Redirecting.work

Katherine’s career has been a journey of reinvention, often sparked by challenging circumstances. In her last corporate position, she found herself under the management of a toxic young manager who stifled her ability to write about technology, deeming technology of no interest to the HR community. When she worked with the firm’s partners on cybersecurity, the same manager forbade that too, showing no regard for her expertise or life stage. Deeming this a total waste of her skills, plus the fact she was making a major change of location involving buying and selling houses, she quit and set up her own company–for the third time.

 

A Career of Many Pivots

 

Katherine's career has been anything but linear. Starting in teaching English and journalism to high schoolers in St. Paul, MN, she transitioned to creating autotutorial learning programs for  a Cornell professor before heading to grad school with two kids in tow. As an academic with both teaching and administrative responsibilities, serving as an assistant dean with aspirations to become a college president or VP of Student Affairs. However, her career path led her into the business world, where she leveraged her network to land roles in marketing education, technical curriculum development, and data communications at Data General and other tech companies, initially knowing nothing about technology at all. She worked in Federal Systems Divisions geared at selling tech into the government, and at DG was last responsible for the global strategic alliance partnership with SAP when it was first entering the US market. But the longest phase of her career was as a market analyst and researcher at Aberdeen and Bersin & Associates, then Deloitte.

 

And six years ago, Katherine again set up her own company. She is doing varied work by choice, such as software acquisition and due diligence projects with industry expert Brian Sommer and writing IHRIM’s “The Back Story.”

 

Most recently she is taking her exquisite taste for decorating her own home to others as a home design contractor, managing a professional team in home reconstruction. She describes herself as “kinda retired,” balancing work with a life rich in play, entertainment, gourmet cooking and travel.

 

Embracing a New Direction

 

Katherine’s current phase is less of a pivot and more of a redirection. With financial security in place, she no longer needs to work for money but does so to fund her passions, like redecorating, buying art and traveling. Her days are filled with reading, entertaining, learning, and working on regaining her once-good piano skills. She recently took a course on oil painting which proved full of “real” artists and enjoys online courses, not to mention live cooking classes, showing that even in her 70s, she’s committed to lifelong learning.

 

Katherine’s approach to life is a blend of structured activities, like piano practice (she used to teach kids piano) and Pilates, with a zoom with friends to do the NYT crossword puzzle each Sunday, and getting friends around her newly-acquired jigsaw puzzle table. This balance keeps her intellectually stimulated and physically active, proving that age is no barrier to living fully.

 

Advice for Others on Pivoting Successfully

 

Katherine’s journey offers valuable advice for those looking to pivot or redirect their lives:

 

1. Mentor and Give Back: Katherine believes in the importance of mentoring, especially with young women. Sharing your knowledge and experience can be incredibly rewarding and helps others navigate their own career paths.

 

2. Keep Learning: Lifelong learning is a cornerstone of Katherine’s life. Whether it’s studying art or tackling new puzzles, she believes in continuously challenging the mind.

 

3. Have Fun: One of Katherine’s key pieces of advice is to make time for fun. It’s easy to get caught up in work and responsibilities, but simple pleasures—like playing games, doing puzzles, or gardening—are essential for a fulfilling life. 

 

4. Don’t Tolerate Toxicity: For young women, Katherine’s advice is clear: if you have a toxic boss, cut your losses and move on. Life is too short to stay in environments that don’t respect or value you.

 

5. Financial Stability: Katherine emphasizes the importance of financial security, especially for women, Living below your means and having a financial safety net enables confidence and freedom in making career decisions. It’s this stability that allows her to enjoy her current phase of life without worry.

 

Conclusion

 

Katherine Jones is living proof that staying active, intellectually stimulated, and engaged with the world is the key to a vibrant life, no matter your age. From her varied career to her current role as a researcher and home contractor, she continues to take on new challenges with energy and enthusiasm. Her story is a reminder that it’s never too late to pivot, learn something new, or simply have fun.