Career Journey
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Making a Career Change During Unpredictable Times
September 2022 
Photo Credit: Gerd Altmann
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By Jen Braaksma
When the pandemic was forcing people out of their jobs, I quit mine.
For 17 years, I walked into the same high school every day. My students changed, the books I taught in my English classes changed, but my love of teaching stories never did.
Then the pandemic hit, and we shifted to numerous versions of online learning. Only, I was as old-school of a teacher as you could get. I was an educator who still requested handwritten assignments. My shift into the digital age was a steep slope. But I managed. I’d never been opposed to technology – it just didn’t seem to like me very much.
But it did get me thinking. For years, I’d written novels on the side, my pastime and my passion. I’d also become a certified book coach and launched a side business helping writers start and finish their novels and memoirs (ironically, a fully digital enterprise). Could I, should I, quit my very steady and very secure full-time job to jump into the unpredictable world of entrepreneurship?
It was financial folly, despite my immense privileges (a pension down the road and a husband with a well-paying job). With two teen daughters soon to enter university, car payments, a mortgage, and other looming expenses, such as needing to buy a new roof, it was a nerve-wracking venture.
More than that, it seemed selfish. Moms and wives are supposed to put everyone else’s needs above their own, right? I would be upending the comfort of our lives – during worldwide upheaval – to follow a dream. Was this a fool’s errand? I was 47 years old. Was I letting my family down? All of this went through my mind, but I took the plunge anyway.
I was so excited…for the first week. Then paralyzing, soul-crushing fear set in. What have I done? I’m not an entrepreneur. What did I know about running my own business, marketing my services, finding clients, or getting my name out there? Nothing!
Looking back, there were two major obstacles I had to grapple with.
Variable Income
Of course, I knew that my month-to-month income would ebb and flow, but the actual experience of it was frightening. I breathed a sigh of relief when I had a good month, and I panicked when I had a bad month. How did business owners ride this rollercoaster every day?
When the pandemic was forcing people out of their jobs, I quit mine.
For 17 years, I walked into the same high school every day. My students changed, the books I taught in my English classes changed, but my love of teaching stories never did.
Then the pandemic hit, and we shifted to numerous versions of online learning. Only, I was as old-school of a teacher as you could get. I was an educator who still requested handwritten assignments. My shift into the digital age was a steep slope. But I managed. I’d never been opposed to technology – it just didn’t seem to like me very much.
But it did get me thinking. For years, I’d written novels on the side, my pastime and my passion. I’d also become a certified book coach and launched a side business helping writers start and finish their novels and memoirs (ironically, a fully digital enterprise). Could I, should I, quit my very steady and very secure full-time job to jump into the unpredictable world of entrepreneurship?
It was financial folly, despite my immense privileges (a pension down the road and a husband with a well-paying job). With two teen daughters soon to enter university, car payments, a mortgage, and other looming expenses, such as needing to buy a new roof, it was a nerve-wracking venture.
More than that, it seemed selfish. Moms and wives are supposed to put everyone else’s needs above their own, right? I would be upending the comfort of our lives – during worldwide upheaval – to follow a dream. Was this a fool’s errand? I was 47 years old. Was I letting my family down? All of this went through my mind, but I took the plunge anyway.
I was so excited…for the first week. Then paralyzing, soul-crushing fear set in. What have I done? I’m not an entrepreneur. What did I know about running my own business, marketing my services, finding clients, or getting my name out there? Nothing!
Looking back, there were two major obstacles I had to grapple with.
Variable Income
Of course, I knew that my month-to-month income would ebb and flow, but the actual experience of it was frightening. I breathed a sigh of relief when I had a good month, and I panicked when I had a bad month. How did business owners ride this rollercoaster every day?
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For me, it was more about the emotional ups and downs than the finances. When I got clients, my abilities were validated. If I didn’t land a client, then I had feelings of worthlessness. Separating my self-worth from my checking account turned out to be the solution. It wasn’t easy. But, like most challenges, recognition and acceptance are the first steps. I started to listen to my clients who offered positive feedback. I started to listen to my gut which said, "You know what you’re doing." There are good and bad days, but money doesn’t make me. I make me.
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"Separating my self-worth from my checking account turned out to be the solution. It wasn’t easy. But, like most challenges, recognition and acceptance are the first steps." ~ Jen Braaksma |
Social Media
I’ve had an aversion to it since Day 1. It’s not that I don’t appreciate its value, but as an old-fashioned, non-tech person, I prefer in-person (or on the phone) communication.
Since I was now running an online business, I realized quickly that social media would expand my reach. It was a valuable tool that I needed to use. I knew I had to jump in, but it scared me. I didn’t know where to begin or which platform to use. I didn’t know the unspoken etiquettes. I was afraid of posting something and making a fool of myself. I knew the reputation of online trolls; I didn’t want to be a target for their vitriol.
I didn’t dive in; it was very much a testing of the waters. I hired a professional to get me started and walk me through it. Slowly, I started to figure out how to create posts that were genuine and true to my perspective. I joined Instagram and Twitter and have had a positive experience so far. I’m supportive of followers, and they're supportive of me. I’m much more comfortable in this new world.
Fast-forward to one and a half years later, and, despite my worries, I’m doing fine. My family is fine. We’ve had to make adjustments to our lifestyle, and there are financial challenges, especially in this current economy. But the sacrifices have been worth it. My debut novel was published in August, and I have the most amazing roster of clients.
I still worry about how my decisions continue to affect my family. I still struggle with guilt. But when my daughter picked up the first copy of my book, it centered me again.
“Aren’t you excited, Mom?”
“I don’t know, maybe it wasn’t worth it.”
“Mom,” she said, “you’re worth it.”
Kids. They always have to get in the last word, even about their mothers’ existential midlife crises.
Thank goodness they do.
I’ve had an aversion to it since Day 1. It’s not that I don’t appreciate its value, but as an old-fashioned, non-tech person, I prefer in-person (or on the phone) communication.
Since I was now running an online business, I realized quickly that social media would expand my reach. It was a valuable tool that I needed to use. I knew I had to jump in, but it scared me. I didn’t know where to begin or which platform to use. I didn’t know the unspoken etiquettes. I was afraid of posting something and making a fool of myself. I knew the reputation of online trolls; I didn’t want to be a target for their vitriol.
I didn’t dive in; it was very much a testing of the waters. I hired a professional to get me started and walk me through it. Slowly, I started to figure out how to create posts that were genuine and true to my perspective. I joined Instagram and Twitter and have had a positive experience so far. I’m supportive of followers, and they're supportive of me. I’m much more comfortable in this new world.
Fast-forward to one and a half years later, and, despite my worries, I’m doing fine. My family is fine. We’ve had to make adjustments to our lifestyle, and there are financial challenges, especially in this current economy. But the sacrifices have been worth it. My debut novel was published in August, and I have the most amazing roster of clients.
I still worry about how my decisions continue to affect my family. I still struggle with guilt. But when my daughter picked up the first copy of my book, it centered me again.
“Aren’t you excited, Mom?”
“I don’t know, maybe it wasn’t worth it.”
“Mom,” she said, “you’re worth it.”
Kids. They always have to get in the last word, even about their mothers’ existential midlife crises.
Thank goodness they do.
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Jen Braaksma is a Canadian-based writer and book coach with a decade of experience as a journalist and nearly two as a high school English and writing teacher. Her debut novel, Evangeline’s Heaven, features a strong, fierce, independent young woman, learning to see the world for what it is, not what she wants it to be.
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