GTKY: What do you do?

krash_

Feel free to share as much or as little as you would like. Just a few questions to get to know you but no need to answer them all or in that order. 

Are you a working mom? What is your job? How did you end up in that career? 

Are you a SAHM? How long have you been SAH? Did you work before switching to SAH? How did you make that decision? 

What are your hobbies? How do you spend your free time? 

ramennoodlegif

Are you a working mom? What is your job? How did you end up in that career? I work for a heavy equipment dealership in the lubricants division. I ended up here because I chose to get an essentially worthless-to-me degree (BA in French lit/language, minor in Psychology.) I say worthless because I don't have any desire to teach or interpret, so there's really not any options career-wise, and I refuse to go back to school because I am a terrible student. 

What are your hobbies? How do you spend your free time? I enjoy knitting, karaoke, reading, and most crafty, working-with-my-hands kinda stuff. My city has a coding initiative that allows people to take coding classes for free and I finished a basic front-end coding class just before finding out I was PG with DS1. I really wish I had been able to take more classes because I really enjoyed it, but life happened. 

mytinc

I work in Business Development for a large company.  I work 40+ hours a week and travel fairly often across the US to various project sites.  I limit travel until kids are about 6 months old, and DH is great about that (minimal complaining at least).  I sort of fell into this poisition and I've been with the same company for about 8 years.

In my free time (what is that??) I listen to audio books or read.  I used to be pretty involved in community service, but really my life outside of work is totally focused on family and kids these days, and home projects.  That about sums it up.  Pre-kids I also enjoyed playing in community co-ed softball and volleyball leagues.

MLS6212

Are you a working mom? What is your job? How did you end up in that career? I am a Marketing Program Manager for a manufacturing company. I market protection plans (also known as extended warranties) for our products. I started working as a 29 year-old intern in the HR department, but after a few short months I realized that HR exists to suck the joy out of work. Luckily, I became friends with the recruiter who was trying to fill a Marketing Associate position in my company. I moved to that role about 3.5 years ago and then was promoted to Program Manager this year.

What are your hobbies? How do you spend your free time? I wish I had more time for hobbies. I like reading, scrapbooking, video/computer games, and watching my favorite college football team. I usually end up watching TV when I have free time just because it comes in small chunks and I can't find the energy to engage in more creative outlets. :-/

krash_

@kfren I also feel like my degree was fairly useless; BA in communication studies. It's too broad to be useful. 

@mytinc traveling for work is something I always thought would be fun but I imagine it is actually quite stressful especially with a family. 

I am a financial analyst for a egg/potato/cheese manufacturer. I basically do excel spreadsheets all day. I take what sales tells me for pricing or contract terms and analyze the profitability and then people who make a lot more money than I tell me if it's approved or not. As mentioned above I have a communications major which led me to sales but I was always more interested in the analytical side so I moved in to sales analysis, then pricing and now profitability. I actually really like what I do and the company I work for. 

I don't think I could ever be a SAHP. I really admire the people that can because I know I will miss out on things while working but I think I would go crazy being with my kid all day. I think I would start to resent my kid and MH. 

For fun I like to do yoga or go for long walks around lakes. MH and I really like beer and Minneapolis is a great place for craft beer and micro breweries. The culture among young parents here is to spend a Saturday afternoon at a brewery with your dog and your baby. I am immensely excited to do so this summer.  

aharv77

Are you a working mom? What is your job? How did you end up in that career? I am a Data Analyst for a telesales company who sells small maintenance parts & chemicals to (mostly) large fleet companies across the country. I've been with my current company for almost two years. Prior to this I was a candy & snacks buyer for a mid-sized retailer in the area for 4 years. I was desperate to get out of retail so I started throwing out resumes everywhere and happened upon my current role. 

What are your hobbies? How do you spend your free time? I haven't had time in years for hobbies but I like to read and craft occasionally. I'm also involved in our public library's "friends of the library" group where we meet once every couple of months and plan events for the library. It's been a nice way to get involved in the community and take part in family friendly activities with others who love the library too!

catlady1215

ever heard of medical coding? I was doing inpatient medical coding for a local large health system for about 15 years. Then just this fall I finally caved and decided to move up a bit and took a position on the auditing/defense/education team for the coding team of the same health system.
its fulltime. But we moved home fulltime in 2016 so that really helps with the mommy job also... more before/after work time etc. Flexibility with split shifts etc.

free time is usually with DS or catching up on my dvr lol.

sunshineandwhiskey

@krashke your job fascinates me!  I always wanted to go into the analysis side of math.  

Are you a working mom? What is your job? How did you end up in that career? 
I hold my teaching degree in Mathematics, a masters in Chemistry education, and a special education certification.  I currently work as a 6th grade math teacher in an accelerated honors program housed within a high school.  I am on my 7th year (6th with the school - taught high school before bumping down).  Its been fun being a part of the program and really getting things established.  I also am department chair for the academy.  I ended up here, mainly because i wanted to help, and the sight of blood made me queasy so my dream of being an ER nurse was out. I love it here, but have definitely thought about staying home.  My husband hopes to get an Assistant Principal position, and maybe then I will.  Not sure.  

What are your hobbies? How do you spend your free time? 
Netflix and chill? haha  I do not have many hobbies outside of school (Family Life) but I do coach soccer and have for the past 6 years. I love to bake, lay in the sun at the pool/beach, and just be outside in the sun.  

krash_

@sunshineandwhiskey I don't actually have to do that much math. MH always makes fun of me because I use excel so much that I have lost my ability to do quick math in my head. I mean I have all of the costs and factors that affect the profitability on the price and there are a lot of moving pieces with huge national customers that have 150+ items but it's more knowing how the basic principals of math change things, and being able to explain that to the sales reps. 

I actually went into college as a chemistry major but I failed calculus and had to reevaluate and I think I just wanted the path of least resistance. 

MoonOverGoldsboro

Are you a working mom? What is your job? How did you end up in that career? I'm a librarian at a university. That means I spend most of my time teaching (either my own information literacy courses, or class sessions for courses in other subject areas), planning curriculum, or consulting with students/faculty individually on their research projects. I love my job, and while the hours are overwhelming at times, the amazing flexibility usually makes up for it. Prior to becoming a librarian, I was a magazine editor for five years. Once the print industry really started tanking, I decided to go back to school to get my master's degree. Of course, librarianship is also such a lucrative career (eye roll). But overall, three cheers for libraries, @aharv77!

What are your hobbies? How do you spend your free time? Like a lot of you have said, family is sort of my hobby. I definitely started thinking a little differently about "free time" since having our first. I basically just want to spend all of my free time outside work with my son, because I feel like daycare gets to see him more than I do. So we do lots of family walks with our pup, fun brunches, trips to the playground, etc. Like @krashke, we also love good beer, and Chicagoland is full great microbreweries, though my enjoyment has been limited now that I've been pregnant or pumping for the better part of two years! I'm also a pretty big reader, which I do a lot of on my commute or after my son is in bed. 

lrichhx05

@sunshineandwhiskey funny because for the longest time I wanted to be a math teacher, but realized I actually would suck at teaching and now I'm going to be a nurse! Lol 

Right now I'm a SAHM and also a full time student in nursing school. I graduate in May, yay! I hope to be off for a few months with the new baby and then start looking for a job. My dream is to work at a children's hospital, either NICU or pediatric oncology. 

I don't have much free time between school and a two year old ha but I used to read all the time. Also, there's a bunch of swimming holes around where I live so in the summer I like hiking and swimming. 

mytinc

@krashke - I do enjoy traveling for work.  I've always loved travel and work is really the only way I can do it now other than our annual vacation to our family cottage.  My husband is more of a homebody than I am, so it works out well that I'm working when traveling.  DH is great about it and just jokes I need to get paid more so he can quit his job and be a stay at home dad.

I do miss the family when I'm gone, but there is NOTHING like a hotel room bed all to yourself for a night or two  after the kids have been sleeping horribly at home.

jsl82

Are you a working mom? What is your job? How did you end up in that career? 
I work in digital advertising.  I actually started with this company a week before my BFP- and have been so blessed with how family friendly they are here.  As long as I get my work done, they do not care how often I'm home with a sick kid and the maternity program here is amazing.  I have been in touch with a woman in my company already that is helping with all paperwork and will help with my exit and re-entry for leave.  

I ended up in this field by luck after college and have worked in both TV ad buying/sales and Digital ad buying/sales.  I went to school in NYC and lived there for years since so much of the industry is based in NY.  I was worried moving back to Philly and not being able to find a job.  I have recently been interested in financial analysis because like @krashke I do so much analysis in excel and would move to that industry if I hadn't found this company.   Sometimes I feel like I'm getting wrinkles from excel though.

Are you a SAHM? How long have you been SAH? Did you work before switching to SAH? How did you make that decision? 

I was a SAHM for 9 months after DD was born.  I liked being a SAHM but it is very lonely.  I loved that I got to spend so much of her first months with her.  I wish I could stay home for a year with this little one.... and still be able to go back to work. 

What are your hobbies? How do you spend your free time? 
I sleep.  I used to love going to the gym (alright love is a stretch) than going out to happy hour.  Now I'm excited when DD is asleep by 8 and I can watch a little TV before I fall asleep.  After this LO is born I am hoping to get our for dinner and drinks with my friends a couple times this summer.  I'd also like to take advantage of the summer off and take the kids to the beach/ pool/ park as often as possible.  

buffalove1211

I am an elementary school teacher.  I am currently teaching 6th, but I flip flop between 5th and 6th over the years.  This is my 8th year teaching.  I recently went back to school to get my masters, so the bump in pay has been nice!  The hard part about teaching is that I can't leave for an hour and come back - the hours are set in stone with zero flexibility.  However with that I have a ton of time off which is literally heaven.  My school is year round, so my breaks are scattered throughout the year.

I do not think I could be a SAHM.  I call myself a pretend stay at home mom when I am on a break from school.  I LOVE being home with DD, but the shift in the responsibilities balance with MH always feels weird when he is working and I am not and I don't like it.  Like, how can I ask him to go clean a bathroom if I'm the one home all day?  But when we are both working I do not hesitate.

I don't have many hobbies!  This question makes me feel like a loser haha.  I like eating, happy hour, TV (Bravo addict), reading once in a while, going on vacations.... that's all I got!

amys614

Are you a working mom? What is your job? How did you end up in that career? I graduated pharmacy school in 2011. I spent 6 months at Target Pharmacy and the minute I had the chance to escape the hells of retail pharmacy, I booked it into long term care and have been with the same company since. Long term care pharmacy is all nursing homes for the most part. We service about 110 nursing homes, mostly in the Midwest but are expanding rapidly. We fill about 6000 medication orders per day and have a fleet service and airline cargo that assists us in getting the medications to all of our locations. Volume is the biggest stressor. Being out of retail means I am not on my feet all day without bathroom or food breaks, have no fast food drive through window, no contact with sick people besides my coworkers, and best of all, I have a department who deals with insurance. It has its negatives for sure, but I think of retail was the only available job for pharmacists, my 6 year degree would be for nothing, because there's no way I could last a lifetime there. My hope is to eventually go part time where I'm at, maybe in 3 years when my student loans are paid off


What are your hobbies? How do you spend your free time? I like to listen to audible books, watch YouTube videos or Netflix, spend time exploring the city and just getting out and doing random things such as going to the zoo and different festivals, we like going to the places around here and fishing and packing a lunch, etc. Can you tell I'm ready for warmer weather? Not much to do around here in the cold. 

izza2

@lrichhx05 - I don't think I could ever work in a NICU or Ped-Onc, so more power to you, girl! Sick children are my weakness when it comes to healthcare.

Are you a working mom? What is your job? How did you end up in that career? 
I've been a CNA for 7 years! I also work as an a Care Representative for physician practices in my area (1.5 years), so I float to different doctor's offices (in the overall health network I work for) and check patients in, check them out, handle phone calls, put prescription refills in - all sorts of fun, mind-numbing things.
Like @lrichhx05 I'm also in nursing school, and also graduating in May! I have a guaranteed position at one hospital (where I'm already a CNA) on their med-surg floor, and once I have 6 months of med-surg under my belt, I also have a guaranteed position in Cardiac Rehab (where I'm a Care Rep)... But unfortunately I really just want to work in L&D or a fertility clinic and potentially work my way up to be an NP or a CNM.

What are your hobbies? How do you spend your free time? 
What is this "free time" you speak of?!
When I do have time to breathe, I honestly love reading. I'm a self-admitted young adult book junkie, but I love pretty much anything I can get my hands on. I'm boring and don't do much of anything aside from read, spend time with family, and play with the dogs... I do love ocean fishing, though. So there's that.

Amphibious22

Up until 2 days ago I was an animal trainer at the San Diego zoo safari park. Zookeeping/animal training is really the only career I've ever considered for myself and have spent pretty much my entire life working at it. I love so much about it and the job I just left was amazing. I worked with about 30 ambassador animals (which means animals trained for education as opposed to exhibit animals) including reptiles, parrots, raptors, servals, hyenas, and cheetahs. As awesome as it sounds, the majority of the day is cleaning, dishes, laundry, and diet prep, but there will always be the awesome moments when animals finally grasp a behavior or when I see kids get really excited about conservation. 

I'm very actively looking for work until about May and then if I haven't gotten anything I'll probably put my job search on hold until August. As much as people around me say it's a perfect situation to be a SAHM, I just don't think it's for me. I have just put so much into my career that I know I'll miss it too much and I think it would be bad for my marriage if I was home all the time. 

As for hobbies, I'm usually too tired to do much of anything other than watch TV, but I do love to play board games. DH and I regularly host game nights and we have lots of games that scale well for 2 people so we can play just us. I also like going to zoos, museums, and amusement parks whenever I can. DH always jokes that a vacation isn't comeplete without checking out the local zoo. 

MoonOverGoldsboro

@amys614 @izza2 This is kind of an aside, but It has been great to have both of you around to share your medical experience. I feel like I've learned a lot from you guys on this board!

lisa2589

@izza2 I’m with you on that. Sick kiddos are not for me. We are designated Peds overflow and I really, really dread those situations. Props if you can do it @lrichhx05!

I graduated with my BSN in May ‘11. Took NCLEX for RN licensure that month and have been working in patient care ever since. I was also a CNA for 5 years (senior in HS all through nursing school). I love being a nurse but always say I could never, ever go through nursing school again. It was so overwhelming. I’m so proud of you ladies for being mommies, being pregnant, and finishing nursing school this spring! You rock!
Initially my unit was a classic med surg unit. Then a couple months before DD was born in spring of ‘15 we transitioned to a 24 bed Observation unit, so patients who are staying 1-2 days max. Has to do a lot with insurance issues and expediting care for patients who only meet obs requirements vs inpatient. Those who are eventually deemed inpatient are then transferred to different nursing units. Lots of chest pain, r/o MI (heart attack) patients, overnight stays after surgical procedures, lots of elderly with falls, infections, needing assisted living or nursing home placement. I love the variety I see in my job.  

I like to say I’m a mostly SAHM mom because I’m only working one 12 hr shift a week now. I worked full time (3 x12 hr shifts, 36 hr/week) until DD was 18 months. Until that time, with DH being self employed, we scheduled around each other so he stayed home with her those 3 days a week and worked when I was off. Things changed with the demand of his business, and basically never seeing each other, in top of the cost when we looked into daycare, it made most sense for me to cut back hours. I love the time I have with her and I think the structure of primarily having one parent with her throughout the week has helped her a lot. The one day a week I leave the house for work I do find that I treasure my adult interaction with coworkers and patients even more! 

My big hobby is reading, I do this to relax most evenings once DD is in bed and DH is watching various movies he’s seen a hundred times  In the summer I dabble some in gardening, though not too sure how that will go this summer. We live rurally on 180 acres so I love to get DD outside and run off some energy as much as possible. 

lrichhx05

@izza2 @2589 see I feel like I could never do adults, not long term at least. I love that nursing has so many options! 

jld419917

I am a pharmacist but I work very part time because of the lack of child care we have so I am mostly a SAHM.  I enjoy working though and hope to go back on a more regular schedule eventually.  

In what spare time I have with two crazy boys at home I enjoy reading and spending time with family. 

doxiemoxie212

I’m a publicist and graphic designer. I started out in beauty PR in NYC while I was at NYU, which was fun but grueling — 9am-11pm was a light day, and I got paid virtually nothing (but yay fashion week and meeting celebs? Jk it was awful). Since then I’ve worked in entertainment PR, gourmet food PR, and scientific communications. My specialty is really strategic communication, not media relations. In January 2017 I went back to school for graphic design because I’d been functioning as an art director in my role for a while, and I finished this past summer/fall. Now I freelance! I can work a fraction of the hours and get paid the same amount, which is great because DHs hours are absolutely insane, and his salary is enough for us to live on. My hobbies are really TB and watching tv lol. I am the kind of person absolutely fine with staying home doing nothing ALL DAY so I’ll need to maybe I don’t know leave the house more once baby is a toddler lol. 

elsie42

I'm a mechanical engineer by training. My last job was in product development for a plastics machinery company. We made machines that melt plastic and form it into shapes like medical tubing or solo cups (lol). Then last summer we moved (DH is military) so I left my job. I started job hunting here but then I got pregnant and decided to SAH. DH will likely get out of the military or switch to reserves next summer/fall at which point we may move again so it didn't make sense for me to go to work just to then take maternity leave and potentially move again. I am excited to be able to say home with DD because it's something I always wanted to do at least for the first year, and I know we are very fortunate to be able to afford for me to stay home. I plan to go back to work if/when we move next year but all of that is still very up in the air. 

I like to go out to eat, go to the beach, travel, watch TV/movies/sports. Otherwise for the most part we are pretty boring and stay at home a lot but I like it that way lol. 

=caenis=

I'm a copywriter for a big travel website. My educational background is in journalism and strategic communication  (...and biology and German, because I couldn't make up my durn mind). I found a job as an English-language copywriter for a gaming company when I moved abroad in 2010, and have been doing this in a couple different industries since. My specialty is UX writing and microcopy, and a lot of my work is research/data-driven. I love what I do most days, though my company is growing fast and I'm moving up. Which is awesome, but also scary and stressful.

I'm afraid I'm a pretty boring person. Like...I like sitting on terraces, going to snobby-coffee cafes and sunbathing at the park, but not really...doing anything? I love train rides and exploring new places, but only if there's good food/drinks/places to read, so. Yeah. I do love a nice long bike ride when the weather is nice, and there's a beer waiting on the other side. Basically very food and sun motivated.  

izza2

@lrichhx05 - I couldn't work in a nursing home or long term care facility, either, lol. I used to work in a nursing home as a CNA, and it was okay at first, but then once I got attached to the residents, I would get so heartbroken if they got sick or passed away.
I like having a significant chance that people will go home and be fine once they're out of my care.

[Which really makes no sense; I love working with hospice patients and knowing that I'm providing them dignity at the end of their life. I guess it has to do with their function-ability and for some reason "really knowing" that the hospice patient will pass on, and having some sort of hope that the nursing home patient will live for another 20 years...?]

becca_123

I was a financial consultant for a bank for 2 years before I decided to quit last August.  It was nothing fancy - just an entry step into the banking industry because I thought it had great potential.  But banking = sales and the standards/pressure just kept getting worse.  I didn't make it to the end of my business degree so instead I have a BA without designation (boring/useless) which, in banking, would have likely kept me in the retail/operational side of things.  No fun.  

DH's contracting business really picked up last year and so I figured if I left my job I could help him with his books and paperwork etc. to keep things more organized because he really wasn't doing well with that.  Plus I knew we wanted to have a baby soon and couldn't justify my salary with the ridiculous costs of daycare, plus the fact that DH was making more than enough for us to live on.  So I'll be a SAHM while helping out with things on the business side.  

I'm a little panicked that I cut my work experience so short out of school as I always pictured myself as a career woman and it's nice to think I'd have a contingency plan if the business suffered any difficulty.  But, self employment has it's own rewards and I'm super proud of all that DH has accomplished with it and where it's headed!

My hobbies are boring.  Binge watching Netflix.  Researching baby things.  Reading TB.  Repeat.  Add a little doggy play time in there and some bedtime reading.  I really want to find a hobby that I can get serious about but I haven't come across anything that I want to devote my time to yet.  I used to love being active like hiking and going to the gym etc. but since I moved to NJ I've been a complete couch potato!  I also love puzzles but I've been stuck on one for over a year now and I've come to hate it lol.  I need to pull it out and complete it before baby gets here. 
  

lrichhx05

@izza2 I mean with hospice patients you know they will pass soon and it's not unexpected, so I can see how that makes it easier. My first job was at a long term care facility and it's like one day someone is fine, and then all of a sudden they're sick/dying, which is hard. 

katelynrae86

I have my BA in Elementary Education, but realized during my year long student teaching experience that it wasn't really for me (so much love and respect for teachers @sunshineandwhiskey @buffalove1211 and anyone else!). I subbed for a couple years and started working in the beauty industry (for a huge cosmetic and skincare company that's been mentioned on here many times ). I worked as an in-store trainer/consultant for 8 years until my son was born. I often joked that I still felt like I was teaching. But teaching a grown woman how to do a smokey eye was less stressful than teaching a 6 year old to read...most days

I've been a SAHM for almost a year and a half now. For the most, I love it. But its not without its challenges. I agree with whoever said it can be lonely. I'm glad DS is getting to the age where he really likes getting out and doing things. I felt a little out of place at story time with a 3 month old, the zoo with a 6 month old or the children's museum before he could walk...clearly I was there more for me I also struggle with guilt, in two ways. First, I feel like I shouldn't compain about any negative feelings about staying at home becuase so many women would love the opportunity. And none of my friends or women in my family have chosen to stay home, so it kind of feels weird. And secondly, I feel like I always need to have dinner on the table and spotless house like its part of my "job." I know this is all in my head...MH is really supportive and tries to help with house work (hence where the guilt comes in). 

For fun I love to bake, run (more like shuffling these days), read, hike and listen to podcasts. I can't really watch TV or read the day with my son so I listen to a lot of podcasts for "company" (especially when he was smaller) haha. At night, MH are all about Netflix or Amazon prime...and falling asleep at 9pm!

May14th2011

I'm a SAHM. I didn't really choose that, but childcare is expensive and I don't have a college degree. Also, jobs are not plentiful where we're at now, so, I hang out at home.

I'm an aspiring writer, currently working on a novel. My goal is to finish the rough draft this year, hopefully before baby comes, so I can work on edits and rewrites. Once that's done, I plan to pitch it and try to market it. 

Austenista

I have a BA in Secondary English education. I’m a SAHM before that I was a SAHW. It can be lonely but I am an introvert who enjoys/enjoyed homemaking prior to DS and now I really just enjoy being his mom. I really love my mom gig and we are hoping for at least four kids that I plan to homeschool. 

I enjoy reading, baking, and just hanging with my family. For social time, I occasionally do play dates with friends, but I also enjoy hanging on the bump or chatting with my mom group on FB. Not at all exciting, I’m aware, but I’m pretty happy that.  

pupsicle23

This is a fun thread to read!

I am a special education teacher at a middle school. I co-teach several classes to support students in an inclusion model and also have a couple of small groups. I love my job. I’ve also worked in a center program for students with intellectual and/or multiple disabilities and hope to do that again someday, because it was the absolute best. Prior to that, I taught middle school ELA. I have a degree in journalism, but I joined Teach for America after college and kept teaching.

I like reading, baking, yoga, and hiking. We cook a lot and I love to cook! I try to get out with my girlfriends. But, like others here, it’s hard to keep up with things consistently while working and parenting. 

amys614

Thanks @MoonOverGoldsboro ! So very sweet of you.

@izza2 I don't know how the nurses at the nursing homes do it. I have zero contact with the patients, but even just feeling like you know their story a little bit from conversations with the nurses, I have a really hard time when someone I have been filling meds for, for years passes away. We have our fair share of younger patients too with ALS, MS, etc and those are extra difficult too. You nurses are special people, that's for sure! 

ffw0617

Currently a working mom to be. I’m an immigration attorney, I work for a small firm. Put in my notice last week so I have just 2 weeks remaining. Ive been applying for other jobs but nothing as of yet. Not sure at 6 months pregnant if I have many options prebirth. I plan to try to do some legal work on my on and consulting with other lawyers who may need help in the meantime (both for the rest of pregnancy and the first few months after baby). I’m also in school working on my masters in christian counseling part time. I’m not against being a SAHM at all, but we cannot afford it and personally I have too much debt to stay home. 

I ended up in law bc I knew I wanted more education and a field that makes money so I wouldn’t be limited like I was in journalism. I got into immigration bc of a study abroad trip (i just wanted to study abroad i wasn’t interested in immigration but) when I returned and told this attorney about my studies with the immigration institute she offered me a job (no interview or anything) and thats how I got started back in 2013. 

Hobbies: I’m also a certified professional pole instructor. So when im not pregnant I teach pole and host pole parties. I’ve been poling since 2013. I also love to read snd travel. 

Xtabbikatx

Are you a working mom? What is your job? How did you end up in that career? 
I am a database admin/analyst. I got this job, because I needed a job and used a connection to land on an entry level help desk using the same database. After a year there I talked to my managers and when this position came open they moved me. I like it and enjoy it most days. I still don't know what I want to do long term though. I am also an officer in the National Guard, but will be resigning my commission at the end of this year. DH and I are both military and it is getting too hectic with one kid. Adding another in the mix and my family moving overseas pretty much took away our ability to juggle it. 


What are your hobbies? How do you spend your free time? 
Um; I don't know what this means. Before pregnancy I used to workout everyday. I am exhausted right now so that is not happening. Also in a lot of pain. After I get the all clear from doctor I am going to try again. I also like to read, but right now I am in bed about an hour after my son and my son is up before me. Not a lot of free time, because I am exhausted. 

MissKittyDanger

Are you a working mom? What is your job? How did you end up in that career?
I work in a Bankruptcy firm - note: we are not lawyers. Basically we deal with your debt in different options that is federally based. I'm Receptionist/Insolvency Clerk
I got the job online. I only got an interview because I was the only one to follow up about my resume.


What are your hobbies? How do you spend your free time?
Does sleeping and eating count? Lol
Seriously though, I love reading and makeup mostly.
I've been decluttering so much lately, so that and cleaning take up free time. I occasionally do YouTube vids - makeup, DIY, vlogs, etc. I've been stuck on inspiration lately, so the makeup part of the videos are lacking

LaceyBee522

I am a business development and marketing manager for a large global law firm. I support six offices in the northeast US and travel pretty frequently. I didn't intend to get into this industry and actually started my career as a radio DJ. DJing was so lonely, though, so I moved over to advertising, then event planning, then ultimately marketing. I was at AOL in DC for several years before getting laid off and falling into legal marketing. While I was enjoying my severance from AOL, I got a call from a recruiter asking if I'd be interested in marketing at a law firm...I was confused, thinking I'd be putting up billboards or something. In reality I do a lot of RFPs, pitch meetings, and client events. I've been doing it for 13 years and have moved into a more strategic role helping attorneys identify and target possible clients and industries. Not glamorous, but it pays the bills.

One could say I'm not terribly passionate about my career, so I do have a lot of hobbies. I volunteer with the New York Junior League. If you aren't familiar with Junior Leagues, they're all over the US, some in Canada and Great Britain, but it was started here in New York. We volunteer with various community organizations and it is a fun social organization for women. I'm currently a trainer, so have two classes of women per year who I train to become volunteers. It is so fun and I love doing it. It is one of the things I'm most afraid of losing after the kids are here.

I love crafting and usually pick fun seasonal crafts to do on weekends with a good girlfriend of mine. We do glitter pumpkins every fall. We've recently made airplant holders out of wine corks and we are trying to learn calligraphy. 

I love to read. Especially smutty romance. I'm especially into paranormal stuff, but also enjoy reading more classic smut/romance.

Also, super into trash television. I haven't had as much time for it lately, since starting my new job, but I'm DVRing. We DVR Judge Judy every day and MH is even into Real Housewives with me now. 

profmcgonagall

I have a Bachelors in Nursing but currently working at a coffee shop due to military wife life and no nursing jobs available overseas. 
Once this baby comes, I will be a SAHM until I can get a nursing job again. 

murraydog2008

Are you a working mom? What is your job? How did you end up in that career? 

I am a Program Specialist for the Regional Amputation Center for the VA.  I've been working in this position for almost 5 years now and I really love it. I work with a small amazing team and the doctor I work with is energetic and inventive!  I've been working for the VA for the past 9 years and I kind of fell into this place by accident.  I was laid off from my receptionist job at the beginning of 2008 when the job market and everything else crashed and I was out of work for 11 months!  I managed to get by on unemployment and doing side jobs for family and friends during that time, but the unemployment was coming to an end and I had to find something....anything that would pay the rent.  So I put my name in with any temp agency I could in hopes of getting a job even if it was temporary.  They placed me for a contract at the VA and I knew right away that I was in the right place.  All the jobs I had worked prior to coming to the VA lacked inspiration for me.  But I feel like working for the VA, I can fully embrace the mission of caring for our nations veterans with honor and respect.  The VA gets hit pretty hard by the media, but I love knowing that every one of those bad stories, I am part of a team that is working to make things better for our vets.  I love what I do for work.


What are your hobbies? How do you spend your free time? 

I love to cook.  I enjoy preparing meals for my family and trying new things out.  I also enjoy being outside with my family - during the spring, summer, fall - we like to go out to the local beaches. We are in Washington state so we have a lot of beaches but they aren't the lovely warm sandy beaches of California. I also love downhill skiing. The big kids and I went skiing every weekend up until about 2 weeks ago when I finally got too big to ski.  We are also a family that loves music.  My husband is a drummer and I used to be an Irish dancer.  That has been passed along to the kids.  My daughter has been Irish dancing since she was 4 and my little boy is about to start lessons after St. Patrick's day. 

taykc90

@amys614 Hey I'm a pharmacist too!  I graduated in 2014.  You mention your pharmacy serves the midwest so I'm curious where you went to college if you're comfortable sharing that on here.  (I'm in Ohio.)
I work at a pharmacy in a federally qualified health center.  Basically we're a community health center that primarily serves low-income/un-insured/under-insured patients.  We have primary health care, dental services, behavioral health services, and of course the pharmacy.  I love it here because unlike my previous retail job (for a giant retail chain which shall remain nameless) which sucked my soul and did not give me time or resources to properly take care of my patients, my current job allows me to go above and beyond for my patients so I feel like I can actually make a difference.  I'm also very fortunate in that I have a set schedule with very good hours, so I'll actually have time for family.  My husband is an ER nurse, but he only has to work 2 12-hour shifts per week (sometimes he picks up extra shifts) which is awesome because he will be able to stay home with DD a lot, plus he's already great about doing lots around the house.

To all the SAHMs out there, you guys are awesome.  It takes a lot to keep a household running, especially once kids enter the picture.  I think people don't always realize that until they are in that situation.  Unless you have a job with really flexible hours/work at home, it's so difficult to be able to take care of everyday stuff AND work.  I love that my husband has several days off and can handle a lot of household stuff while I'm stuck at work.  I feel like society has gotten to the point where both parents working is the norm/somewhat expected, but you almost need one person to be SAH or at least part-time in order to take care of the every day stuff.  Part of me wishes I could be a SAHM but at the same time I kind of need the security of knowing if something ever happened and my husband couldn't work I can support myself and my family.  Not to mention a it takes a LOT of time and money to earn a pharmacy degree and I'd feel guilty not using it!

Also whoever said they're writing a novel that's awesome.  I love to write but I never feel like I have anything to write about!  I'm not that good at coming up with stories but I've always thought being a novelist would be so cool.

mytinc

@ffw0617 - Where did you study abroad?  I spent my junior year of college in Spain and LOVED it.  I'm so sad that my passport is now expired and even if it weren't there just isn't any time for traveling the way I used to.

@LaceyBee522 - My job revolves around responding to RFPs.  Which is why I'm on here during work so often recently - down time between proposals. The next one I'm responsible for responding to is due out before the end of March.  It could be any day... or it could be released months from now.  So hard to tell when it's the federal government issuing the RFPs.    Also, our local community has a Junior Civic League - I assume that's similar to what you were talking about.

LaceyBee522

@mytinc Oh, man....government RFPs are the worst. Seriously, some of them give me nightmares!!