We've All Had A 'Bridge Job' — And There's No Shame In It

Despite the popular idea of job ladders, a career journey is not typically a straightforward path onward and upward.

At some point, there are likely to be detours when you lose a job unexpectedly or need to take time off to take care of yourself or a family member. That’s when you might take what is known as a “bridge job.“

Career coach Jasmine Escalera defined a bridge job as one you take “to stay in the career game, even though that step isn’t your end goal, in an effort to acquire certain skill sets or experiences that will get you closer to that end goal.”

In other words, they are the jobs you take when you need to shelter in place amid a tough job market and/or when you are burned out and need time to decompress. I’ve certainly had one, and you might, too.

For me, my bridge job was a two-year stint writing blog posts for a job board site after a layoff. It boosted my confidence, gave me free time to write fiction on the side and taught me that I do enjoy staying up to date on management trends, something that I do to this day. For Escalera, one of her bridge jobs was being an Uber Eats driver while she worked on building her coaching business.

“I credit that as being one of the most influential points of my life. Because there I really had the space and time to think about what kind of business I actually want to grow,” Escalera said.

And you’re not alone if you’re weighing whether to take one.

Due to mass layoffs and a flooded job market, Escalera said she’s seeing more people take a bridge job right now.

“I think people are much more open to taking contract positions, freelance positions, things that are truly going to help them stay in the market and maybe potentially try some new things out,” she said.

Why