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The Career Ladder: Climb or Dive?
Gone are the days when career progression was a straightforward path.
I recently found myself in a conference of empowered women looking to impact the tech space in Bahrain and beyond.
In case you are wondering, I was there mainly for research. I sat with a digital marketer from the UK; and a tech writer who was based in America. As they shuttled between work and personal talk, my mind drifted towards my own career path — its unpredictable course and surprising turns.
We hear of the so-called career ladder — that metaphor for progressive advance or job promotion. For most women, the “climb” is attended by the challenge of work-motherhood balance. I looked around me and wondered, “How are they making it work?”
There is no mistaking the sharp determination I saw in those women. The gender gap in technology is being bridged more dramatically today than ever before. Ambition was palpable. Achievements displayed before my eyes.
The height in the career ladder is conventionally defined in terms of higher pay levels, bigger responsibilities and a wider scope of authority. I do know a bit about this. Earlier on in my career I could say that I had actually ‘been there, done it, bought the T-shirt!’
