Instead of a linear path, create a patchwork career

Mar 17

"Early in my career, I worked primarily in data and analysis. Then I moved away from that into policy. But now I'm finding that I miss the data work. If I keep having this thought, what does that mean?"

⬆ This came up in a session with a new client this weekend.

He's tempted to look at the question with regret:

I got off-track
I wasted all of this time
I have to go back and start again

If we look at the question through a linear view of our career paths, the only acceptable direction to move in is forward and up. Any looping back is a failure. The answer is: You made a mistake and missed the mark. But if we look at the question through a non-linear lens—seeing your career as a rich patchwork of work rather than a singular trajectory—the question takes a shape that is far more interesting.

The answer is: You are a curious person who is always learning and growing. New interests will emerge, old interests will resurface, and you will make new connections that allow you to combine old interests in innovative ways.

With the patchwork view, you get to take all of your experiences and skills with you—wondering about them, integrating them, and using them in creative combinations as you create your own custom career.

Here’s how I see it:

Before my first daughter was born, I was an avid quilter. When I wasn't at work, I was stitching quilts with modern designs. Every weekend—all weekend—you would find me in my studio (the second bedroom of our apartment) bingeing episodes of Parenthood while I cut up fabric into pieces and sewed them back together.

My Grandma, who taught me how to sew, used to call me every Saturday at noon (boy, do I miss those calls) and ask me:

"Whatcha doin, little darlin'?"

I'd always say, "I'm sewing, Grandma."

"AGAIN?!?" she'd inevitably ask.

My quilting time lit me up.

I created quilts for snuggling, quilts for friends, and quilts for art shows. I sold my wares at the local maker fairs and kept a blog of my creations. I founded the Rhode Island Chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild.

And then I became a mom. Between that new, daunting, and overwhelming leadership role at home and a promotion to senior leadership at work, I did not have one ounce of creative energy left for quilting. So I packed up all of my threads, fabric, and supplies in the basement and ceded my creative space to the many toys that have taken over.

Recently, a client introduced me to the work of a modern quilter named @Melanie_Tuazon, and all of sudden the spark that lay dormant inside me—the one I wondered might be just a phase—reignited.

And now here I am, with my fingers in a pile of scraps again, stitching away (by hand no less). So: What does it mean?

→ It means that sometimes skills and experience return.

→ It means that I'm following my curiosity.

→ It means there's room to loop back, rediscover, and integrate.

→ It means that there is more available to us than just forward and up.

Much like a quilt, you get to stitch together your skills, experiences, and interests in a patchwork that is entirely your own.

Whether you feel an old spark reignite or want to dust off a set of past skills to try them out again—do it. It doesn’t mean anything, except that you’re not letting the false narrative of the linear trajectory hold you back from creating your own custom career path.

If you let go of the linear drive towards forward and up, what skill set would you like to loop back to?