When you become a parent, your life changes in so many ways. Most of them are, of course, positive changes – and yet you know deep down that you will have tough decisions to make in the future. There is every chance you can go back to your old job – maternity leave makes that a possibility – but that job might have changed too.
You may well ask yourself whether you want to go back to work. It’s accepted that the first two years of a child’s life are the most important. Taking a career break to be a full part of this is an option that many mothers are fortunate enough to be able to take. At the point where you feel able to enter the world of work, what you expect from it will have changed. So the question has to be asked: when the time comes to go back to work, maybe it’s time for a career change?
Maybe you loved what you were doing before so much that you would miss it if you turned your back on it. If not, then it’s worth thinking about all the things that being a mother has taught you in a short space of time. It’s an education that no school can provide – and the good news is, it can also open up a new career avenue for you.
Soft Skills Are More Valuable Than You Realize
People often refer disparagingly to so-called “soft skills”. The general impression is that while they are nice, they don’t exactly belong on a resumé. In truth, that’s nonsense. The caring touch that motherhood brings to you can translate directly into employment.
Early parenthood gives you an insight into how to become more patient. It teaches you a lot about soothing concerns, and also about how to read someone’s mood and feelings without words. All of these are invaluable in caring professions.
The Skills Don’t Stop There…
Even if you inherently value “hard” skills about soft, there’s no doubting that motherhood teaches you those too. As a parent, you will learn more about the human body, medicine, and nutrition than your entire life will have taught you before baby.
To lead to employment, you may need to firm those lessons up with online nursing degrees or a nutritionist qualification. The headstart you have gained in motherhood though, will make those courses far easier than you may think.
The Way You Think About The Future Changes
Aside from any skills directly linked to being a mother, you will also experience the simple fact that – for you – the world has changed. While everyone has a stake in the world, a parent also has to focus on the future, and how it might impact their child’s happiness. This causes you to think more about education, safety and even politics.
In your time off from your job while your baby is (hopefully!) sleeping, you’ll have time to develop interests in these fields (and others) that may lead you down a new career path. You’ll want to change the world – or at least the part in which your baby will grow up.
About Jammie Morey
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