Can we have the dream career & lifestyle,

Tory Rebhun

Published in

RE: Write

4 min readJun 2, 2015

with no sacrifice?

How to have it all, by reinventing the rules

The Context —

Like so many people graduating college, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. So when the mountains called, I went. For three years, I lived in an idyllic ski town where the work was seasonal and the outdoor lifestyle was full time.

Yet, working seasonally wore me down. It’s hard to imagine a future and career when living paycheck to paycheck.

And my resume? What resume?

In a transitional ski town where people lackadaisically moved in and out through a revolving door, there weren’t many full-time careers to speak of, or opportunities to learn and grow.

I didn’t want to leave, but I knew I couldn’t stay.

So… I left.

I went back to school at BDW. Learning digital skills, pursuing a career as a UX Strategist and working towards building a future.

However, trying to fit into a 9–5 lifestyle after experiencing such freedom and bliss in the mountains didn’t feel right either.

I loved the career I was pursuing. I could see a future and I had stability, but I felt like I had lost my freedom.

Did I have to choose between the lifestyle that society says you ‘should’ have, or the idyllic lifestyle I really wanted?

How can you build a successful career and experience the life you dream of at the same time?

The Problem —

Our generation expects more from the work we do. We want to be passionate about what we do and have a successful career, but on our own terms.

When graduating college, most of us have no idea ‘what we want to do when we grow up’.

Our expectations for how we want to live and work are a tall order — especially when our parents’ model for “growing up” seems outdated and no longer applicable.

It’s no wonder there is often a crippling sense of paralysis that sets in after graduating.

There is a fear of having to choose between the lifestyle we want to live, and the career we should be building. Assuming that we have to choose between one or the other, and that we can’t have both.

The problem is that we want both stability and a great lifestyle. But we don’t know how to get both.

We can only be truly happy, when we connect our passion for living life with a career that supports this passion.

For me, this kind of happiness won’t come from sitting in a cube everyday.

The Solution –

The good news is that we can easily learn how to build a career while living our passion. The world is increasingly digital and connected, meaning 2 things:

Digital skills will only become increasingly important and in demand, so learning them is the great experience to pursue
You can now work digitally from anywhere, freeing yourself to live your ideal lifestyle

Already digital natives, it’s easy to learn digital skills, leveraging online communities, platforms and resources to build businesses and careers.

Who is this right for:

If you want to get a job but don’t have experience, build your resume by gaining experience working online
If you want flexibility and freedom but don’t have the skills, get started and see how easy it is to learn digital skills
If you want to make some extra money, take a look at how huge the online market is for skills and work
If you have an idea and want to build your own business, the resources and help available to get you started are endless

It’s right for everyone.

What to expect when getting started:

Be open to a new approach towards learning, where you actively pursue your curiosities online.
Create a professional digital presence for yourself, so you can market your skills, display your projects and connect with clients.
Tap into relevant communities and networks to learn and get support from people with similar experiences and challenges.
Practice with projects, whether helping local businesses or pro-bono work for non-profits like on www.catchafire.org
Remember: Don’t be afraid, everyone has to start somewhere. Taking control of your career and charting your own path can lead you to where you want to go.

Regardless of the lifestyle you want to live, your options grow when you realize you can create the future you want for yourself. We are building a community that shares this excitement, connecting people with the resources, skills and knowledge to build a digital career.