So. I realize that I might lose some of you with this title alone. Weeble Wobbles™ are a toy from the 1970s. Take a minute and Google it. As a mom of two boys under the age of 6, I can attest to how much this simple toy continues to bring much amusement simply because they eternally rebound. No matter how much they are tortured to lie prostrate—they fight and wriggle and pop right up again. So, now is where I am going to use this very basic toy as an easy metaphor to my life story and career advice.
I entered Wellesley twenty-one years ago with a singular focus to study environmental science. Wellesley was the first step in my journey to some fabulous career that would enable me to save the planet! Even I don’t think I was that naïve, but I certainly had a tremendous feeling that I could contribute in some measure and live up to the motto, “Non Ministrari, Sed Ministrare”. With an undergraduate degree followed by a graduate degree, I entered the professional world and haven’t looked back.
The last few years have been at times overwhelming, trying and joyous—both professionally and personally. I have a mission driven career, a fulfilling marriage, and two very entertaining boys. Now let me to begin to weave my tale.
Recently, I attended a parenting class on raising resilient children. Half way through the class, I realized that I was no longer thinking of how to deal with toddlers, but how to look at my own career. After fourteen years of public service at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, I have been waffling about whether or not I “leaned in” at the appropriate times or “reclined” too much. Here I was sitting in this class and learning about helping children to become more resilient, and a few ideas crystallized in my head and my heart about what I needed to do for myself.
How you adapt to career (and life!) change—whether it is changing majors “late” in the game, looking for a job when it seems like everyone else around you is employed, changing careers, deciding to drop out of the workforce, seeking a job, or taking the job you don’t want—these are some of the most stressful experiences. So how you prepare, weather the storm, and adapt to the change will be pivotal to your happiness.
- Build your emotional foundation—when the tension, stress and energy ramp up, think of being the see-saw and find ways to counterbalance the big emotions.
- Weebles may Wobble, but they don’t tumble—without drawing out the metaphor beyond what is needed—we need to learn how to fall and pop back up again. Dashed expectations and great upsets in the workplace are sometimes inevitable despite our desires and intentions, but it is not always so simple to upright yourself when you are down. Sometimes you need to not only acknowledge your disappointments, but you may need a few minutes to wallow in it. Go ahead, and take some time. You may need to flail around, but you will need to re-group and get up again. This is where your “Sisterhood of the Traveling Wellesley Network” needs to be an integral part of your life!
- Don’t be afraid. As a mom, these words have passed my lips many a time. “Don’t be afraid, I’ll catch you”. Step out on that limb. Apply for the job that isn’t quite what you are looking for, take the courses that are difficult and outside your field, and apply for the job that challenges you to do something completely different. Will someone be there to catch you? I hope each of you has those touchstone individuals in your life who will help you seek a softer landing, illuminate the easier paths, and in times of tumbles, help dust you off.
- Make the most of the opportunities you have now. Despite the great debates of 2013—the liberal arts degree is INCREDIBLY valid and vital. Whether you are in art history, sociology, economics, computer science, or biology—I implore you each to invest in those skills that Wellesley excels at honing and polishing. Acclaimed journalist, Thomas Friedman, recently wrote in a New York Times op-ed, “…in an age when innovation is increasingly a group endeavor, it also cares about a lot of soft skills — leadership, humility, collaboration, adaptability and loving to learn and re-learn. This will be true no matter where you go to work.”
I wish you all life adventures with few wobbles and great resilient spirits.
Suganthi Simon is an environmental scientist with the U.S Environmental Protection Agency in Atlanta, GA. She graduated from Wellesley in 1997 with a BA in Environmental Science Degree. She received her Master of Industrial Environmental Management degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in 1999.