Woman Takes Up Bridge Job After Feeling Burnt Out; Netizens Empathize

Karli Williamson's LinkedIn post is going viral for all the right reasons. Over three million people have now seen her post which starts with, "I GOT A JOB!!!…as a part-time barista at my neighborhood coffee shop." In the post, Karli explains the reason behind the job update. "I'm taking this job because I'm not desperate now, and I don't want to be later," she writes. "Working a service industry job isn't beneath me. I am not so fragile and entitled that I think I'm above bagging croissants and steaming milk."

People are praising her on other social media platforms such as TikTok for her transparency. According to Karli, she took this bridge job because she was feeling the burnout from her current job. "I saw my savings going down, and this just kind of gives me some wiggle room to continue to stay true to myself and stay true to who I am," she told Buzzfeed.

She also talked about how the decision to share her modest achievement came from the desire to be more authentic on the platform, but she never saw this response coming. "I just kind of took a chance," she admitted. "I feel like I've noticed a lot of people posting some intense horror stories...and I just wanted to offer an alternative. There's no shame in taking a job to pay your bills. I'm not so entitled or so self-inflated that I couldn't do this."

Bridge jobs have become increasingly popular in recent times because of people feeling burnout in their corporate jobs. Many have also realized that the career journey is never linear and there's no such thing called a job ladder. Therefore, people are happily walking away from their job field to take up temporary jobs that are easy on their brain. 

It is not just Karli who has taken on a bridge job. Hanna Goefft (@hannagetshired), who is famous on the internet for making content all around important career topics says that a bridge job can be transitional and can also help people to "bridge the gap between their current situation and their desired career goal."

Hanna recommends getting a bridge job for people who are currently struggling to maintain their work-life balance. "A bridge job can provide a unique perspective and skill set that sets you apart from other candidates and demonstrates your adaptability and resilience. Don't be afraid to take a nontraditional path if it gets you where you want to go!," she said in her TikTok video.

Karli, on the other hand, doesn't know how to feel about her post going viral. While she felt great to see the positive response, she also found "the fact that the response was that huge, that someone got a part-time barista job" to be a little bizarre. "I do feel like there's so much support, and that's a big positive. I also feel like it kind of showed me how we feel about people taking a service industry job," she told Buzzfeed. 

According to Forbes, there are many advantages to taking up a bridge job. Bridge jobs can be great for people who are figuring out their next move. Moreover, it could experts say that when you are planning to make a career pivot, the best way to do it is by taking up a bridge job.