Bringing home the bacon, frying it up in a pan.

I have not one memory of a high school guidance counselor or college advisor using the phrase “flexible schedule” when purporting to help me figure out — between the ages of 17 and 21 —  plans for the next 40 years of my life as a wage earner. They used phrases like, “salary range,” “benefits package,” “room to advance,” and “stability.”

Though those were are all very historically important factors to mull over, the thing that I failed to take into consideration at the time was that the counselors and advisors I talked to were men.

Sure, I wanted the same advice they would give a guy. I wanted the same opportunities for success. I wanted a career that would give me security and a steadily rising paycheck. But a little real-world advice from a woman — especially one who was also a mother — may have changed my outlook on professional deal-breakers and deal-makers.

My mom and dad gave me advice, too. While my mom pushed the “do what you enjoy” mindset — one I wholeheartedly agree with, even if my daughter decides she wants to be a professional face painter (they do make a killing at kids’ birthday parties you know…), my dad extolled the virtues of those career planning guides that predicted what the need for a certain job might be in 10 or 20 years. Personal fulfillment and future growth are both are excellent considerations for deciding what you will do with your life. For many, choosing to stay at home, raise children, and run a household can be a dream job or a financial necessity. For others, working full time is what they must do to support a family and/or reach their professional goals.

But the thing no one ever told me was this:

Flexible schedules rock.

Ask any nurse, physical, occupational or speech therapist the reason they chose healthcare. I’m sure personal fulfillment and job security had a lot to do with it. But I also bet many saw the rates for weekend, night and per diem schedules (part time in most people’s minds), and thought, “THAT’S what I’m talkin’ about!” Today, the flexible schedule isn’t limited to hourly healthcare professionals. Any pediatrician, lawyer or accountant who’s had a half dozen years of professional success can opt to go “part time” or have an “abbreviated workweek” and still make a very comfortable living.

And here’s the most important part: they’re LIVING. As in, finding time for other things in life besides going to work. They’re the people who have the freedom to really spend time with their families and friends, to coach and volunteer, to attend concerts and meetings, pick up a hobby, and to get away now and then without being attached to an electronic device. They don’t do it all — because often, part time roles mean doing even more in less time both at home and at work — but they have more opportunities to enjoy it all.

At Alstin Communications, selling what job seekers want to hear is part of our job. Making employers and work environments look as appealing as possible is our specialty. As a copywriter, when I work on a posting or ad recruiting candidates for a full time, high-pressure, huge responsibility, head-honcho kind of role, I do it. But when a description comes across my desk talking about flexibility, choosing your own schedule, and the now overused but so crucial “work/life balance” — I perk up and think, “Now this is a job someone is going to be glad they went after.”

The successful candidate may never be honored by business magazines. May never have his or her own office. There probably won’t be huge dollar signs in his or her stock portfolio.

But even if they’re not bringing home the biggest piece of the proverbial financial pie, they may have something else — something that’s tough to measure but worth its weight in gold: peace of mind.

Want to take a look at how Alstin markets jobs with flexible schedules?