to feel like a cash cow

[fandango75]

i have a good high level job earning good money and i am very appreciative of this - it hasn't come without hard slog. I am returning to work 4 days per week in october but feel a bit resentful...some of my friends had low paid jobs and as a consequence are not going back yet i feel like i am marching off back to work to bring in even more money. My husband also earns good money but as i am going back 4 days i have taken 20% pay cut now bringing me to earn same as hubby. Suppose i feel pissed off as if i didnt earn so much we wouldn't afford childcare and i would get to stay at home with my boy. aware a lot of you will think i am being a madam ... i am beginning to feel resentful, is that awful??

Freelancing, to me, seems to follow either one of 2 models.

The first is that of a very entrepreneurial-type who likes to be their own boss and see the direct fruits of their labour. This often requires a lot of hard work to build up a large and happy client base, usually more hours than a salaried employee puts in. But the financial rewards are immense.

The other model is someone who freelances for flexibility and to work on their own terms. But because they are not always chasing the work (ie taking on work to avoid the client using someone else and not them for future assignments), it can be erratic. This is good for second income earners who work for 'pin' money. Nice-to-have income but not to be relied on. So more difficult for financial planning. But nonetheless allows mothers to balance family and work.

blueshoes - there is a also a freelancing model when you have rare skills and people pester you to work for them!

Not actually needing a regular income is very liberating, too (and not necessarily "pin" money either).

Ahh Anna, if you know of the rare skills model, you have to divulge to the benefit of the mn community what they are!

I am curious that in a global economy that can actually be skills that are premium and remain premium without being commoditised or rendered obsolete over time.

That are many clever and competitive people in this world who will exploit a niche ...

You just have to have developed (and I think that there may be a certain degree of luck here) a skill that is unusual/rare and in high market demand in the place you live!

In my case, I live in a country where there is very high demand and ever-increasing for people to do untenured academic work in business schools in English. I just happen to have those skills. I never, ever planned to do that.

My aunt, who is in her sixties, has been earning very good money as a freelance editor in the United States for the past 40 years. She has the quite rare skill of being able to accommodate both British and American English and to edit specialist books and journals such that they can be marketed in both countries in an acceptable version of English to both communities.

Good point. Language skills (high barriers to entry) are very useful in the right setting and combined with the right set of complementary skills.

Yes, you are right on the language skills: the combination of mother-tongue English skills with high fluency in other languages and some specialist professional skills is very rare as native English speakers are not often operational in another language.

Gosh blueshoes, that smarts it really does.

"If you are good, the company will find ways of keeping you"

"It would be a shame for me to tell my dd to self-limit herself into obviously women-type jobs that are lowly paid"

The industry I was in, as a whole, is incredibly large, and incredibly behind the times wrt any kind of flexibility etc. I didn't know when I joined that that was the case, I was extremely successful in my work, eventually achieving a role at the pinacle of that particular industry. However it is an extremely traditional industry, no homeworking etc, and with the largest gender pay gap of any industry in the city, if that gives any clues. They simply did not accomodate part time workers in anything other than "standard" office roles.

Well that was what I thought, apparently though it loks like I was rubbish. Cheers.

And what is this assertion that women-friendly roles = poorly paid? As a rampant feminist I am pretty gutted that you thought that was what I was suggesting. You said that women with children are best served in companies with flexible working and family friendly policies. Well durr. My point was that most people don;t even think about that sort of thing until they are pregnant. And then realise the choice they made early in their career was maybe not the best.

LovelyTinofSpam, I am sorry you took what I said so hard.

My full quote was: " If you are good, the company will find ways of keeping you or you can find another job relatively easily by trading off the premium of goldplated training and experience."

The second option recognises that not every company is as welcoming of flex working as they should be.

"Your argument seems to hinge on women starting off in careers and in industries which will be accomodating later on. Unfortunately in real life that all happens in hindsight."

No, my argument is for women to follow their heart's desire, whether or not that industry is family friendly or not. The best thing women can do is gain as many valuable skills as possible, without limiting themselves to so-called family friendly jobs, because with premium skills, they have something to trade down/move sideways from.

Hope that clarifies.