For many expat partners, a linear career path is simply not possible. But when rigid ideas about work and career success loosen, a different – and often more satisfying – professional story can start to emerge.
No sense of envy
“If I compare my professional and volunteering adventures to my husband’s steady international career, I’m happier with the journey I’ve been on,” says Alicia, reflecting on her stop-start career over the past 25 years. “He works for the same company and does essentially the same job wherever we go. By contrast, I’ve had the chance to try so many different things, learning and growing in ways I never expected.” Her advice to others is simple: stay curious, make connections and follow your interests.
Adapting each time
“Over seven relocations across three continents, I’ve had paid roles, both part-time and full-time; I’ve done skills-based volunteering and project work, and I even set up a small business.” Her career certainly hasn’t followed a straight line, but it has remained meaningful and helped her engage with local cultures. “It isn’t easy to start over,” she admits, “but over time I’ve become more flexible and willing to adapt – even if I don’t always enjoy the process.”
Room to pivot
Without realising it, Alicia has embraced what career theorists call a protean career – a flexible, self-directed and values-driven path, shaped by the individual rather than an organisation. Instead of climbing a single ladder, people pursuing a protean career shift lanes, combine roles and continually redefine success. For expat partners, this approach often makes more sense than a traditional linear career, allowing room for pauses, pivots and experimentation. Alicia, who is also a mother of three (now all in their 20s), spent many years balancing family life with different forms of work. “As my children grew older, I had more time and energy to commit to projects or employers,” she explains, “but I was always mindful of what was realistic at each stage of life.”
Go with the flow
It’s true that the career you didn’t plan will often surprise you – just ask the former agricultural scientist who became a deputy school principal in Burundi – but perhaps that’s the beauty of it! And you might find that what emerges over time is this: flexibility becomes a skill, curiosity becomes a compass, and success starts to feel more personal and self-defined. For many expat partners, learning to go with the flow isn’t about lowering ambitions – it’s about opening up to the world and discovering yourself.
The interviewee’s name has been changed
