“Should I take a career pause?”
“I don’t know if we can afford for me to take time off of work to care full-time for our children.”
“Will I be destroying my chances for returning to paid work when I decide to return to the workforce after a career pause?”
Sound familiar? If you have thought any of these before, you are not alone. Taking a career pause can be scary. Paid work provides financial and career security. Giving up that kind of long-term stability is understandably nerve wracking.
As a successful career coach for parents looking to pivot back to paid work after a career pause, I am here to tell you that the benefits of taking a career pause can absolutely be worth it!
Is Taking A Career Pause Right For You?
According to a recent study by the Ohio State University, a discouraging 66% of parents reported being burnt out. And burn out quickly leads to depression, anxiety, and can even lead to attention behavior issues coming from the children.
There are many tactics parents use to address burnout: rearranging schedules, hiring help, and take a vacation are among the most common. But it’s not often that parents seriously consider taking a career pause as a solution to burn out.
“The treatment for all this burnout is rest, and it’s not restful to be taking care of kids, working full-time, and looking for a new job. From a mental health, self-focused perspective, the smart way to go about it is to stop, regroup, and evaluate what you want.”
- Christin Drake, MD, a perinatal psychiatrist as quoted in Oprah Daily
If you find yourself in that 66% of burnt out parents, it’s time for a shift somewhere. Take time to reflect on the cause of your burnout and talk it over with your family. A career break may be just what you need to get back to your true self, while also rejuvenating your future career in paid work.
The 5 ‘R’s | Benefits Of A Career Pause
There are many benefits to taking time off of paid work to focus on yourself and your family. Focusing your career pause on these 5 ‘R’s will assure you are making the most of your time.
Rest. The oxford dictionary defines rest as, “an instance or period of relaxing or ceasing to engage in strenuous or stressful activity.” Rest doesn’t necessarily mean sitting on the couch (although it can). Rest can be taking time off from any stressful activity (AKA your job).
If you are taking a career pause after having a new baby join your family, rest will look different for you than for others. But it is possible to get rest even while caring for babies and small children. The key is to schedule time for rest - which seems counterintuitive, I know! Whether it be regular 30 minute “me-time” breaks or a weekend away, take time during your career pause to truly rest.
Rejuvenate. What is it that refills your tank? For some people, it might be a day at the spa, a long hike through the woods, or time with family or friends. For others it might be taking time away from the computer screen or reading books to your children. Whatever it is that gives you energy, do it as much and as often as you can. Sometimes you might have to flex the timing or arrangement (because, that’s what parenthood is all about!). But as long as you are rejuvenating, your career pause will be providing value to you and your family.
Reassess. What is it that you want to be doing with your life? Do you want to be a full-time mom for the foreseeable future? Great! Do you want to get out of your marketing job and try something new? Fantastic! There is no right or wrong answer here. Think, journal, dream, chat, share, and plan whatever your heart and mind is telling you. A career pause is the perfect time to reassess your life’s goals, direction, and focus.
Realign. After all of that reassessing, you may realize that you want to do a complete 180 shift from what you were doing before. And that’s OK! You’ll need to take some steps to realign your values, your goals, and even your family’s routine to sync up with your new direction. This is a great time to recruit the entire family in the alignment process so that everyone is on the same page and knows how to support you. After all, if you are getting the support you need, you’ll be able to support and serve the family even better in return.
Reboot. Everyone knows that when your computer starts freezing up or is working slower than normal it’s probably time to restart the computer and install any new updates available. We should be thinking the same way with people! Sometimes we lose our motivation, our speed, and even our efficacy because our heart just isn’t in it anymore. Taking a career pause is a great time to reboot. Power down and look for ways to update your skills.
There are dozens of ways to work on your skills during a career break. For example, you can take a free online course, join a networking group, find a mentorship program, or focus on mom transferable skills such as such as research and problem solving, adaptability and agility, strategic thinking, communication, motivation, and organization. For even more mom skills that transfer to the workplace, click here.
Preparing For Your Return During Your Career Break
When you are ready to return to work after taking a career pause, there are steps you can take to prepare yourself for success in finding the perfect job that fits both you and your family. There are resources that are sure to set you up for success:
Join Anna McKay for a powerful and FREE masterclass where you will:
Learn what you need to know about the current landscape for returning to paid work.
Work through some of the most common struggles returners face.
Hear from someone who has successfully returned to paid work after a 21 year career pause.
Discover the 3 things you must have for a successful return to paid work.
"I recently accepted a job for full-time work and your presentation helped me get there after 16+ years as a stay-at-home parent. Thank you so much!” - Amanda M.
You don’t have to feel overwhelmed. Get full support with your job search from one of our trained coaches. You will be joining a group of like-minded return-to-work candidates through 1 1:1 coaching session, 9 group coaching calls, unlimited e-mail support, and access to our private Facebook group.
Find CLARITY around what’s next career-wise, build CONFIDENCE in your professional skills, with a COACH trained in the THRIVE framework for returning to paid work and support from a COMMUNITY of other returners just like you.
Partner With Parents Pivot
It’s ultimately up to you if you decide to take a career pause, but the benefits are well worth it. If you decide it’s what you want (and need) to do, whether it’s for 3 months, 3 years, or 30 years, Parents Pivot is here to help you make the most of your time away. And we’ll be here when you are ready to make a great return to the workplace!
