1 Read the texts below and match them with the type of downshifting. For each text there is only one possible answer.
There are five types of downshifters according to Amy Salzman.
A. Urban Escape
B. Career Shifters
C. Back-Trackers
D. Self-Employers
E. Plateauers
… actively choose self-demotion or self-firing in order to pursue other goals or open more time for family. For example, one of my best friends left a highly successful 18 year corporate career and became a stay-at-home dad when their first child arrived. My mother stepped down from a long career as an elementary school teacher and became the most overqualified teacher’s aide in the Albany school district.
2)
… don’t self-demote, but rather choose to stay in place by turning down promotions and opportunities for advancement.
I was department chair several years ago and filled in as temporary chair last semester and both times was happy to leave this position of more responsibility, prestige and money to return to faculty status. I did this despite the fact that many, including my bosses and those in upper leadership, encouraged me to stay on even consider higher positions in the future.
3)
… make a seemingly small change to their career trajectory or employer that often makes a huge difference in lifestyle as opposed to moving to an entirely different career (so lawyer-turned-novelist doesn’t count, but a lawyer-turned-mediator would).
Shifting careers is more common than you’d think. Many accountants at Big 4 firms escape their intense work pressures and time demands by taking internal accounting positions at client companies.
4)
Many people choose to get off a corporate track and go into business for themselves. This process isn’t easy, and involves a lot of financial risk. But if you become your own boss without letting your business take over your life, self-employment can give you the autonomy to lead a better work-life balance.
5)
The cost of living in the orbit of large affluent coastal US cities pretty much precludes downshifting. Many people who can work remotely or shifted their careers to be more flexible, chose to move out of the city to where the lifestyle is slower and more affordable. Moving out of the city and taking a similar but less stressful/lower paying job in a more affordable area also be a financial net positive.
