Dear Linda,

Question: So, here's a question for you. I'm a happily childless, cheerfully unmarried, professional woman, approaching 40, who's done pretty well for herself. I loved your book, and fundamentally agree with what you argue. But I'm struggling with a somewhat different dilemma. I'm bored. I've reached a senior level in my (male-dominated) field while still comparatively young, and if I stay in that field, my choice is either to keep doing what I'm doing for decades to come (which many do) or shift to management (which many others do). Neither appeals to me. Instead, I'm thinking that I want a total career shift. But I worry that if I leave, I will damage the opportunities and outlook for younger women in my field who, with me gone, will see one less woman near the top. And I do feel a responsibility to them. What do you think?
Local Yokel
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A Little from Linda

Dear Local,

I do not understand why you chose field that did not engage your capacities for the length of your career. Since you do not reveal the field or the aspirational whole career change, it's hard for me to answer well. I will say that many engineers and journalists I know have faced the conflict between their love of craft and the inevitable wicking up into management.
In my opinion, management is the better choice. Unless you're going to invent Velcro or reveal the government's wiretapping program, there's a limit to the flourishing life that can be derived for example for engineers or journalists from doing the same thing over and over again as you describe it. Anyway, man is a political animal, as Aristotle says, so it's natural that the most remunerative positions in a corporate society would involve managing other human beings. Why not take management training and see if you like it?
L