Your first job really doesn't mean the end of your fun life as you know it. Working part time certainly isn't a parent - only option. In 2020 Some 19.8% of young professionals in Belgium were working part-time. Does the idea of part-time or taking a 4/5th job appeal to you, but does the full-time dogma still have its grip on you?Claire did away with the prejudices and consciously chose to live a richer life
More me-time
Like any young professional, Claire Bracke first opted for a
full-time job: "I was working a
38-hour week in a digital agency and had long had the feeling of 'a little more time would be nice.' So I deliberately applied for a
four-fifths job as communications manager at
KrisKras vzw, a travel organization for young people."
"I am a firm believer that the more time you have for something, the more time you spend on it. Well, I opted for more me-time. And I must say, I quickly got used to that extra day in the week. Family visits, taking trips, housework.... I don't have to cram everything into those two weekend days anymore."
Lower pay, higher awareness
"With the job switch, I barely had to give up anything in pay. If it involved major financial uncertainties, I might not have done it. But thanks to the public sector pay scales, I knew very well what I was choosing. Although I have to admit that I may not have looked up enough what the implications would be for my pension."
My time is worth more to me
"My life goal is also not to make as much money as possible. The older generation may think differently about that. But my time is worth more to me. I realize that's a luxury. Not everyone can do that just like that. When I chose a four-fifths job, I was still living alone. Of course I doubted it would work out financially. But I organized myself accordingly and am conscious of my money without having to leave things for it. What I give the most money to? Travelling! Well, I also work at a travel agency..."
F*ck prejudice
"When I say I work four-fifths, they often assume I choose to have a family life or be self-employed. That I work less to do fun things, people don't find that normal. I also know very few people my age and without a family who consciously choose this. As an exception to the rule, I sometimes have to defend my choice. A friend of mine who went to work in the medical field really had to defend it. Maybe that's because people secretly want it too?"
Fulltime? That’s so 20th-century
"To doubters who are afraid of coming across as unambitious, I would say: don't worry about it! I know about myself that I work hard for four days, perhaps as much as some people in a full-time position. Besides, the working world is in transition. In 30 years, no one will be in the office five days a week, if you ask me. Working from home is going to change the mindset around full-time work and increase our awareness of me-time. So from me, those prejudices around part-time work can safely be left behind in the twentieth century."
All set Up for your new life as a Young Professional in Belgium?
Find your Upliving rental apartment