Are you going through a career mid-life crisis?
Some tips for navigating “Career 2.0”
The season finale of the year 2023 fast approaches, and whoever wrote the script must have really put in work before they went on strike.
I’ve had recent conversations with a few BU members that have made me reflect on where the ups and downs of this year have left many of us. Some of us have hit our startup career mid-life crisis, and after a solid run of years in the game, we’re trying to figure out what “Career 2.0” could look like.
Do we target a new senior role like COO that offers even more oversight than the discipline we’ve recently specialized in? Become a founder ourselves and launch our own startup? Lean into our specialist superpower and go down the consultancy path? Or is it finally time to hand in our start-up badge and get a job at Verizon? *sigh*
The way the market looks today, none of these options are as straightforward as they might once have been. But I wonder if the best we can aim for is to be in a place where we feel super-committed to a path that feels right for us. Not one where we have to feel like we’ve perfectly nailed the outcome on our first try. Here are my thoughts:
Don’t be a magpie, distracted by shiny things - aim to solve for what truly best serves you. If ego is the sole driver for considering the founder route, I’d suggest that’s probably not the right move for you. Or if you have new responsibilities that require paycheck stability, maybe early stage startups are in your past for now.
Speak to peers who have embarked on their version of Career 2.0 and ask their advice. Target folks with defining characteristics they have in common with you - lived experience, identity and workplace experience. If you’re a mom and identify as BIPOC for example, insights from someone whose experience is informed by similar characteristics could be especially valuable.
Aim to chat with folks who have made their transition in the last 3 or 4 years. Things are changing so quickly that an experience from 2021 might be a more practical case study than one from a time when the Mt. Rushmore of startups were Casper, Theranos, Uber and WeWork.
Many of us right now are just trying to make it through another BFCM and holiday season as unscathed as we can. Make sure to try to build in some time off for yourself, either over that period, or just afterwards. For folks in between jobs or affected by layoffs, make sure to check out the resources under “Jobs” below.
Jobs
We’ve done things a little differently in this newsletter edition, and have created a job board especially with folks affected by layoffs in mind. The aim is that we do a little more of the tedious LinkedIn and career page scrolling, so you have more time for applying and interviewing.
The BU Job Board lists hundreds of consumer startup job posts - Featured Jobs that you can hit me up for intros to are at the top, and the job board functions best when viewed on desktop. Please share with your pals who are looking for jobs, and reach out if you’re hiring a position you’d like to be added to it.
We’re aiming to update the job board roughly every 2 weeks, so if you aren’t already, give me a follow on LinkedIn where I’ll post to announce when it’s updated.
Launching a Venture? Check Out These Insights from Experts Within the BU Community
Startup legal experts Oliver Downie and Drew Macklin shared some incredible expertise with us on how to approach incorporating your company and first finance rounds as a startup founder.
These tips are shared for informational purposes only and do not comprise legal advice - but of course if you have any questions give Oliver Downie and Drew Macklin a shout at hello@drewmacklinlaw.com.
BU Community Wins
BU founding member Eli Weiss has announced his new role at Yotpo - exciting times ahead for both parties. He also dropped the latest edition of his newsletter today - if you’re not already subscribed, you should be!
Alyse Borkan announced the launch of Rocco! A huge congratulations from us to a BU friend and founding member.
Shoutout to Martha Upton - she’s announced her new venture Tita to the world!
Well done to BU founding member Henry Simonds who announced his new role at TURN.
Erika Veurink announced that she’s joined Hearth full-time - more appreciation for another BU founding member!
Danielle Jezienicki has announced the launch of her consulting practice Impact FWD! Kudos to another BU member doing great work.
BU Community Perk!
Sharing a discount code with you from our friends at Verb Energy, and courtesy of their co-founder and BU founding member, Bennett Byerley. Use the code “BU20” at checkout, or just click here for 20% off!
Leaving you with some nostalgia especially for the consumer startup veterans. RIP WeWork, you were too beautiful for this world. Catch you all next time.
Cheers,
JT
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