Advice on Thinking “Outside the Cube”
Hannah Seligson reviews Michelle Goodman’s recently published book,The Anti 9-to-5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of self-employed people reached 12.2 million in 2003, an increase of 6 percent from 2000.
Katie Sturino, the president and founder of KAS public relations, New York, is part of this growing trend. “I wanted a flexible schedule,” she says. “My time is very important to me. I liked the concept of being able to meet for a cappuccino at 3 p.m. on a Tuesday. I call it ‘alternative scheduling.’”
But as Sturino and the hoards of other people who have given up the regular routine will tell you, it’s hardly a life of constant premium coffee breaks.
In fact, it’s why Michelle Goodman wrote “The Anti 9-to-5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women who Think Outside the Cube” (Seal Press, 2007). Goodman, a seasoned freelancer who has dabbled in all things non-9-to-5, including temping, telecommuting, part-time work, flex-time work, and self-employment, is giving this new generation of corporate castaways a primer course on how to do it.
Goodman says the most important thing to remember is that becoming a cubicle expat is not an overnight process. “You have to set a plan in motion both about what are the professional and financial steps you need to take to make the leap from a steady paycheck to full-time freelancer.”
It’s leap that more women, particularly, are taking. Sturino says self-employment is a trend among her female friends and colleagues. “I am always hearing about young women leaving the traditional work force and seeing how far they can go on their own.” And statistics certainly corroborate what Sturino is observing in her peer group of late twentysomething women.
In February 2006, the U.S. Census Bureaus reported that the number of women-owned businesses grew at twice the national rate for all private companies from 1997 to 2002.
But how do you know if it’s time to flee the cube and join this growing demographic. Goodman says the telltale sign is when you can’t devote the proper amount of time to your 9-to-5 job. “When your side gig starts taking up 20 hours a week or more, it’s time to re-think your employment situation.”