Blogging Away Debt Blogging Away Debt follows real people on their journey to debt freedom — with tips on the debt snowball, budgeting, cutting expenses, and staying motivated.

by Hope

I have now been at my corporate job for almost 7 months. And while I still miss some aspects of being a contractor, I have settled in and truly love what I’m doing and the team I work with. (You can see my last update from February here.)

What do you do?

I am the operations production manager for the marketing department and manage a small but mighty team of 8 plus a number of contractors. It’s really a combination of strategic planning and project management on steroids. We run the sales and marketing programs the corporation as a whole as well as the 26+ service groups and 9 industry groups.

It keeps me so busy. No days are the same. And the team I work with is amazingly talented and truly the best group I’ve ever worked with! I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity.

What do you miss?

I owned my own business and worked as a contractor for 14 1/2 years prior to taking this opportunity. In fact, I found this opportunity as a contractor. There are a couple of things I miss from that time, but certainly not deal breakers:

• Being able to say “No”. I can no longer turn down work. I just try to revise the process and delegate, but I can’t just walk away from projects or people.
• Sleeping in. I loved setting my own work schedule and working around whatever I wanted. And I still do have some freedom, but not nearly as much.
• Quiet. There are so many meetings. I can get stuck in 8-9 meetings in a day. How does anyone actually get work done? I’ve started working smarter by blocking time on my calendar and have encourage all my team members to do that same. (And I’m sorry to say, but most meetings are 100% wastes of time, could have easily handled via email.)

What do you love and the finances?

It is truly awesome to do something you love for work. It doesn’t feel like work, it’s fun. I was blessed with this as a contractor and even more so as an employee. Namely because I no longer have to market myself, an aspect of small business owner that I abhorred!

But there are alot of things I love about this new arrangement:

• Working with a consistent team. As a contractor I was always having to learn new teams, their skills and weaknesses and rarely got to really know anyone. (Honestly, that didn’t bother me, as I am a true introvert and keep to myself.) But being part of a team, even though it’s remote, has been pretty awesome. Nice to have team members that you can rely on and have as much riding on project success as you do.
• Regular paychecks. After 14 1/2 years of sporadic and varied pay, I cannot lie, reliable and consistent pay is AWESOME. It makes planning so much easier and I am definitely a planner.
• Being valued. The culture at my new company is very supportive and rewarding. In addition to “thanks” and recognition through an internal program, they often pay for meals, send “care” packages and more.

Income

While I still maintain a handful of my old clients, my corporate job makes up the bulk of my income. I make a very good salary (low 6 figures) and anticipate yearly bonuses. (That is still a question as during my interview process I was told they could be quarterly or every six months, but no word on that yet. I did ask during my review this past month.)

I appreciate the request for this update. Please let me know if there are other questions I can answer.

Hope

Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.

But life has a way of rewriting your plans.

A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.

Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.

Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.

She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.