I'd say it really depends. There's as much separation as you want there to be. It depends on the career path you chose, your ambition, and the workplace environment at your specific job.
You yourself have to draw these boundaries. If you're not ok with phone calls at home, do not allow the employer to call you at home. If you are too nice, they take advantage and then you're taking business calls when away on a family vacation.
Networking is *not* about getting one person to tell her friend you're good enough. It's about making connections. You might even be networking right now if it turns out a friend you make from this forum needs the goods/services your employer sells.
The bigger question is the work-life separation. If you're doing a job you really love, life is no longer a black-and-white situation where you're working 9-5 and you are not working past 5. It's more like you're always looking forward to the next assignment and are enjoying brainstorming new ideas or solutions.
I am very lucky to be on the Board of Directors of a 501c3 non-profit. I don't get paid for it, but it's something I LOVE doing. I might be out having a fun day shopping, but if I bump into someone who might be interested in what we do, I chat with them about it. All my friends know what I do. I invite my friends to the non-profit's parties and some of the non-profits members also turn into friends.
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