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Re-entering work force opens new doors for moms, dads
By SAMANTHA
CRITCHELL
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
For some mothers who took time off after childbirth, deciding to go
back to work is the easy part.
The real challenge is finding work that will be emotionally and
financially rewarding, and that still allows them to do their other
full-time job: raising the kids.
Many women who stay home with their children -- whether it's for a few
months or several years -- do expect to go back to work sometime, says
Mary W. Quigley, co-author of "Going Back to Work: A Survival Guide
for Comeback Moms" (St. Martin's Griffin). It's a follow-up to the
first book she wrote with Loretta Kaufman called "And What Do You Do?
When Women Choose to Stay at Home."
The problem for many mothers is, according to Quigley, that they wait
too long to decide how and when they'll re-enter the work force.
"You really have to start thinking about going back to work when you
make the decision to stay home," she says.
And there are other decisions to be made:
Will you go back to the same career?
Even if you're not "working," are you willing to do volunteer work?
Do you want to go back to school?
Some careers -- human resources, for example -- are pretty easy to
walk back into, but in others, such as information technology or
scientific research, someone who has been absent for five years will
be likened to a dinosaur, Quigley says.
"If you want to stay in science, you have to keep your hand in it
somehow," she advises. That can be done by staying active in
professional groups or by taking the occasional class; Quigley shares
the story of one woman who took enough part-time classes to eventually
earn a master's degree in biology.
Even one course from the current year could freshen up a resume.
Another option for a former researcher or scientist is to rejoin the
work force as a teacher or to start your own science-affiliated
business, as one mother who began a for-hire service teaching science
to preschoolers did.
"You can think about jobs in your field, but not necessarily the same
job," Quigley says.
Some women, though, see this as a chance to right a wrong.
"If you've decided you're not responsible for bringing in money
anyway, take advantage of exploring and find something you want to
do," Quigley says. "Going back to work is a golden opportunity to
choose the job for the rest of your life. Take your existing skills
and put them to work in another field."
Fields that are the easiest to break into as a mid-life career change
are those that are having trouble refilling the ranks, including
nursing and grammar-school teachers, according to Quigley, a college
journalism professor at New York University and a mother of three.
Often these jobs are either physically or emotionally demanding -- or
both -- but there is the possibility of a nontraditional version of
these jobs, such as becoming a nurse for an insurance company. "That
could be a straight 9-to-5 job," says Quigley.
She adds: "Health industries hold huge potential. There are a lot of
jobs, and many have the flexible hours that working mothers need.
Think of physical therapists; they set their own hours."
Parents (while the book focuses on stay-at-home mothers, Quigley says
the advice applies to fathers, too) might be surprised how they can
sell the child-rearing skills they've learned to potential employers.
Parenting also helps you learn to give clear and direct instructions,
to control your anger and choose words carefully -- which can be
helpful when dealing with difficult colleagues or customers, she says.
"When you become a parent, you don't have unlimited free time, so your
organizational skills and work ethic change for the better. If your
kids are in nursery school for only two hours, you don't waste an hour
futzing around, you get right to a task. That's hard to quantify on a
resume but it's a really helpful skill to have."
And, she adds with a laugh, "If you've volunteered on a local school
or zoning board, you'll take a lot of heat, more than you'd take at a
company."
Volunteer work offers an opportunity to hone existing skills and learn
new ones.
Instead of stuffing envelopes for a charity, offer to work on, or
better yet create, its Web site, Quigley suggests, because it will
result in a tangible product that you can show to a potential
employer. If you work on a fund-raising campaign, lead the project and
make sure you add that to your resume, listing the goal that was met
and how many people you coordinated, she says.
Ambition, excitement and dedication also are difficult to define but
they certainly are characteristics employers are looking for, and
former stay-at-home moms usually have that fire in their bellies when
they go back to work, Quigley reports.
They are seeking a job because they want to, because they are
energized and looking for self-fulfillment, she says, and they'll
probably have a game plan in place for the family, too.
Spouses will probably find themselves pitching in more and that's OK:
It'll give them time to bond with their children, and since they've
had the past few years to concentrate on their careers, they might be
able to ask for more flexible work hours now, Quigley says. "Most
husbands aren't unhappy about a second income when they realize how
much college costs," she adds.
But even the best-laid plans won't help with the complex feelings a
mother has as she returns to work, even if it was her idea in the
first place.
"There's going to be guilt and stress. You're never not going to feel
guilty so just get used to it. If you have everything all lined up --
who is going to care for the kids and the meals are all ready --
during work hours you've got to put yourself first," Quigley says.
"What's the worst-case scenario? They'll cry -- and pretty soon they
won't even look up when you're leaving."
Courtesy:
Google News
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