I am about to start a job search again. I am currently an academic researcher in social science, my third “career” so to speak since I finished my bachelor’s degree in my early twenties, and I find my work very fulfilling and interesting. However, the downside of the job is its instability due to academic research’s dependence on funding, and my contract runs out when the project finishes. You can probably say that I kind of fell into academia, but I think I finally found the place where I want to establish my career. I initially applied for this job only because I was interested in the particular research project. I wasn’t really thinking about a career in higher education, let alone a career path to one day lead my own research project, become a lecturer, professor, and so forth. Additionally, at the time I was just hitting a wall in securing a reasonable job in the museum and heritage sector, the field that I was initially enthusiastic about after my postgraduate education.

I have learned to like my second best choice; however, I also came to the realization that there is no straightforward path to pursue this profession. As much as I am trying to plan my career, I am also thinking about other plans in life—a bigger flat, a pet, and maybe a family down the line? Funny enough, this year a total of five people I know became pregnant (including our lovely editor!). The “baby boom” reminds me that I cannot ignore the fact that the “clock” is ticking if I plan to have a family, and balancing life and work choices can be difficult on a career path that is slightly windy.

Looking back, I was slightly lost with my career direction after I finished my bachelor degree, and I took my time exploring various options while working at a commercial office job for a few years. I am grateful that my parents never pushed me to take up any particular career path. The only objection my mother raised was against getting into film and television because “You need to sleep with people to get jobs in those industries.” Some people I know that are from ethnic minority immigrant families get pressure from their parents to pursue “safe” careers such as business, IT, and medicine because jobs in these sectors are generally more stable and well rewarded. I was fortunate enough that I did not have to worry about things like contributing to the family income, or paying for my younger sibling’s tuition.

I eventually decided that I found my calling to work with history and art, so I happily quit my job to go back to university. However, my initial excitement and the dream of one day working at my favourite museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, gradually faded as I discovered how competitive this sector was for so many over-qualified and poorly paid individuals. The UK museum sector acknowledges issues regarding entry to the museum workforce—there is little diversity with people from different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, people with disabilities and men poorly represented. Many professionals in this sector start out by doing unpaid work or taking junior service or administrative positions, and the majority of these people hold degrees, often even at postgraduate level. Higher education is already a luxury for many people, let alone affording to work for free or living on a wage that is well below the national average for university graduates!

I fully accepted a pay cut while choosing to start out in a non-profit sector; however, I did not anticipate the level of difficulty to secure a reasonable position. Maybe if I was still 22 and living with my parents, I could possibly afford to do voluntary work or receive a wage that barely keeps up with the cost of living for a year or two to get my foot in the door! I understand that inevitably there are inequalities in pay and status among different industries, but it makes me wonder why there are more women than men willing to, or rather having to, put up with such low paid jobs in this sector. In the UK, the mean gender pay gap was 17.2% in 2007, and those female-dominated occupations are often the lowest paid (“What is the Pay Gap and Why Does it Exist”). I know there are more exclusive and lower-paying industries out there, but I couldn’t help but feel disillusioned by the experience of the museum sector.

My academic career is not entirely stable, but I enjoy the environment, and the recent pay restructuring in UK universities tries to ensure that all workers are more fairly rewarded. I can probably secure another contract researcher position on another project; however, if I intend to have a research career in higher education, a PhD is required to advance to a position where I can apply for funding and lead my own research.

Some of you might remember watching the Friends episode when Rachel turned 30. She dumped her 24-year-old, attractive-but-not-mature-enough boyfriend because she had a sudden revelation that she should be in a serious relationship at the age of 30 if she wanted to have a wedding, enjoy a bit of married life, and have 2 children before turning 40. I do share the sentiment, feeling like there is so much to fit into a woman’s life if you have already “missed” your early and mid twenties. When should I do my PhD? Do I really want children, and if I do, when do I have them? Will I have maternity leave if I am on a contract position?

I have a million questions in my head, and every life or career decision I make will have a bigger consequence now because I don’t have time to waste. Sometimes I do wonder if life would have been easier if I took a “safe” profession, or simply if I was a man? Perhaps. However, I am encouraged to see other women, like my boss, managing to maintain a successful work life balance. As much as making these choices is not easy, I do feel extremely fortunate to be in the position and in a society that give me the opportunities to choose my life, choose my job and choose my career.

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