Career Hacks
We talk a lot about career hacks. How to land the dream job. How to find purpose and meaning at work. But here’s something people don’t always say out loud: the best career advantage is having money. The second-best? Having enough of a cushion to take risks.
A friend once told me, “People think changing careers is the hard part. It’s not. The hard part was saving enough money to make a change.”
And she’s right. Learning new skills or finding the right company culture is important but not the whole story. Financial security makes space for reinvention. Without it, you’re trying to build a future while constantly bracing for impact.
My Story
My own shift from HR to writing, speaking, and podcasting didn’t just happen because I followed my passion. It happened because I had a severance package. And a partner who supported my career experiments—even the ones that didn’t pan out.
So, let’s stop pretending that hard work alone makes career freedom possible. It takes money. And some people never get that shot.
Think about what happens if you’re laid off early in your career. Or if you’re trying to pivot without a safety net. Now layer in systemic racism, sexism, ageism, ableism. Some people start ten steps behind and are still blamed for not keeping up.
We’ve built a culture where work is tied to worth. But not everyone has the same access to opportunity or the same margin for error.
That’s why we need to talk about universal basic income.
Universal Basic Income
Universal basic income (UBI) is a regular, guaranteed payment to everyone, regardless of work status. It’s not about rewarding laziness. It’s about recognizing that people have value beyond their job title. It’s about providing stability so individuals can care for loved ones, heal, learn, create, or simply catch their breath without financial fear.
Your work doesn’t define your worth. Your existence does.
And yes, there’s enough money. We can shift our economic priorities, modernize our tax systems, and create a baseline of security that doesn’t leave anyone behind.
UBI offers something simple but powerful: dignity. It ensures that people across all identities and zip codes don’t end up hungry, bankrupt, or stuck just because life threw a curveball.
If you’re curious how this could work, start here:
- Let There Be Money: Understanding Modern Monetary Theory and Basic Income by Scott Santens. Here’s the link.
And if the book is out of reach financially, I’ll send you a copy. No strings.
Because maybe the real career hack isn’t “have money.” Maybe it’s make sure everyone does.