re-entering the workforce

Lusitano8

Hello Mamas I was planing on returning to work after ML, but now DH has an opportunity at his company to re-locate to a small town. He would get a pay increase and we would have less expenses which is amazing! However, there aren't  any job opportunities for me there, so I would happily get to be a SAHM!

I'm excited to stay with my son and give him quality time to help him learn and grow. Our ideal situation would be for me to SAH for 3-5 years to raise DS and potentially baby #2 then move back to a city so I could go back to work. What's holding up our decision is that I'm scared I'll have a hard time finding work after 3-5 years off and will be majorly stagnated. I'm only 2 years out of my masters program so I don't have a ton of experience in my field yet. I understand I might have to take a lesser-paying job and work my way back up, but I'm terrified I'll be so un-competitive. 

Anyone have thoughts or stories about re-entering the workforce? I need your input mamas! If you plan to go back to work how do you plan to do so?

jesselayne8

I'm currently trying to return to nursing after 4.5yrs at home.  If I hit the 5yr mark then it will require a huge amount of re-education so I am feeling the pressure right now.  

kdanjou

I usually post over at 2IF but I will jump in here.  I've been a SAHM since DD was born, but I've since gone back to work 10hrs/week for some spending money.  I'm hoping the fact that I have been working PT will help when I go back to FT.  I am also terrified that no place will hire me FT since I have taken a bunch of years off.  FWIW, I was a biochemist before being a SAHM.  My PT job is not related to my previous career at all.

legoma

It's possible!

I was a SAHM for 12 years with no prior work experience. I had no issues finding work. I did complete college & went on to almost complete my Master's. I say almost because as soon as I got a job in my field I was getting promotions just about every year & caught up quickly to were I needed to be in life as if I had never left the workforce. 

I did get a PT seasonal job in retail when I was ready to re-enter the workforces because I was also scared that I needed to list work references & it was not related to my field (architecture, construction, interior design).

In the end I don't think those three months of retail made a difference. I've been working now for 6 years FT, with the same company, & in my field.

varimama

I think it depends on your field. When I told my boss I was considering not coming back he warned me the longer I was away the harder it would be to find a job. (He’s a great guy so he wasn’t trying to scare me just being honest). If I want to go back I’d probably need to go back to school and catch up a bit since it’s a quickly moving industry. Honestly if I decide to go back to work in the future I may pick something totally different since I’d need schooling either way.