How I Found a Job in Tech That Actually Allows Me Work-Life Balance

How I Found a Job in Tech That Actually Allows Me Work-Life Balance Sarah Schell, a data scientist, starts her day with coffee and the understanding that she might not be home until 10 P.M. No, not because she has a deadline. Shes just got that much going on in her personal and professional life.As a natural sprinter someone who likes to work in energetic bursts when shes passionate about an activity or project Schell has a unique approach to achieving work-life balance. She sees balance as a long-term vorstellung rather than something thats measured by daily yoga classes, and she sets personal goals to make sure she gets the right amount of leisure time. Thankfully, her employer, Tell me a bit about your current role. What are your priorities?The function of my team is to empower everyone at GameChanger to answer questions with our data. What that means for me on a daily grund is deciding just how to do that and managing the people who do that work. It involves a lot of understan ding the needs, questions and concerns of different stakeholders in the company, then doing the coding and analysis to get the answers for them.Whats the first thing you do when you wake up and the last thing you do before you go to sleep?First, I press snooze. Most days I will lay in bed, drink coffee and listen to a podcast with my wife. Then I go into work and I make mora coffee. Im usually one of the first people in, so its a good time to do work quietly for a few minutes.At the end of the day, a lot of evenings I dont get home until nine or 10, because New York is not a place you can stop by home if you live in Brooklyn. Ill watch something or read, make food and fall asleep. I usually shower at some point, too.What does balance mean to you, and in what ways do you feel like youve achieved it?I think for me, in this moment, balance is not achieved on a daily basis but over the long run. Its a function of how I like to work. Like, if Im working on something Im mentally engaged i n, I want to keep working on it and leaving at five or six seems silly. But I think I balance that well when the work demands arent there, leaving to go work out or sleeping in a little if I need to. At a minimum, I try to move my body and eat a vegetable, and if Im doing that, Im feeling pretty good no matter what else is happening.What people, resources, and tools do you rely on to get it all done?My wife helps me have fun and forces me to not look at Slack. And I have a partener in the sort of maintenance of living a life feeding yourself and cleaning a house so its half the burden. I also have this thing where I feel like I have to be productive, so setting non-work goals helps me do those things. I play basketball with a group of friends, so theres social accountability, which is fun. And Im in a reading discussion group, which forces me to read and think about things I wouldnt otherwise. I wouldnt necessarily be able to push myself to do that my own.Whats one misconception y ou think exists around work-life balance today?I think this is more broad social commentary, but the discussion around work-life balance and having it all is centered on women. The implicit assumption is that women are doing all the work, and real workplace equality wont exist until men aspire to be great dads and partners in addition to great employees. The having it all work-life balance tips and tricks are just that tips and tricks. So, unless theres structural change, those sorts of things are fiddling at the margins.Lets talk about your companys culture. Whats your favorite aspect of it, and how does your employer aid you in achieving balance?I appreciate that we have a relatively flat organization and that there are a lot of mechanisms in place to have ideas percolate up. Its not a culture in the typical sense, but our OKR process and stand-up and retrospective meetings are a really healthy way to work with each other. And I think people are always trying to improve those mech anisms. We had a meeting today where another manager asked how we should be handing interpersonal information and how to communicate it in useful ways.Whats something you think fruchtwein people (perhaps even current employees) dont know about your company that you think they should?I think I have a unique perspective because this is my first job in tech, but having worked in places that are very hierarchical, I know that while there is efficiency there, it doesnt always keep people happy or generate their best work like our culture does. We are really empowered here.Whats been your favorite career mistake?Right after grad school, I tried to be a self-employed contractor. I was doing it for 6 months or so and I learned a ton, but I also realized there is a ceiling to what you can teach yourself.Whats the No. 1 piece of advice you would give to other women who want to excel professionally and personally?Negotiate your salary. There are so many dummies making more money than you. I kn ow money isnt everything, but it is a big part of why we work. And this is the advice I give to other people because I dont do it well, but its ok to brag about yourself.--Fairygodboss is proud to partner with GameChanger. Find a job there today