(Skip until the dotted line if you don't want backstory) So, I don't want to get too specific about my field due to privacy concerns (not so much from the actual users here but y'know, it's the internet and I know there may be hostile lurkers). But I will say it is a notoriously underpaid and undervalued one and despite having a decade of specialized experience and a graduate degree, I would probably be making equal or more waiting tables or driving for Uber full time. (Not to say servers/drivers deserve low pay but y'all know what I mean, I hope).

Now, initially the low pay wasn't a huge issue because me and my now-ex husband were DINKs, and he had a significantly higher salary than me. So despite inflation and everything we were actually doing okay. I was still passionate about my career, derived a lot of meaning and self-worth from it, and my contribution to our dual income certainly helped us live comfortably even if it wasn't sufficient to live off of alone.

However, recently my ex (whom I already knew was a porn addict, although we had been working through it for the past year and it seemed to be successful) came out as a TIM and also admitted his porn addiction was much more severe than he initially admitted, even after a year of so-called "recovery" and "transparency". (You can read more details in my post history if you're interested.) Needless to say, divorce is the only option. But this puts me in a pretty precarious situation financially. Unfortunately, even though we were together a long time, we weren't legally married long enough for me to receive any alimony or significant assets aside from my half of the house's equity. (I did consult a good lawyer about all of this to confirm what my options were and that's what she told me.)

Not only that, but due to funding issues my current position may not even exist in a few months. So I've been applying to jobs just to keep my options open.

One of the jobs I applied to is a supervisory role in the organization I already work for. To be honest, I don't feel very qualified for it at all and wasn't expecting to hear back from them! But I did, and now my interview is in a few days. It would be a HUGE pay increase, like 80% more than what I currently make, which would go great lengths to help me be self-sufficient after the divorce finalizes. I would also get to move to a much nicer and safer city than the one I currently live in.

My current role, I do have some level of supervising, but it's sort of informal and blue-collar, for lack of a better word, basically just showing less experienced employees how to do the hands-on work we do and taking the lead on certain projects. But I've never had to be responsible for the more "grown up" side of things like managing client contracts, ensuring people get paid, hiring/firing, making budget decisions, etc which is what this job would be.

I can't help but feel like I'm in way over my head and like an imposter. I know a great deal of that is due to patriarchy, and also due to my field making me feel undervalued in general. I do pride myself on my ability to thrive in new situations, get along with people, communicate clearly, and problem-solve.

But I've also never been directly responsible for people's livelihoods. This kind of position would be very different from the more hands-on, down and dirty fieldwork I'm accustomed to. I know that if I got an interview in the first place it means someone thinks I'm qualified but it's just so hard to feel that way when it's completely different from the kind of work I've been doing for the last 10 years.

Anyone ever been in a similar position and have any advice? I love how supportive this community is! Thanks for reading!