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Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Staying "Relevant"

Good afternoon! 

I remember when I had started the hunt for my new occupation after spending 7 months at home with baby boo that my first stop was a staffing agency. I was in the market for a job, not a career, and it seemed like a good place to start.

When I was meeting with the staffing recruiter, all of the questions seemed predictable enough. "What kind of hours are you looking for," and "What type of work can do you?" But the one thing that stood out in my mind as I was discussing my needs was this unexpected statement:

"Well it's good to stay relevant."

Oh. Was I not relevant anymore? Because instead of going right back into a 40 hour work week where I would certainly remained stressed, I had chosen to spend what little time I had at home focusing on my daughter? 

As always, I mean no offense to working mothers. I was you, and I will likely be you again, but the truth is, I couldn't do it all. Not at that point. Not even at this point, now. 

I knew what she meant by it. That in the professional world, the longer you are out, the sooner you are forgotten. But still, I thought, women choose to do this every day. They make this huge family decision to basically take an unpaid CEO position for a small corporation, and still become "irrelevant" to the rest of the working world. 

Running a house and raising a child is no joke. It takes skill, patience, and organization. You have to make a budget, keep the office clean, keep up with the inventory, order supplies, and entertain your client, all while working under most likely the most tyrannical boss you'll ever have. 

If I could post my stint as a stay at home mother on my resume, it would read something like this:

Stay At Home Mom                                                                         December 2013-Present (part time)

  • Manage fiscal year spending by creating and editing budget based on ever revolving needs
  • Maintain bookkeeping and payment of company expenses 
  • Provide services for client pertaining to sustenance, entertainment, physical and emotional needs
  •  Maintain a well functioning office by cleaning, checking inventory and purchasing supplies
  • On-call twenty four hours a day, seven days a week for the great foreseeable future
Salary: $0

If you're an awesome CEO, you may even use some of the tools you used at the office, like Excel spreadsheets or Quickbooks. Or maybe you're like me, and you write stuff down on a napkin that may or may not have been used, and clip coupons at night to save a little money. Or use Auto pay on stuff you'll never remember to pay on your own, and use turbotax for your taxes because you can't afford an accountant. 

However we CEO's choose to run our business, we make sure it runs, right? And even though I am in the small percentage of people who do the half and half, I know which of my jobs is going to have the biggest impact in my life, and especially in my daughter's, and I work my butt off to keep it going strong. 

Remember you are relevant. No matter how much you are paid or unpaid. Or how much you fail or triumph. Or how much you sometimes hate your job. As long as you try your hardest, and work through the rough times, things will turn out wonderfully in the end.

Happy Wednesday! 

Love, 
Dominique