“I can strongly see what I am supposed to be doing, although I’m a little cloudy yet on how to make it happen.”
“No, I had no particular plan. Each position built on the previous one.”
“My plan is to play to my strengths and passions, but the ‘end all’ is still unclear.”
“Still working on it.”
Many of the women felt that they would end their careers owning their own businesses. Either they had a specific plan for accomplishing this goal or they were working on creating financial stability so they would have the freedom to choose this option when it felt right. Again, the criteria for this decision focused more on having autonomy, new challenges, tasks they enjoy and freedom than on financial gain or aspirations of leadership.
Sample interview responses:
(JS) “Teaching and health is what I love. The difference is, I can make $12,000 a year on my passion, or I can make 12 times that in my career. So I’ll work my career until I have the money to work my passion…I won’t ever retire.”
(AS) “I’m not a materialistic person; I want money because it buys me freedom.”
(JE) “My rebelliousness fuels me. Even at my desk, I’m a low compliant. I think this will be an asset as an entrepreneur.”
(MR) “Their [previous generation] definition of success was to work their way up in a business or build a business of their own for the status and the money. Ours is more about creating financial freedom and independence to do what we want with our lives. We’re working on a different model, self-propelled with no role models to follow.”
(DK) “…you want to be free of being dependent on others, to be able to travel and be able to experience things that you choose in life. So success to me is more about independence and experiences…it is good if it takes me to my next goal or adventure.”
