Confessions of a Serial On-ramper

Hello, my name is Carol and I am a serial on-ramper. Of course, until last year I did not know my spotty work history had an official name. The last 13 years since my first child was born have been a hodge-podge of part-time, full-time, consulting, project-based work and occasional much-needed unemployment. I've had more on- and off-ramps than an LA freeway.

My first off-ramp was official when I lugged my 3 month old to my office and announced to my boss that I would not return from maternity leave. I thought, "Well, I guess I'm done with my career now. I can go about my life as a mom." Just six short months later a former boss called me to see if I wanted to do some contract work, part-time. So I on-ramped, working part-time for the same great San Francisco apparel manufacturer for almost six years (with another brief off-ramp when my second child was born). Along the way I also took on consulting projects for wine industry clients.

With the exception of a brief full-time job last year, I have been fortunate enough to pick and choose when I want to work part-time. How did I get so lucky? Well, I'll let you in on a few of my secrets:

Don't beat a dead horse
From the very beginning, I was clear to all potential employers that my life required flexibility. Once that was established, I tried not to bring it up in every discussion.

Choose the right career
While I was not smart enough at age 23, fresh out of college to see that I was entering a career that would be in demand for years to come, in hindsight I now realize that specialization was the key to my career longevity. I had become highly specialized with experience in a booming local industry.

You've got to have friends
I have been very lucky to work for and with some great people. Keeping in contact with them has been the single most important factor in my ability to maintain my serial on-ramper status. Most, if not all of my jobs/consulting projects have been through former colleagues or bosses.

Pick from the best, leave behind the rest
One of the best parts of my so-called career the last 13 years is the variety of projects/jobs I have tackled. When I met with a potential client I would pick out the best assignments or projects to highlight while I de-emphasized the less-than-interesting ones. That's also the beauty of a long-ish career. Lots of stuff to choose from. Successful on-rampers instinctively do the same with their resumes - highlight the best skills and accomplishments, leave behind the rest.

Sometimes you need to leap before you look
Often when I was explaining to my husband what my next venture/project/job would be, I would say, "I'm not quite sure how this will end up but I'm going to give it a try". It wasn't always a day at the beach but I learned something from every job, boss, project, business venture and even every misstep. Some of my favorite work experiences were not the result of careful planning and deliberate soul-searching. They were the product of a whim, a "what-the-heck, I've-got-nothing-to-lose". I guess the jury's still out on whether you could call my meandering career a success or not but I'll tell you that it's never boring.

Got any on-ramping/off-ramping secrets to share?