By Brianna Baranowski 
I don’t regret a single step that led me further from my career and closer to my family. Did I truly understand the depth of the consequences of stepping back from a profession and trying to re-enter it a few years later when I resigned? No, no I didn’t. But even knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t change a thing. I’d make the decision over and over again.
It’s a strange feeling trying to find a job after a period of being a stay-at-home mom. Have I really become irrelevant this quickly? With each closed door I’ve begun to branch further and further away from my original career, just in hopes of finding something. At first, this was exciting—the prospect of trying something new and different from my years of previous experience. But do you know what options you’re left with when you don’t have the right credentials? Entry-level positions. And while there’s nothing wrong with starting over yet again, it’s certainly a humbling experience to be somehow under and overqualified for so many jobs.
I think back to when I was juggling working full-time and parenting when my kids were younger before I made the decision to stay home. Am I really ready to overly apologize every time one of my children wakes up vomiting and I need to take care of them? Am I ready to leave for work before the youngest wakes up in the morning? Am I ready to balance deadlines with baseball practice? Sometimes I’m not so sure.
After much consideration and discussion with my husband, it was a few years ago that I first took a step back in my career, and then ultimately resigned when my youngest was struggling with daycare. I remember people asking me what my plan was for when the boys became a little older and it’s time to return to work. I honestly didn’t give it much thought; I was so focused on what our family needed at that moment. I figured going back to work wouldn’t be an issue.
Boy was I wrong! Not only is my former employer now experiencing a budget crisis and no longer hiring for my position, I worry I am now considered a “flight risk.” I’ve become known as someone who will change directions for her family at the turn of a dime. I respect that this may be unattractive to employers, but I wonder if maybe it can be seen from a different perspective.
Maybe I can be regarded as someone who is fiercely loyal and willing to make sacrifices for the benefit of others. Or maybe I can be valued as someone who can manage a household as well as a team. Hopefully, I can be viewed as someone who is worth taking a chance on.
I’m not sure what’s next for my career or our family. I understand that rejection and closed opportunities are just part of this life and the stressful experience of seeking employment. I have hope that the right thing will come along and that it will lend itself the type of flexibility we are craving in this season of life. As you can see, there are many unknowns for us right now. It’s uncomfortable, exhilarating, painful, hopeful . . . it’s a lot of jumbled feelings hitting me all at once. But no matter what happens next, there is one thing I’m confident about. And that’s the fact that if given the chance, I’d do it all over again.
by Brandie Kendrick 
by Katie Weber 
