The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted our lives, and for numerous people, it has also affected their careers. Work-life changed dramatically for many in the spring of 2020, whether it was adjusting to working remotely, losing their jobs, choosing to retire early or finally getting a chance to start a business. This time has been referred to as the Great Reshuffle or the Great Resignation by economists and social scientists.
People are changing careers at unprecedented rates, generally moving to better-paying jobs with better benefits. High job vacancies mean employees have the upper hand in many cases, and can negotiate for higher salaries, remote options, flexible schedules and better benefits. Many companies are responding to these demands.
The ability of many jobs to be converted to working from home, or flexible scheduling, has helped numerous employees find a better work-life balance. The idea of returning to an office for 9-5 work seems arbitrary and old-fashioned. (Plus, with gas prices as they currently are, who would voluntarily commute if it could be avoided?) It has been proven that people can still be productive even with these changes . Some businesses are mulling over keeping remote positions, especially when one considers the overhead required to keep and maintain an office.
Remote work opened a lot of possibilities for people. For some, they realized it was a better fit, especially if they have disabilities, health concerns or children (especially with how COVID affected childcare). For others, they realized how much they needed the interactions of working in person. Either way, the forced introspection of the pandemic caused people to really consider these issues and to learn a lot about themselves.
Curious about this phenomenon, I conducted an informal experiment on my social media. I reached out and asked friends, acquaintances, and colleagues from across the country to share their stories of how their careers have changed since the start of the pandemic. Some were deeply impacted, while others happened to make changes that were unaffected by the pandemic itself and were merely coincidences in timing. Their stories are shared with permission.
Changing Careers
Nicole G. started the pandemic working as an effective needs paraprofessional, a job that suited her schedule as a mother. After the pandemic began, her personal and financial situation changed when her husband’s work was affected by the virus and other problems arose. Nicole needed to bring in more money and found herself hunting for a new job.
She ended up finding work as a case manager, like work she did when her children were younger. She had a degree in social work, and it was a return to those roots. This new position allowed her the flexibility to work remotely or shift her schedule as needed, an important benefit to any parent, especially with children doing remote schooling.
Amber Sjostrom found herself working as a 911 call taker when the pandemic began, facing mandatory overtime and constant procedure updates as the pandemic evolved. She was recovering from an injury and realized between the job and her recovery, she needed a change.
Sjostrom decided in the summer of 2020 to sell her house and move out of state. She tried one job and enjoyed the remote work aspect of it, but found it lacked the challenges and excitement she was used to. She accepted another job as a contract administrator, a job she reports she is both good at and enjoys. She had plans to move and change careers for a while, but COVID-19 “sped up the process.”
Back to School
Two former colleagues both wished to remain anonymous. The first also started the pandemic as a 911 dispatcher. They had hopes of becoming a police officer, but when that didn’t happen and the bad calls started to pile up, they took an opportunity to move and start a new path, eventually finding their footing in the medical field. They are considering going back to school but admit that some of their career goals have changed during the pandemic and left them “with a lot of open questions.”
My second former colleague also began the pandemic working as a dispatcher but made serious and unanticipated changes in the time that has passed. They do not attribute the changes to the pandemic itself – they just happened to coincide with it. They left their career as a dispatcher to work with children with autism, and from there discovered their passion for children and education. They are currently a preschool teaching assistant and going to school for their teaching certificate.
At the beginning of the pandemic, Heather B. found herself in the auto sales industry. However, she was soon laid off by the dealer she worked for due to their financial concerns amid the uncertain economy. She shifted into the financial and insurance industry, working 100% remote. According to Heather, “The remote decision wasn’t by choice, and I honestly thought I’d hate it. But man, I don’t think I ever want to work in an office again.”
She enjoyed that job but was struck yet again by a layoff related to the company restructuring to face losses incurred by the pandemic. At that point, she decided to return to school full-time to pursue an education degree – her original career goal. Even with all the changes, Heather says, “I am so much happier now than I was prior. I’m more driven and excited to get up and be productive.”
Starting a Business
Ian Tartt was employed in a sensory deprivation float center in the spring of 2020 and through most of the pandemic but was sidelined due to an injury in November 2021. While out of work to heal, he concluded that he needed a change and that it was up to him to make one. He had wanted to start some type of business for a long time and realized he had a good opportunity to finally begin.
Ian decided to create a communications consulting business in December, as he was already working on a book about communication. He reports feeling more fulfilled and less stressed overall, though there are the usual new business concerns of getting everything off the ground. Per Ian, he is grateful for these changes: “I feel like there’s also more time for me to figure out what is meaningful to me and pursue it with more vim and vigor than I could before.”
Kevin Clifford was working in the furniture repair industry during the pandemic, but due to no one wanting people in their homes he was paid to stay home for several months. During that time, he saw his opportunity to strike out on his own.
He had registered his business shortly before the pandemic hit, but now had the time and motivation to move forward with it. He says, “It was absolutely perfect timing.” Clifford launched his own furniture repair business in late summer 2020 and is building his clientele. “Every single day is fulfilling like I’ve never thought possible.”
Retirement
Robb Grindstaff spent his career as a newspaper executive. He had originally planned to retire in 2018, but due to a newspaper group being sold he decided to stay longer and help with the transition. In early 2020 he announced plans to retire in the spring, but when COVID hit he reports, “I couldn’t bail out in a crisis, so I agreed to stay on a few months longer so we could get our feet under and make sure the newspapers could survive.”
He ended up retiring in June 2020, two years after his planned retirement. During the pandemic, much of the paper staff was working remotely but Grindstaff went into the office daily to support those whose positions did not allow for that. Since retiring, he now has time to focus fully on his years-long passion of writing and editing – long a “side gig” – and created his own part-time business to do so.
A family member of mine chose to take early retirement in January of this year. They worked in the telecommunications field for nearly their entire career and had previously made the decision to retire in the fall of 2022. However, a loss in the family due to the pandemic, and being needed at home, led to the decision to retire sooner than planned.
According to them, “It was just time.” They enjoyed their career and found it fulfilling but were ready for a change and to start a new path. They wanted to focus more on doing things they want to do on their schedule, as well as spending more quality time with family. They wanted the chance to pursue new interests and make new friends, and explore new avenues that work kept them from pursuing in the past.
