The last time I worked full-time was five years ago. After a break from work due to personal reasons, I returned only to have my position made redundant two weeks later—the first time in my professional life as a university administrator I was out of work involuntarily. It would take me many years to feel like myself again—a confident, intelligent, thoughtful, contributing woman.
My story is not dissimilar to others who have been through events like this. I immediately set about finding a job with benefits and a 35-40 hour work week, the kind of situation I had been in for most of my professional life. But, here I am, five years later, looking for THE full-time position. I’ve been a finalist a few times, but none of my hundreds of applications have been successful. As a result, I’ve come to terms with participating in the new world of work—one in which a career is, to quote Ferai Chideya, “episodic;” one that has come to be known as the “gig economy.”
The past five years have been very stressful because of our financial situation, which is precarious due to irregular employment. To pay the rent, my gigs have been varied: I’ve administered tests and gathered data for a Department of Education study; reviewed applications for the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders; been an Uber driver; screened applications for a high school exchange program; interviewed Pakistanis via Skype; edited reports, book chapters, and numerous Ph.D. and Masters’ dissertations.
I’ve also used this period to explore interests I would not have the time for if I were in regular employment:
- I’ve always wanted to be a freelance editor, so I took an online course to learn the basics.
- Through Maryland’s Professional Outplacement Assistance Center in our county, I piloted a workshop, “Cultural Competence for Job-Seekers.”
- Needlepoint is one of my hobbies: I sewed two canvases for the “Tree of Life,” a beautiful work of art which adorns the east wall in the University of Maryland’s Garden Chapel.
- I’m passionate about leadership development for college-age South Africans, so I joined the Advisory Board of the South Africa-Washington International Program and developed an orientation workshop.
- With two friends, I’m doing research on student movements in the US and South Africa. We’ve presented at two symposia and plan to publish our research.
- Recently, I led a post-show discussion about Athol Fugard’s “Master Harold…and the Boys” at a local theatre.
The past five years have been filled with fascinating, frustrating, illuminating experiences I could never have anticipated. Finding regular work has been frustrating but I’ve joined a diverse array of networks; learned how to make strategic connections; refined my professional goals; honed my writing and presentation skills; and dived into many topics of interest via lectures, conferences, workshops, the Internet, and the library. My life has been enriched by the people I’ve met. The gig economy forces us to think creatively about how to use our skills and expertise in the job market. Like many other women looking to return to the workforce I’ve learned to be open to new opportunities, to take the risk to try new things, and to learn when the outcome isn’t as I expected.
Carol Corneilse has a Ph.D. in International Education Policy and currently works as a consultant in the Washington DC metro area. Her professional goal is to find regular work that utilizes her administrative expertise and skills as a researcher, writer, and editor.
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