and contribute too. I’m finding more and more value in defining my own success than what others perceive—in and out of corporate
I’m so happy it landed for you and the reality is that life can be miserable whichever path you choose. I’m actually thinking about writing a post about how to find your rose colored glasses. i worry it’ll sound like toxic positivity, when in reality, I think it’s more about how we both feel our negative feelings and not let them take over our perception of our reality and the strategic choices we are making.
Kudos to you for seeing both — the reality of your corporate career and how you can relate to it in a positive way!