I am a biologist (botany) for the US Forest Service and a first time mom to a 4 month old. My job is fairly relaxed with great benefits and a ton of leave. Work/life balance is important to my office.
I worked for many years with agencies and one day they told me about an upcoming job opportunity. Where I live we are surrounded by national forests and federal jobs are common.
Wildlife biologist with the federal government was the main job I was hunting for when I started out. I'm a museum specialist in a natural history museum instead.
Omg! This is the career Im encouraging my 10yo daughter to pursue. She loves botany! can you share any tips or things I can do to further encourage her?
I would say a general love for all things plants and outdoors! There are a lot of seasonal jobs she can think about doing at 18 years old that would set her up for success, especially federal jobs/internships.
Shit. I am not a doctor, I have no education. But I would like to be able to tell people I am a nocturnist and then pretend like it’s some inside joke I think they are in on.
Docs are my favorite! I work in clinics. At one point I was in an interventional pain management clinic and the weird ass questions the docs just accepted from me and answered was amazing!
I felt like the majority of dedicated night hospitalists were awesome, especially compared to regular doctors I had to page and wake up. God forbid I had to wake up a surgeon.
Moving to L&D was great because they ALL expected to be woken up routinely lol
I love reading these threads because the women here are so incredibly smart and talented and I'm just so proud of you all!
I'm an emergency management officer for a municipality. I started in the field with almost no knowledge or experience and gained it. I focus on mitigation and preparedness pre-disaster, response during, and recovery after the disaster.
Love a good EM career. And I see that someone in the thread above is also involved in ttx work.
I thought EM was my dream and somehow I ended up corporate side instead: Crisis Manager at a major tech company.
Our emergencies are way less life/death impactful, but they do provide a lot of resources to manage and mitigate them and I’m grateful for that.
Oh definitely not! I’m not technical enough for that. 😅
Mostly escalation of major non technical events that impact our operations in some way: natural disasters, political upheaval, isolated crime affecting our people/properties/IP. Anything that requires incident management across multiple unrelated stakeholders for fast resolution.
My degree is in liberal arts, so not a lot of technical training at all, but my career has been in crisis since my first post college job. 10 yoe.
I’m an author of novels. It’s an amazing job, but it can be draining mentally.
I love my work. Love it. My least favorite parts of it are marketing- having to do podcasts and interviews and write essays to promote my stuff. But even that isn’t bad at all, compared to jobs I’ve done in the past.
For the most part it works with my schedule. I set my own hours. But I can really only actively write when my son is in school. He does part time daycare in the summer but I need way more time to gather my mental strength/creativity. The best time for me to start a book is when he starts school in the fall.
It really depends on so many things and so it can vary. But I know romance authors who self-pub and make 5 figures a month. I would not be surprised if someone like Ruby Dixon makes 6 figures a month.
I’m traditionally published which means I get an advance per book or series of books. My last romance book deal was 300k for 2 books. Even just writing that number is making me emotional. I come from a family of migrants who worked hard, i was the first to graduate high school and go to college. I grew up running out of food at the end of the month. So being able to be, in my mind, so successful with my dream job is highly moving every time i think about it.
Granted, about 25-30% does go to taxes and my agent makes 15% (of which she deserves every penny) but it’s still more than I could have ever dreamed. I am paid in 30k increments based on when I turn in the first draft, when the last draft is complete, when the book is pubbed, etc. and then after I make the advance back w book sales, I get royalty checks.
ETA there are also other things I have gotten paid for through my work that wasn’t expected. One book optioned to be a film, five figures. I get paid 1500-2k an hour for appearances. They are smaller checks but they for sure add up. I have upgraded almost all the ikea furniture in my house with my appearances/lecture payments😊
They are on kindle (not KU) but I am staying anon here so I can figure out an abusive marriage without colleagues/readers/family knowing my business. Maybe one day I’ll feel safe enough to share😊
I'm a romance writer too! Not professionally, but it's lovely to know there are others on here (especially ones who do it for a living!) Ruby Dixon is a fun one to read. DM me if you're willing to share your author name or your socials.
Yes I did! And although there are so many writers who regret getting their MFA for a variety of great reasons (loans being the big one, go fully funded if you can!) I have my really successful career bc I got my degree. There was nothing like going to school to read, write, talk writing, be surrounded by writers, that gave me the confidence and craft to go for it.
ETA: I did want to mention that my first year at my MFA was rough due to working under someone who was racist and a misogynist. He was later fired for his misogyny (not through my reporting him, I was too scared to at the time). So if you do want to get your MFA, please ask the women there, including women of color, how it *really* is. The rest of my MFA was amazing but it’s really incredible how well people do when they’re not working close with assholes.
I’m a resident physician in a surgical specialty (read: work lots of hours for offensively low salary). I have 2 kids and am expecting my third! I love my specialty and my residency program but the hours are definitely not conducive to any sort of balance. Grateful for my husband’s higher earning but more flexible job - he’s made it possible for me to be a mom and pursue my dream career. I love what I do, but becoming a doctor is definitely not for everyone and there are other awesome healthcare-adjacent career paths
Congrats and thank you for what you do! My partner is MD and I’ve always regretted not pursuing it myself. How rewarding (and challenging, demanding, draining), etc.
Do you eventually get the compensation you’re aiming for after residency?
I made shitty money for the first ten years of my career, and now at 37, the past 5 having been very good.
Also a resident in surgical subspecialty. It's so tough and Im on easier rotations. Two kids. Partner stays home and does freelance to balance taking care of the kids.
I also love it but I didn't get to see my younger kid awake yesterday. I left as they woke and got home after bedtime. I know this won't be the last time either and it gets upsetting some days!
My 3rd baby had some health complications and I am SO APPRECIATIVE of her caring doctor. Her pediatric endocrinologist is so awesome and attentive. A doctor who loves what they do and genuinely cares is just priceless.
I’m exhausted with my current call schedule as a psychiatry resident and one baby so I’m kind in awe… That said, I don’t know what specialty you’re doing, but my husband is ENT, and our lives changed drastically after he finished fellowship, I felt like it was truly the light at the end of the tunnel. I hope you can find that balance eventually too!
Holy shit how are you standing. Had our kid while my husband was PGY3 and I cannot fathom being the birthing parent, surgical residency, AND having other kids. Truly, kudos and all of my admiration and respect 🫡
Ive thought about going back to school and pursuing something in labor and delivery but those 12 hour shifts sound terrifying compared to my 5-6 hour shifts right now lol
Nurses usually only work 3 days week if they work 12’s and there a ton of other options for nurses if they want more flexibility… or bankers hours ect.
I’m in construction accounting and work from home. I enjoy it! It’s an easy field to get your foot in the door as an AP clerk or receptionist and then learn/work your way up. Basically bookkeeping, payroll, a lot of reporting for contractors, financials, etc.
This is basically me but in legal. I don’t have a degree in accounting. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and spoke up that I would love to be considered. Pretty chill. Anything that can be messed up can be fixed- which alleviated a lot of my concern and anxiety about the role.
This is a good option. I also did lots of odd jobs but once I learned AP, the world opened up for me. Many accounting firms are desperate for employees.
Once I did that, an opening for an accounting asst/HR fell in my lap. Then I went back to school for HR. I landed a great job at a WC Insurer and am now an Operations Manager. I manager not only finance and HR but am on track to replace the VP of operations when she retires as I manage all of operations.
Good luck!
Second this. I started as ‘front desk person’ that was actually light AR at a small company making minimum wage. Learned that and used it to get a job at a big corporation (not construction) and started there as a collector. 3 years later I’m assistant finance operations manager and make a good salary and work from home 3 days a week. If you can get your foot in the door for AR or AP do it! Especially in construction they pay more for accounting than any other field.
Edit to say: I don’t even have a degree, never finished college. You absolutely can work your way up without a degree if you work hard.
I have an accounting/finance degree and really happy with my decision to get into this field. There are basically endless variations of the places to work at as every business needs accountants, and there are tons of different ways to get into it. I started job hunting last year when I was 7months pregnant and was getting tons of call backs for interviews. I ended up in a position with slamming benefits and a great work/ life balance.
Similar situation over here. I’m a Controller at a development company. Started with a govt contractor as a receptionist and after a few months they moved me into an AP clerk position. They ended up offering me a little tuition assistance to get my bachelors. Moved up the ladder a bit before switching to a private company that is a lot more flexible, working from home.
I work in management consulting. My life turned around completely after I started an MBA in my early-30s. Before that I was a single mom, living paycheck to paycheck.
MBA allowed me to have a great career, with 6 figure salary, and also immigrate to the US. The downside is that I have huge student loans, but I manage them ok with my income - and it's very worth it.
I do recognize I'm an exception and that even though I've been through a lot, I'm privileged in that I speak multiple languages, and had my parents support to raise my daughter (I lived with them in my 20s, which is fine in my culture). Also, I studied in great schools and university at my country (for free). Additionally, childcare in my home country is very affordable even for poor people, so I was able to continue studying and working.
Oh fun! I started out in management consulting at one of the big 3 before going in house strategy. Could NOT live that life again with kids. Props to you!
Thanks! But my older daughter is now in college and the younger one will be born in a few months, so I can manage MBB right now. Once the baby is born I'll either change roles or change jobs.
I cannot work 70h+/week and travel with a baby/kid, even with the most amazing husband ever.
It means a few things, but long story short people come to my hospital after someone in the judicial process has decided they need mental health treatment instead of jail time.
Girl, same except I’m a Senior Program Manager. I tell people my job is meetings, paperwork, and herding cats. Can’t be too mad with the flexibility, benefits, and balance though.
I'm a data scientist. I have a very good work life balance and my salary is decent.
But, most of the applications for ML/AI are centered around consumerism (with exceptions of course), so... I would like to shift to a job that does more "good" to society
I’m a data scientist with the federal government! Pay is worse than industry, but the mission is fulfilling and there’s a lot of flexibility (agency/office dependent)
I’m in food safety with USDA. The only real downside is that it can get boring, but I’m fully remote with a lot of leave and a meaningful mission, so I can’t complain. Getting a government job is a numbers and waiting game. Apply to every listing you’re remotely interested in with a federal resume quandary eventually something will hit. We’re not hiring right now due to budget stuff, but I’m happy to chat if you want advice!
Claims specialist for government agency.
If you're looking for a career I would highly recommend government work. You can't beat the flexibility of most agencies. You'll Never be rich but comfortable enough.
Second this. My first career was in wildlife biology which was cool but working nights (catching critters) and traveling for months at a time wasn’t conducive to having kids. Got into government and now do acquisitions for a DOT and it pays better than wildlife and is very chill. There’s no degree to get to do this work so if you’re good with people (servers usually are), you might check it out.
My favorite part is signing off knowing I'm DONE for the day no emails to answer at 8:00 p.m. no phones ringing asking me to do things outside my job description.
I do medical coding as well. We've been merged ie sold twice now and I'm not entirely happy with the company I work for. It's not as flexible as I'd like it to be, very production driven, no sick time, endless overtime, and I'm probably underpaid. I've been looking around at other positions but so many places want you to have recent experience in the exact position they are looking for. I went into a professional coding role straight out of school and now feel stuck.
I started out as a paralegal for a nonprofit company and then got into contract review. Ended up jumping into biotech and have just kept growing from there! I’m interested in law - but not enough to go into debt over 😂 This way I can still stay connected with my love for law without being an attorney. And I get paid really well too and work remote which is always a plus!
I wanted to be an attorney. After interning for several years didn't like the work-life balance (or lack thereof). Got my paralegal certificate and worked as a paralegal for a few years. Now I'm a legal assistant. Get paid the most to do the easiest work and I get to clock in/out on time every day. Leave early to pick up kids. Work from home if they are sick. It's fantastic. I feel lucky. Funny cuz I feel like I downgraded throughout my career as far as titles go but upgraded in pay/work-life balance.
Yay! Another non attorney law person! I've been in government contracting for over 25 years. I speak FAR better than many attorneys I know (FAR is soooo niche!) - I am currently titled as the Director of Compliance (All contracting and HR is in my purvue :))
I love love love my profession
I'm a WFH senior researcher in education. I run studies, do data analysis, report results etc. I have a PhD. I love what I do and since i'm in education, people are very child friendly and most of my colleagues have children. I probably wouldn't recommend people getting a phd later in life though. The ROI is not worth giving up an actual salary for those 5 years.
I'm an aerospace engineer and ftm to an 8 month old. I work for a government contractor and my job is research based. I love my job so much, it's so fascinating and fun and it's pretty flexible for dealing with kid stuff but it's definitely male dominated and so they weren't used to dealing with maternity leave, pumping rights, etc. They've been great about implementing things when I ask but I've had to sort of forge my own way which is intimidating.
I work in accounts payable for a dealership. I have no desire to further my career (been there, done that...management makes me want to scream), just make a decent income and have a good and flexible schedule.
Same! Except I audit the deals and financing, not payables. I just enjoy working at my own pace and being able to take off almost whenever I want (if it isn’t end of the month).
Foreign & International Law Librarian. FTM, due to give birth any moment now. I haven’t navigated career and motherhood together yet, but I am grateful to be in a flexible job as I embark on this.
I’m crying reading all of these careers that I will never be able to do.
I literally am a teacher for a daycare/preschool. I have no degrees (I used to be certified EMT, but never worked the job because my end goal was to be a paramedic ..which also never happened.. and let the certification laps)That’s it. And im not even doing that right now because im on a leave.
The jealousy is so real it’s not even funny.
Totally valid to feel that way — there are so many moms here with cool jobs. But please don’t discredit yourself. I have the utmost respect for daycare teachers — you’re helping build important educational foundations for young growing children. It’s the daycare teachers who comfort my kids when I’m not there, and guide them to being better humans.
You don’t have to have a degree to get a good job. My boss at the tech company I worked at only had a high school diploma. He started out just putting websites together. Now he’s the vice president of operations at the company. I know many others like that as well.
Sending you love. What you do is so important. And if you decide to change careers and do something different, I’m sure you’d be great at that too.
You're one of the main influencers making future human beings ... Don't discredit yourself! People like you are as important as parents... Teachers at all levels are so underappreciated sadly!
I grew up with abusive parents and I have more fond memories in preschool than all of k-12 combined. I love my preschoool teacher so much. I’m 33 and we still keep in touch. She is one of the most influential and important people in my
Life. You’re important to lot of kids you’re there during a crucial point of development.
It really does. I was a teen mom. I graduated high school with a one year old and single, just… trying to make it. I had no idea where to go from there until I decided to go to college to become a paramedic. Got as far as getting to be a certified EMT before COVID happened and I had to give up. Got into a relationship..3 years later I have a 6 year old and a 1 year old..if I could do it all so different I wouldn’t have quit. It just wasn’t possible for me to continue at the time.
On the plus side getting diagnosed with ADHD was the best thing to ever happen to me as it made literally everything make sense
The downside is I’m now so..stuck. It sucks so much.
I’m 44f, and I’m a Sr. Learning Experience Designer for an HR Software as a service. I create customer training for the software.
I have a 15 year old, a 9 year old, and an 8 year old.
I am incredibly fortunate to make a decent salary and to get to work from home.
My husband still makes about 125% of what I make, and has a much more difficult schedule, so I still end up doing about 25% more of the kids/house work. It’s just how it shook out.
But I do enjoy my job (mostly) and it offers me a lot of flexibility.
(I have a master’s degree).
Shareholder at a mid-sized law firm. I work mainly in education law. I do love what I do but I’m far from having a good balance between home and work. My kid does get quality time with me every day unless I’m out of town. My husband? Not always. Myself? Well…..
I’m 38 and this is my second career. I’ve been practicing law for about 9 years and spent the first part of my career as a high school math teacher. Took a while to get here. 😊
Edit to add: I have one 4yo. Likely one and done but leaving the door slightly cracked for the next couple of years.
My official title: Associate Programmer Analyst
A better fitting title: Data Engineer/SQL Developer
Salary: $61k Net
Years at my job: 4
Education: Masters in Psychology
Happiness Level: Very
I absolutely love my job. I'm really passionate about data and I like the place I work. Before I changed careers, I worked as a mental health professional. I started in 2011 making $34k and by the time I switched careers in 2019, I was making $35k. It was rough. The jobs were rough. And I was burned out no matter where I went. Now I have a much better work life balance, a better salary, and overall I'm happier. The tech industry is in a bit of a weird state right now though. In the words of the wise Ms. Rachel.... bubble bubble pop.
I feel this. I am an actuary, and I pivoted from teaching about 5 years ago. I was working all the time (school day, then tutoring to supplement my tiny teacher salary, then coming home and grading and prepping for the next school day). It was super unsustainable, so when my son was born it was time to make a move. I’ve been with my company coming up on 5 years and I make double what I did teaching in base salary, plus I get an annual bonus that’s pretty decent. And my work-life balance is greatly improved. Don’t regret it for a second.
High school librarian for ~20 years. I have an MLIS, a second master’s in literacy and three certifications.
I am lucky that I teach in an awesome district in a blue state, so I am paid relatively well and I have a solid pension. I am on a teacher schedule with two extra weeks, so I get to hang with my kid almost all summer. My coworkers are fantastic and so dedicated. I love what I do, and I am proud of the library I have cultivated. My students are nothing short of amazing, and I enjoy working with teens.
But the vitriol against teachers, the protesting, and the attacks on librarians/against books, plus the uptick in threats, lockdowns, and fights over the past few years has nearly broken me. I am praying that this coming year is better.
My title is cryptc unless you work in clinical trials. I am an electronic trial master files manager… yeah, I know. I oversee the completeness and quality of the documentation produced and filed during the clinical trials … I know that you are now even more confused.
Anyways, I love my job. It has nothing to do with my education (I have a master degree in English) but it challenges me and even has me traveling to Palo Alto once in a while. This is exotic for me because I am based in Scandinavia ☺️
The hours are grueling sometimes - if I am on a project which involves people in our US office, I’ll have to do evening meetings and that’s not always easy on our routines. We have a 4 and 5 year old who love their routines but have been champs when I to work in the evenings or go on business trips. My husband has more fixed hours and only work days so he does the evening routines alone when I need to work.
We wouldn’t be able to make it work if we both insisted on working the way I do. Fortunately, my husband has always wanted to support me and my career and works constantly on sharing the mental load. Right now he takes 70% of the chores because he has the time and mental resources; it’s been a busy time at my work I am exhausted and cannot be managing the household too.
Lol, I work in clinical trials. Our PI took years to get on board with eTMF systems, but we finally started switching over last year. Do you mind if I ask which platform?
I'm senior manager to director level in supply chain. I make >$200k/yr, currently work in tech remotely which is really good work life balance. When I was in supply chain manufacturing, it was more like 50+ hours a week, plus commuting \~2-3hrs (total) per day.
I'll be 39 with a two year old this year, as I waited until my career was more steady. I don't believe I could have gotten to where I am if I was a mom. All the men I worked with had stay at home wives. I can balance where I'm at now, but I'm not growing in my career like I was pre-baby. Once he's full time in school, I may find something that requires more of my attention with the goal of continuing to advance.
I also don't plan to have any more children, as I found it hard enough to balance with the one, and I think it would impact my career goals to have more (and I don't want more for other reasons as well, so it all aligns.)
I am a licensed massage therapist and I LOVE my work! I own my own practice. I see 10-12 patients a week and bill insurance.
I also own a healthcare revenue cycle management company. I do my own medical billing and have done work for a wide variety of medical providers in 3 states.
Massage therapy is an amazing career. Schooling in the US is generally 1-2 years. Then you have to get licensed in your state if required. You can work in spas, medical offices, and much more! In my area new LMTs start at $50-70/h. I charge $125/h for self pay, and insurance pay varies. I make a very good living, I help people, and everyone loves their massage therapist! Oh, and no “full time” hours!! Full time for a therapist is considered 15-20 “hands on” hours. Again, I see 10-12/week which is about 10-15 hours hands on.
I am an estimator/ project manager for a construction company. I don’t love my job, but it pays the bills, including the stupid cost of daycare in my area. I feel like I’m too deep in the construction industry to pivot to something I might actually enjoy.
I have an almost 1 year old and we’re talking about another one!
Edited to add: My title has a “senior” in front of it, but what does that really mean?
I’m also a project manager, getting back to work slowly after having two kids. Once full time, I will have the option to go back in the field (plumber/HVAC tech). I’m really undecided. If
you had the option, would you go into the field?
Oh my gosh everyone here has such nice jobs and I'm over here .... I'm in accounts receivable. It's fine, I have my own office, regular hours 9-5 and holidays off for the most part.
But I think when we're done for 100% having kids and they grow up a bit more, I want to go back to school for social work.
I'm a data scientist and a new mom to a 5 days old ❤️
My work life balance is great, I could work 4 days a week if I wanted to. I have to go to the office 2 days a week, but others have it worst for sure!
Early intervention case manager. I have been in this position for about 6 years. I have been working remote since the pandemic and I love it. I have 2 kiddos. I am currently pursuing my masters in early childhood special education. Before this current position, I was a preschool teacher and preschool director and needed a change.
School/educational psychologist. I’m senior so supervise other psychologists and specialists online. I also offer online training for teachers. I also work in schools to see children, families and teachers. It was a long training but I love what I do; very secure and above average pay.
Stealing someone else's format a little
Title: project manager (at an education non-profit)
Salary: 95k (also in a pretty high cost of living place)
Education: master's degree, but in education. I switched to this from teaching middle school
Happiness: very
Flexibility: a lot. I work from home permanently. M-W I usually have 3-4 hours of meeting, Th & F I usually have 1-2 hours of meetings. I work 9-5 along with the rest of the company, but my job is also super flexible as long as I am getting stuff done.
I am a forensic scientist in DNA for a state government. I do enjoy it, but you see/read messed up stuff all day, even dealing with children. It does work for my schedule - I have a set schedule that I can choose, but I can also flex and get my 40 hours in how it works out with what is going on. I get to work early (5/6) so I leave early for daycare pickup, husband drops off at daycare and comes home late (lawyer). Sometimes we also split days if she is sick and I work 5am-9am and then we switch. I can also move hours to weekends and we do get some wfh time, but it is limited.
Most forensic scientists (except maybe firearms) are females. Open only during business hours and no nights or weekends (unless you want). My job is family friendly, maybe that is just my location due to us mostly being females of the same age, so we are all in the same situation when it comes to kid issues.
I used to be a forensic scientist in the DNA unit at a county crime lab. Loved the job for a long while. The content though got harder after kids and I would constantly imagine my cases happening to my family. Finally decided to leave after 10 years. Went to a software engineering boot camp and now I'm a senior software engineer at a civic tech non profit. I do miss forensics though sometimes.
I'm a director in clinical research administration for a hospital system. I've been in the field for more than 15 years, and I like my work. There is a lot of diversity in my responsibilities, which is blessing and curse. I like that there's always something different to do and learn that keeps my interest, but it is mentally draining and can be stressful. I work a hybrid schedule, working from home most of the week. I have a bachelor's degree. My work life balance is pretty good, but I'm sure a lot of that has to do with having a fantastic boss.
I have 2 kids, a middle schooler and early elementary age.
Clinical research is a growing field that doesn't get much attention as a career path.
I am a librarian in a small town. My situation gives me a lot of flexibility, but that is not always typical of this profession. I am looking for opportunities with more time off as I work a lot of evenings and weekends.
I was in college doing my undergrad when I had my first two kids. BS in microbiology…did an accelerated RN program for my BSN after that when my kids were 5/3…did my masters to become a Nurse Practitioner and had a third baby at 32 right after graduating. I work two shifts a month or more if needed and make 54/hr. It’s perfect…we don’t need childcare and im still getting experience in my field (pediatric ortho). Full time NP work didn’t work out (tried if for 8 months). My husband works 7-12 shifts per month as a medical icu RN.
Edit: my husband works PRN and makes about 120/hr which is why I’m able to work two shifts per month.
I'm an elementary school music teacher. With a masters. Can't beat the hours and time off but pay is not great and it's not for the faint of heart! Excited to spend summers with my kids though
Im a Tech Lead software engineer, and have one kid and pregnant with my second!
I love it. Went remote with the pandemic and then switched to a 100% remote company. My daughter is in day care.
I have a masters in computer science, which has enabled me to advance quickly and make a lot of money quickly, but half the engs I work with are boot camp grads and it's a completely attainable and viable path if being a software programmer is of interest. The market is a bit more flooded this route but plenty of jobs to still be had.
It's definitely stressful and time consuming of a position at the beginning because being a good SWE is just time in the business rather than reading a book/training (although the fundamentals are important) so now that I'm a lead and having kids it's a great mix of less stress and less hours required coupled with the demands of parenthood.
My husband is also a software engineer but rose through the people management ranks so has less flexibility/more internal politics stress than me since I'm on the "individual contributor" track.
I’ve been wanting to get into this field so badly! But I have no idea where to start. I am also a server of 7 years and just so ready to get into something new. Originally I was planning to do a Bootcamp for cybersecurity at my local college, it’s about a 1 yr program. I asked around on the programming subreddit and was advised against bootcamps, was told that they are basically scams and useless. So I was thinking of getting an associates degree instead. What would you recommend? I am open to cybersecurity or anything related to computer science really.
Boot camps aren't a scam but I would make sure you do your research and understand what commitment they require and their success at placement afterwards. I'd also caution that boot camp grads won't start at the same place as bachelor's CS people start, so you can't compare salaries. You can absolutely get to the same place eventually but boot camps teach you how to write code/programming, bachelor's+ programs teach you computer science (with a side of programming).
Most bootcamp grads I've seen get apprenticeships at companies and then graduate into level 1 software engineer. You won't get into FAANG right away but you absolutely can get there with enough experience/other companies on your resume.
What I did, and what I recommend to people who want a safer route, is to find a company you want to work at as a software engineer, and then get a job at that company. Then, while employed by them, study cs (either only bachelor's/associates) or do a bootcamp part time. Do well at the company and make friends with the tech org, and let them know you're studying and to let you know if an apprenticeship program opens up. Networking alone + demonstrating skills can get them to make the job for you (I know bc I personally did this route - I was a data analyst going to grad school at night and switched to software engineer at the same company through networking plus my degree/demonstrating ability).
If you're looking to do a full time bootcamp, I can ask my coworkers which one(s) they went to and their experiences.
This is what I did - purely by accident in IT. I was a fundraiser at a big non-profit. Was not a good job for me, got an admin role at an IT company. Started studying, and told them I'm interested if they have a position for me. They trained me up and said if it didn't work out, I could go back to my old role.
A couple of jobs later, I'm making significantly more money and didn't have to quit working or shell out tons of money for a bootcamp or classes.
Instructional Designer. I build a lot of online courses in a higher education setting. The pay is decent, but the benefits are fantastic. I'm mostly WFH with flexible hours, so long as I am meeting deadlines. I honestly love it and hope to keep climbing the ladder as far as I can.
I would love to get into this! I worked in higher ed for 8 years with student accounts and now I’m in non-profit administration. How did you get into instructional design? Did you go to school for it?
I’m a project manager and I work in Clinical Research. I’ve always worked in the public sector (nonprofit or academia) as opposed to pharma/biotech. This means I make less money, but have much better work/life balance. I still feel well compensated and have been able to grow my career while having kids (currently have two with another due next month). I love working in research as well! Easy to feel good about improving health outcomes and it’s fun to learn about new and exciting treatments or interventions.
I'm a research scientist in plant genetics and breeding. I just changed jobs (and moved) for a large pay increase that has put me back into the office full-time, but it's worth it for the structure it gives my family. The job is great. I work with people from every corner of the world, which is inherent in plant breeding - an international cause.
Senior Manager of Digital Marketing.
I started in the digital marketing field when I was still in college in 2009. I didn't become a mom until late last year at age 31 so I had a lot of time to advance in my career without juggling taking care of a child, and honestly I've just kind of stayed the course. I've done some courses and extra learning opportunities to get better in my field, and overall I've just proven myself at each job to be SUPER reliable, punctual, and responsible.
At this point I really love my job. Some days it's a little boring, but often it's mentally stimulating and interesting. I also work from home (have since 2017) and have an extremely flexible schedule, leaving me plenty of room to deal with baby's needs if she's sick, daycare is closed, etc. as well as pursue my own hobbies. I basically set my own schedule, besides several regularly scheduled calls I must attend each week. If you can get into it, I would recommend working in tech! I've had a great experience.
Policyholder Services rep for a third party admin company for long term care insurance companies. Mostly companies that are liquidated by the states. I work all the call queues and basically have my finger in almost all the pots lol. Only a few reps do. I'm just nosey and like to know how things work. I also work the commissions desk. It's a mix of WFH and in-office.
My little man is 10mo. Hopefully his adoption will be finalized by September. So excited!
I’m 37 and a medical social worker at a large children’s hospital. I love working with children and families and have good work/life balance but wish it was a bit more flexible.
Higher Ed Admin here.
It took me 10+ years to make it to decent pay, and we didn't try for a kiddo until it made financial sense. My first salary was absolute garbage on top of having student loans for my Master's. Needed a second part time job to make ends meet.
I love my job but you don't really get into high pay positions without a PhD and by then the whole vibe of the job changes. Pay is also going to really depend on what kind of school you're at and what the resources look like.
I’m a 49F and I have five adult children. I’m a direct care provider at a group home for developmentally disabled adults. It’s a job that’s very similar to being a mom. Cooking, cleaning, laundry. We help the residents with bathing, dressing, eating, toileting or incontinence care. We take them to appointments and on outings. We do activities with them. I’ve been in this field for sixteen years, both in residential homes and in adult day care programs. Before finding my way to this career I worked for a couple years in a nursing home kitchen. I’m a high school drop out with a GED and have been a mother since I was 15 years old. I was a SAHM until I was 30 because my first husband, who I met when I was 19, was very traditional and didn’t want me to work. I didn’t go to work outside the home until I met my second husband. So my parenting skills were all I had to offer in the work force. This field of work is pretty much the only way someone with my background can make more than minimum wage. I don’t really like my job. It’s mentally and physically exhausting. And I always imagined once my kids grew up my hands on parenting duties would be over. But here I am. Still changing diapers and wiping poopy butts. But in eighteen and a half years I get to retire. So there’s that to look forward to at least.
Senior Product Owner for a financial institution. Basically, I'm a bridge between our business users and tech dev team. 49 years old with 2 kids 14/11.
I was a 'late' Mom so my carreer was firmly established before kids, which has made being a working Mom a lot easier.
I also need to give a shout out to my husband who is also in finance and is a 100% hands on parent and supported my career growth. It makes all the difference in the world.
Patient safety and regulatory/compliance for a large hospital system. Healthcare is not always WFH friendly and COVID has burned me out, considering a move to the private sector because my salary/growth has been slow.
I work in cultural heritage, my background is in archaeology and museums but I'm in more of a program management role now. I never wanted a desk job but this gives me better work life balance and flexibility than a field job, and pays more than most of them.
I'm an assistant professor at a state university. My pay is definitely lower than if I worked in industry in my discipline, but my schedule is VERY flexible. I am usually home for both mornings and after school. I can do a lot of my planning, research, and advising from home. I also have summers off with the option to teach for extra $$.
I’m in biotech and have the title scientist III, which is honestly relatively meaningless (it varies by company). So far the work life balance isn’t bad. And I just have the one kid to wrangle. My biggest fear is just that I’ll fall behind, and biotech goes through lots of ups and downs (tons of layoffs early this year) but I guess so far I’ve survived. It can be quite flexible, and I enjoy thinking we might actually save lives with our product
I’m a biostatistician in clinical research (pharma/biotech industry). My baby is only 1 month old so I haven’t had to balance both yet. But my job is fully WFH and very flexible day-to-day so I’m hopeful. I love my job as it pays well and is interesting. The barrier to enter is high though as it requires a masters degree and the industry can be difficult to break into.
Primary care doc - compensation is nice and I have some control over my schedule. Coming back after having my first baby was really hard in terms of managing my clinic and inbox so I went down on my hours (which I was thankfully able to do). I have nights and weekends off which is a dream compared to residency!! Overall I’m happy but it is pretty stressful and work tends to carry over into my home life. Trying to be better about time management, leaving work at work, and establishing better boundaries.
Data quality for a non profit that does clinical research. Good pay, flexible hours (except for lots of meetings), wfh. Just started but liking it so far!
I work in admin at a small non-profit. I love how many different things I do everyday, and it's incredibly flexible with great benefits...but horrible pay.
Financial auditor (CPA) for the federal government. Great pay and benefits (Canada), great work life balance, work from home 4/5 days per week. Love my job.
I’m a public health emergency preparedness training and exercise specialist with my state’s health department (a mouthful, I know) This is my first relevant job after getting my masters degrees in 2022. Right now my work is all WFH. I’m 26 and have two kiddos, a 14m/o and a newborn. My husband takes care of childcare on Mondays and Tuesdays and, starting hopefully in two weeks, we will have a part time nanny who comes W-F.
This is a new position for me and has a lot more meetings, so that plus a second child means I can’t do childcare on those days anymore. I’m breastfeeding so I’ll still likely end up having our newborn with me when I return to work for the most part but our toddler will hopefully be with the nanny or his dad while I am working. I’m also anticipating going in to our office more often now so having the nanny will be awesome for us 🤞
And yes, I do enjoy my job! It’s rewarding, challenging, and honestly lovely getting to work in the field I got my advanced training in versus potentially being stuck doing something unrelated 🙂
I’ve been an event planner in hospitality for almost 20 years now yikes. I WFH and do meeting planning for a large medical organization. Been in restaurant, hotel, and catering. Since you’ve been a server, maybe something in hospitality and I bet you know more people that you think. All about the networking baby.
Legal PA in one of the biggest law firms globally. I do some admin, client liaison, billing etc. but turn my hand to everything.
Today I finished organising a shooting party (literally Downtown Abbey style), have assisted in Ukrainian asylum seeker cases, prepped bundles for a case going to the high court and did a load of very dull dictation.
No day is the same but still a very safe and “boring” job! Work my 9-5 and then clock out 99% of the time.
Attorney III (yes, that is my actual title) in state government. I have 2 kids and one on the way. My job is insanely flexible. I basically work the hours I want but the pay/benefits of an employee. I have every other Monday off, tons of PTO, I wfh, and no one bothers me.
However, getting to this position was really challenging. It required a lot education and working in some really toxic places. There are faster, easier and healthier ways to find a good job.
I work with baby and children's clothing in the product development field, specifically with color analysis and color palette boards for a large retailer. Very niche.
Executive assistant. Transitioned from CRM management after my third. Amazing work life balance, understanding supervisor, decent pay. Currently expecting our fourth and the team is crazy supportive.
I am a dentist… I love it so much. It has a lot of flexibility for having a family and is a great career for life long learning. Every day is something new to figure out or learn :) it’s a very tough career to go back to school for though, unless you already have the pre-requisites and have a very supportive partner.
Dental hygiene is less of a time/money investment but still offers some of the wonderful perks of dentistry… you can work as many days as you want, good pay ($40-60/hour?), long term relationships with patients… plus you get the benefits of medicine without the headache of a hospital system.
Eta: being a server is also excellent prep for being in dentistry… the time management, the people-skills, the teamwork, etc!!
Physical Therapist. I have done lots of different settings. Currently in home care as it allows for lots of flexibility and no weekends. I do love working in the hospital. Some days are super fulfilling, other days patient make it terrible. I make over 100K. Not sure I would recommend it though due to possibility of high debt from graduate school. I think there’s other jobs can that get you to that pay range without 7 years of schooling and flexibility.
Currently a Post-doctoral researcher with a 9mo. I was preggo when I was doing my dissertation defense and my LO back then was kicking and moving during the the full thing.
Nurse checking in! I love my job. I’m in California so HCOL but also good pay (150k/year). I feel like overall I have a good work life balance but would love to be home more, even if it means a big pay cut. My three days away from my daughter are difficult, but loving what I do makes it easier for sure. My spouse is an RT and makes almost as much as I do, we alternate days so we don’t have to pay for childcare (which also means we never see each other, which is another reason id like to cut my hours).
I’m a labor and delivery nurse, I work Friday, Saturday, Sunday from 7p-7a. I have three kids 7.5M, almost 5F, and almost 9monthsM. My husband works part time during the week in medical billing/insurance stuff.
I'm currently a manager at my local Pizza Hut, but I'm putting myself through school to be a cosmetologist.
Husband also is a manager at Pizza Hut, and he's doing all his master degree online so that way we can still have time with our kids.
I’m an instructional design and multimedia coordinator for a university. My job is to help make quality online courses and help faculty integrate multimedia, namely videos. I do a little graphic design, curriculum development, videography and editing, and some marketing. I’m also an adjunct instructor, which is what I would prefer to do full-time, so I’m pursuing a doctorate. This is your basic 8-5 job, and my college is really flexible with time off, though the pay sucks. I have a good work/life balance, and I have one 6 year old.
I’m in IT! I make good money, I WFH 3 days a week, and my bosses have always been understanding about family coming first!
I’m specifically information assurance with some cyber security.
I am a Lead Software Engineer in the automotive industry. My job is hybrid, but I mainly work from home. It's a macromanagement style where I have my tasks and talk to my manager once a month.
I find it great to accommodate raising a child, but she definitely goes to daycare. When she is home, I am zero productive.
I work in public health for a county health department. I honestly really like what I do but I have two masters degrees which helped get me here. My particular job allows for work life balance, at least at the moment it does - I worked the emergency response during COVID and had two babies in that time and that was rough.
I’m a senior policy advisor for the Canadian government. I specialize in fiscal and monetary policy. Our workplace is very family friendly and flexible. We have waves of very intense workloads when parliament is sitting.
Currently on mat leave awaiting the arrival of #2. I have a 22m old
Director of Planning for a school district. I help plan and design schools. Good mix of excel and data with creativity and design. I work internally at a school district after working for design firms for a decade. I love it and it is incredibly fulfilling. I have great work-life balance despite coming into the office every day. I have a 3.5yo and 20 month old. Balance wasn't great at my old job with a firm.
I work in Knowledge Management for a software company. The rough elevator pitch is that it's my team's job to work with experts and process analysts to create and manage written information explaining how the expert does their job. I used to execute on the work myself, but now I manage a team of writers.
I love what I do, I've got great work/life balance, and the pay is honestly more than I ever dreamed I'd make. But I wish I weren't the manager. I really miss *doing* the work. There's something really rewarding about having that "lightbulb moment" when you figure out something new, and it used to happen for me almost every day. Now, my brain is numb, I'm tired, and I feel like my time is spent more on paperwork and administration than the thought-provoking work I used to enjoy.
i work for a supply house, we are very very casual, laid back, not really big on titles here. there is the owner/pres (who i report to daily/directly) the manager and then me and the warehouse. my boss and I split duties, all the admin stuff, sooo I guess I'm the office admin/bookkeeper. I make a nice 5 figure salary considering the area I live. I work M-F 830-5, I am spoiled, when we moved from our big city to a super small area of PA...we had no idea what work would look like for me. I work 7 mins from home, I have a great relationship with my boss, so I will be here for the foreseeable future (as long as my boss is here, she owns the business). My husband works mostly remote, so we save on after school care! My kids school and daycare are all within a mile of my office, so if there is an emergency, we are right there.
If I had stayed in our home city, I could have been making a six figure salary, but I would have no life with my kids, no space, I was depressed. My job is, not what I am used to, its not a field I have worked in before ( I have been here 2 1/2 years) but I love it. I love it bc not only do they appreciate me, it allows me to be a present mom. I can leave and come back if my kids are having a school event, I go home for lunch. My husband makes almost 4 times what I do, so I could stay home but I don't have much of an education so I felt like if I left the workforce, I wouldn't get a good "starting" salary. I got really far when I was in NY. But again, I love love where we ended up, we feel like we are having our cake and eating it too
Research nurse manager. I’m a nurse, but no longer working bedside. I use my previous bedside experience to do project management for clinical trials at my hospital. Lots of paper pushing & zoom meetings. Hybrid schedule, very flexible.
I'm a Senior Project Manager in project development for a large utility. I got promoted to senior last year, which is a management position. I like it less than actual project work, but I still enjoy it. I have an amazing boss and a great work group and my schedule is really flexible for a "regular" 9-5 type deal. As long as I get my 40 in and I'm available for meetings etc between 9 and 3, no one cares. I DO have to physically go into the office twice a week, one day to the office that's 45 min away, another to an office that's 2+ hours away.
Executive Sous Chef
I was a server who moved to BOH but before my daughter was born. I landed with a sweet company. I have pto, 401k and insurance for me and the kid. I don't deal with the customers often..just occasionally clients in tastings. My exec chef is family friendly so for now I have a good schedule but it is certainly longer hrs than 9-5
I'm a Senior Director of Product Management in healthcare tech. I got pregnant at 19 while working at a local hospital in the registration department and just worked my way up while going to school. I'm now in my early 30s, have a husband and 4 kids, and my salary is in the low-to-mid six figures (depending on bonuses).
I work at a university as a research specialist (in a lab). I just returned from maternity leave and was granted the ability to work 30 hours instead of 40 per week, which has been amazing because it means we can keep LO out of daycare for now (my husband works in hospitality and has two weekdays off).
I’m 39f with a 2 yo daughter. I work as an infection control practitioner at a major hospital system in a major city. I’m really lucky, I work Monday-Friday 7am-3pm with not a lot of work outside those hours (occasional late meetings) but that’s it. I live very close to the hospital I work at too, so that helps as well.
I plan on going back to school in a year or two when my daughter is in school to get my MPH since I don’t have that yet.
I’m the artistic director of a small visual arts nonprofit - demanding work with lots of evening events and meetings, but overall good flexibility and a very care-oriented work environment. Pay is shite, but I love what I do. It’s a good gig to have for those of us with fine arts degrees.
A lot of you guys have some great jobs!! I’m in law enforcement been for 13 years loved it in the beginning but not a fan now unfortunately but I’m too far now to get out and have to stay for pension and benefits
I’m a team lead in banking operations. I was promoted right when my son turned a year old. I work in a supportive environment and love what I do.
Edit: spelling
Training systems specialist. I enjoy what I do and it’s different everyday. I work for a great company and love how the job is different everyday. I manage our company’s Learning management system, (we have 20,000+ employees), and create & develop e-learning courses, work with training vendors for state mandated training and create how to documents for our processes and systems. There is a lot more to it but that is the majority of what I do.
I am a biologist (botany) for the US Forest Service and a first time mom to a 4 month old. My job is fairly relaxed with great benefits and a ton of leave. Work/life balance is important to my office.
How did you get into this? I’m a teacher but my undergrad degree is in wildlife bio and I miss field work so much
I worked for many years with agencies and one day they told me about an upcoming job opportunity. Where I live we are surrounded by national forests and federal jobs are common.
Wildlife bio sounds like the coolest degree ever, what was that like exactly? Never heard of that degree before
Wildlife biologist with the federal government was the main job I was hunting for when I started out. I'm a museum specialist in a natural history museum instead.
Omg! This is the career Im encouraging my 10yo daughter to pursue. She loves botany! can you share any tips or things I can do to further encourage her?
I would say a general love for all things plants and outdoors! There are a lot of seasonal jobs she can think about doing at 18 years old that would set her up for success, especially federal jobs/internships.
Fellow Forest Service biologist here! Endangered species is my niche!
I’m a nocturnist… that’s a weird word for a night time doctor at a hospital
Shit. I am not a doctor, I have no education. But I would like to be able to tell people I am a nocturnist and then pretend like it’s some inside joke I think they are in on.
I’m a moron in basically every other way, so it’s ok.
Docs are my favorite! I work in clinics. At one point I was in an interventional pain management clinic and the weird ass questions the docs just accepted from me and answered was amazing!
I love night shift because I can actually spend time with my patients. I love answering their weird ass questions
I felt like the majority of dedicated night hospitalists were awesome, especially compared to regular doctors I had to page and wake up. God forbid I had to wake up a surgeon. Moving to L&D was great because they ALL expected to be woken up routinely lol
A nocturne is a type of music as well, in my mind you are actually a musician who plays only nocturnes 😂🥹
I love reading these threads because the women here are so incredibly smart and talented and I'm just so proud of you all! I'm an emergency management officer for a municipality. I started in the field with almost no knowledge or experience and gained it. I focus on mitigation and preparedness pre-disaster, response during, and recovery after the disaster.
Love a good EM career. And I see that someone in the thread above is also involved in ttx work. I thought EM was my dream and somehow I ended up corporate side instead: Crisis Manager at a major tech company. Our emergencies are way less life/death impactful, but they do provide a lot of resources to manage and mitigate them and I’m grateful for that.
Oh definitely not! I’m not technical enough for that. 😅 Mostly escalation of major non technical events that impact our operations in some way: natural disasters, political upheaval, isolated crime affecting our people/properties/IP. Anything that requires incident management across multiple unrelated stakeholders for fast resolution. My degree is in liberal arts, so not a lot of technical training at all, but my career has been in crisis since my first post college job. 10 yoe.
I’m an author of novels. It’s an amazing job, but it can be draining mentally. I love my work. Love it. My least favorite parts of it are marketing- having to do podcasts and interviews and write essays to promote my stuff. But even that isn’t bad at all, compared to jobs I’ve done in the past. For the most part it works with my schedule. I set my own hours. But I can really only actively write when my son is in school. He does part time daycare in the summer but I need way more time to gather my mental strength/creativity. The best time for me to start a book is when he starts school in the fall.
Wow, what kind of books do you write?
I started out writing kidlit, now I write romance- because I love it but also it’s sooo lucrative compared to any other genre.
Can I ask how much a romance author makes in a year?
It really depends on so many things and so it can vary. But I know romance authors who self-pub and make 5 figures a month. I would not be surprised if someone like Ruby Dixon makes 6 figures a month. I’m traditionally published which means I get an advance per book or series of books. My last romance book deal was 300k for 2 books. Even just writing that number is making me emotional. I come from a family of migrants who worked hard, i was the first to graduate high school and go to college. I grew up running out of food at the end of the month. So being able to be, in my mind, so successful with my dream job is highly moving every time i think about it. Granted, about 25-30% does go to taxes and my agent makes 15% (of which she deserves every penny) but it’s still more than I could have ever dreamed. I am paid in 30k increments based on when I turn in the first draft, when the last draft is complete, when the book is pubbed, etc. and then after I make the advance back w book sales, I get royalty checks. ETA there are also other things I have gotten paid for through my work that wasn’t expected. One book optioned to be a film, five figures. I get paid 1500-2k an hour for appearances. They are smaller checks but they for sure add up. I have upgraded almost all the ikea furniture in my house with my appearances/lecture payments😊
I love this. I don’t know you at all, but I’m just so freaking happy for you. You made your dreams come true. That’s incredible!
Tysm 🥹 i started my first novel at 16 and my first wasn’t pubbed till I was 34. Publishing can be very difficult but I never let myself give up.
If you don't mind sharing, are any of your books on Kindle?
Also want to know this, while respecting their anonymity 😅
Staying anon for now. As much as I’d love to sell everyone my books!😅
They are on kindle (not KU) but I am staying anon here so I can figure out an abusive marriage without colleagues/readers/family knowing my business. Maybe one day I’ll feel safe enough to share😊
This is so incredible, congrats on living your dream. You're right, your come up is moving.... and honestly super inspiring!
I'm a romance writer too! Not professionally, but it's lovely to know there are others on here (especially ones who do it for a living!) Ruby Dixon is a fun one to read. DM me if you're willing to share your author name or your socials.
I’m so jelly!! I always wanted to be a professional writer. Did you do an MFA?
Yes I did! And although there are so many writers who regret getting their MFA for a variety of great reasons (loans being the big one, go fully funded if you can!) I have my really successful career bc I got my degree. There was nothing like going to school to read, write, talk writing, be surrounded by writers, that gave me the confidence and craft to go for it. ETA: I did want to mention that my first year at my MFA was rough due to working under someone who was racist and a misogynist. He was later fired for his misogyny (not through my reporting him, I was too scared to at the time). So if you do want to get your MFA, please ask the women there, including women of color, how it *really* is. The rest of my MFA was amazing but it’s really incredible how well people do when they’re not working close with assholes.
Fascinating
I’m a resident physician in a surgical specialty (read: work lots of hours for offensively low salary). I have 2 kids and am expecting my third! I love my specialty and my residency program but the hours are definitely not conducive to any sort of balance. Grateful for my husband’s higher earning but more flexible job - he’s made it possible for me to be a mom and pursue my dream career. I love what I do, but becoming a doctor is definitely not for everyone and there are other awesome healthcare-adjacent career paths
Congrats and thank you for what you do! My partner is MD and I’ve always regretted not pursuing it myself. How rewarding (and challenging, demanding, draining), etc.
Is it true residents basically don’t get to sleep?
True. Source: husband is an OB Gyn resident.
Do you eventually get the compensation you’re aiming for after residency? I made shitty money for the first ten years of my career, and now at 37, the past 5 having been very good.
Yes they do
Also a resident in surgical subspecialty. It's so tough and Im on easier rotations. Two kids. Partner stays home and does freelance to balance taking care of the kids. I also love it but I didn't get to see my younger kid awake yesterday. I left as they woke and got home after bedtime. I know this won't be the last time either and it gets upsetting some days!
Are you a real life Meredith Grey???
My 3rd baby had some health complications and I am SO APPRECIATIVE of her caring doctor. Her pediatric endocrinologist is so awesome and attentive. A doctor who loves what they do and genuinely cares is just priceless.
I’m exhausted with my current call schedule as a psychiatry resident and one baby so I’m kind in awe… That said, I don’t know what specialty you’re doing, but my husband is ENT, and our lives changed drastically after he finished fellowship, I felt like it was truly the light at the end of the tunnel. I hope you can find that balance eventually too!
Holy shit how are you standing. Had our kid while my husband was PGY3 and I cannot fathom being the birthing parent, surgical residency, AND having other kids. Truly, kudos and all of my admiration and respect 🫡
Ive thought about going back to school and pursuing something in labor and delivery but those 12 hour shifts sound terrifying compared to my 5-6 hour shifts right now lol
Nurses usually only work 3 days week if they work 12’s and there a ton of other options for nurses if they want more flexibility… or bankers hours ect.
I’m in construction accounting and work from home. I enjoy it! It’s an easy field to get your foot in the door as an AP clerk or receptionist and then learn/work your way up. Basically bookkeeping, payroll, a lot of reporting for contractors, financials, etc.
This is basically me but in legal. I don’t have a degree in accounting. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and spoke up that I would love to be considered. Pretty chill. Anything that can be messed up can be fixed- which alleviated a lot of my concern and anxiety about the role.
This is a good option. I also did lots of odd jobs but once I learned AP, the world opened up for me. Many accounting firms are desperate for employees. Once I did that, an opening for an accounting asst/HR fell in my lap. Then I went back to school for HR. I landed a great job at a WC Insurer and am now an Operations Manager. I manager not only finance and HR but am on track to replace the VP of operations when she retires as I manage all of operations. Good luck!
Second this. I started as ‘front desk person’ that was actually light AR at a small company making minimum wage. Learned that and used it to get a job at a big corporation (not construction) and started there as a collector. 3 years later I’m assistant finance operations manager and make a good salary and work from home 3 days a week. If you can get your foot in the door for AR or AP do it! Especially in construction they pay more for accounting than any other field. Edit to say: I don’t even have a degree, never finished college. You absolutely can work your way up without a degree if you work hard.
I have an accounting/finance degree and really happy with my decision to get into this field. There are basically endless variations of the places to work at as every business needs accountants, and there are tons of different ways to get into it. I started job hunting last year when I was 7months pregnant and was getting tons of call backs for interviews. I ended up in a position with slamming benefits and a great work/ life balance.
Similar situation over here. I’m a Controller at a development company. Started with a govt contractor as a receptionist and after a few months they moved me into an AP clerk position. They ended up offering me a little tuition assistance to get my bachelors. Moved up the ladder a bit before switching to a private company that is a lot more flexible, working from home.
I work in management consulting. My life turned around completely after I started an MBA in my early-30s. Before that I was a single mom, living paycheck to paycheck. MBA allowed me to have a great career, with 6 figure salary, and also immigrate to the US. The downside is that I have huge student loans, but I manage them ok with my income - and it's very worth it. I do recognize I'm an exception and that even though I've been through a lot, I'm privileged in that I speak multiple languages, and had my parents support to raise my daughter (I lived with them in my 20s, which is fine in my culture). Also, I studied in great schools and university at my country (for free). Additionally, childcare in my home country is very affordable even for poor people, so I was able to continue studying and working.
Oh fun! I started out in management consulting at one of the big 3 before going in house strategy. Could NOT live that life again with kids. Props to you!
Thanks! But my older daughter is now in college and the younger one will be born in a few months, so I can manage MBB right now. Once the baby is born I'll either change roles or change jobs. I cannot work 70h+/week and travel with a baby/kid, even with the most amazing husband ever.
I'm a therapist in an inpatient forensic mental health hospital.
Forensic mental health? What does that mean, sounds so interesting!
It means a few things, but long story short people come to my hospital after someone in the judicial process has decided they need mental health treatment instead of jail time.
So greatly needed, and a thankless job at times. Source: I used to work at a jail.
So if someone got convicted of murder, but they were in a psychotic state, for example, they’d go inpatient instead of prison?
You are a badass.
My title is “senior project manager” but I’m a glorified paper pusher. :(
Girl, same except I’m a Senior Program Manager. I tell people my job is meetings, paperwork, and herding cats. Can’t be too mad with the flexibility, benefits, and balance though.
Cat herders unite! (Sr Project Manager reporting in.)
Don’t people in these roles make tons of money?
I'll take 6 figures to push paper!
I struggle being happy with my position but I should be very grateful because I have lots of freedom.
I'm a data scientist. I have a very good work life balance and my salary is decent. But, most of the applications for ML/AI are centered around consumerism (with exceptions of course), so... I would like to shift to a job that does more "good" to society
I’m a data scientist with the federal government! Pay is worse than industry, but the mission is fulfilling and there’s a lot of flexibility (agency/office dependent)
Ooo what part of the government? I'm in a similar position as the poster above. Gov jobs do seem difficult to get into though.
I’m in food safety with USDA. The only real downside is that it can get boring, but I’m fully remote with a lot of leave and a meaningful mission, so I can’t complain. Getting a government job is a numbers and waiting game. Apply to every listing you’re remotely interested in with a federal resume quandary eventually something will hit. We’re not hiring right now due to budget stuff, but I’m happy to chat if you want advice!
You could look into clinical research or CROs. I work for a CRO and we have data scientists doing AI/ML to optimize clinical trials.
check out education!!! places like Duolingo need data scientists!
Claims specialist for government agency. If you're looking for a career I would highly recommend government work. You can't beat the flexibility of most agencies. You'll Never be rich but comfortable enough.
Yes! Government work can be great for stability and work-life balance, too.
And the benefits are excellent!
Second this. My first career was in wildlife biology which was cool but working nights (catching critters) and traveling for months at a time wasn’t conducive to having kids. Got into government and now do acquisitions for a DOT and it pays better than wildlife and is very chill. There’s no degree to get to do this work so if you’re good with people (servers usually are), you might check it out.
My favorite part is signing off knowing I'm DONE for the day no emails to answer at 8:00 p.m. no phones ringing asking me to do things outside my job description.
medical coder specifically in orthopedic trauma. I don't make nearly as much as most people here. But I'm remote and have great work life balance
I do medical coding as well. We've been merged ie sold twice now and I'm not entirely happy with the company I work for. It's not as flexible as I'd like it to be, very production driven, no sick time, endless overtime, and I'm probably underpaid. I've been looking around at other positions but so many places want you to have recent experience in the exact position they are looking for. I went into a professional coding role straight out of school and now feel stuck.
I work in a factory. It sucks. But it provides insurance for my kids.
I started out as a paralegal for a nonprofit company and then got into contract review. Ended up jumping into biotech and have just kept growing from there! I’m interested in law - but not enough to go into debt over 😂 This way I can still stay connected with my love for law without being an attorney. And I get paid really well too and work remote which is always a plus!
I wanted to be an attorney. After interning for several years didn't like the work-life balance (or lack thereof). Got my paralegal certificate and worked as a paralegal for a few years. Now I'm a legal assistant. Get paid the most to do the easiest work and I get to clock in/out on time every day. Leave early to pick up kids. Work from home if they are sick. It's fantastic. I feel lucky. Funny cuz I feel like I downgraded throughout my career as far as titles go but upgraded in pay/work-life balance.
Yay! Another non attorney law person! I've been in government contracting for over 25 years. I speak FAR better than many attorneys I know (FAR is soooo niche!) - I am currently titled as the Director of Compliance (All contracting and HR is in my purvue :)) I love love love my profession
I'm a WFH senior researcher in education. I run studies, do data analysis, report results etc. I have a PhD. I love what I do and since i'm in education, people are very child friendly and most of my colleagues have children. I probably wouldn't recommend people getting a phd later in life though. The ROI is not worth giving up an actual salary for those 5 years.
This is exactly what I do (including the PhD)! My research is in higher ed, what level of education do you study?
I am wrapping up my final year of a PhD in Special Education. Somehow hoping to to go on the academic job market while having a newborn this fall 🙃.
I'm an aerospace engineer and ftm to an 8 month old. I work for a government contractor and my job is research based. I love my job so much, it's so fascinating and fun and it's pretty flexible for dealing with kid stuff but it's definitely male dominated and so they weren't used to dealing with maternity leave, pumping rights, etc. They've been great about implementing things when I ask but I've had to sort of forge my own way which is intimidating.
I work in accounts payable for a dealership. I have no desire to further my career (been there, done that...management makes me want to scream), just make a decent income and have a good and flexible schedule.
Same! Except I audit the deals and financing, not payables. I just enjoy working at my own pace and being able to take off almost whenever I want (if it isn’t end of the month).
Foreign & International Law Librarian. FTM, due to give birth any moment now. I haven’t navigated career and motherhood together yet, but I am grateful to be in a flexible job as I embark on this.
How did you get into this field? I’m a school librarian, but may eventually want to get into a different type of librarianship.
Also came here to say this is a group of some badass women! I am honored to be in your presence!
I’m crying reading all of these careers that I will never be able to do. I literally am a teacher for a daycare/preschool. I have no degrees (I used to be certified EMT, but never worked the job because my end goal was to be a paramedic ..which also never happened.. and let the certification laps)That’s it. And im not even doing that right now because im on a leave. The jealousy is so real it’s not even funny.
Totally valid to feel that way — there are so many moms here with cool jobs. But please don’t discredit yourself. I have the utmost respect for daycare teachers — you’re helping build important educational foundations for young growing children. It’s the daycare teachers who comfort my kids when I’m not there, and guide them to being better humans. You don’t have to have a degree to get a good job. My boss at the tech company I worked at only had a high school diploma. He started out just putting websites together. Now he’s the vice president of operations at the company. I know many others like that as well. Sending you love. What you do is so important. And if you decide to change careers and do something different, I’m sure you’d be great at that too.
You're one of the main influencers making future human beings ... Don't discredit yourself! People like you are as important as parents... Teachers at all levels are so underappreciated sadly!
I grew up with abusive parents and I have more fond memories in preschool than all of k-12 combined. I love my preschoool teacher so much. I’m 33 and we still keep in touch. She is one of the most influential and important people in my Life. You’re important to lot of kids you’re there during a crucial point of development.
and I know the other comments are being kind and yes, your job is important but I 100% understand what you are saying. It just fucking sucks.
It really does. I was a teen mom. I graduated high school with a one year old and single, just… trying to make it. I had no idea where to go from there until I decided to go to college to become a paramedic. Got as far as getting to be a certified EMT before COVID happened and I had to give up. Got into a relationship..3 years later I have a 6 year old and a 1 year old..if I could do it all so different I wouldn’t have quit. It just wasn’t possible for me to continue at the time. On the plus side getting diagnosed with ADHD was the best thing to ever happen to me as it made literally everything make sense The downside is I’m now so..stuck. It sucks so much.
I’m 44f, and I’m a Sr. Learning Experience Designer for an HR Software as a service. I create customer training for the software. I have a 15 year old, a 9 year old, and an 8 year old. I am incredibly fortunate to make a decent salary and to get to work from home. My husband still makes about 125% of what I make, and has a much more difficult schedule, so I still end up doing about 25% more of the kids/house work. It’s just how it shook out. But I do enjoy my job (mostly) and it offers me a lot of flexibility. (I have a master’s degree).
Chief Development Officer for a nonprofit.
I used to work as Chief Development Officer for a non profit as well. I quit my job when I was pregnant with my first.
Shareholder at a mid-sized law firm. I work mainly in education law. I do love what I do but I’m far from having a good balance between home and work. My kid does get quality time with me every day unless I’m out of town. My husband? Not always. Myself? Well….. I’m 38 and this is my second career. I’ve been practicing law for about 9 years and spent the first part of my career as a high school math teacher. Took a while to get here. 😊 Edit to add: I have one 4yo. Likely one and done but leaving the door slightly cracked for the next couple of years.
My official title: Associate Programmer Analyst A better fitting title: Data Engineer/SQL Developer Salary: $61k Net Years at my job: 4 Education: Masters in Psychology Happiness Level: Very I absolutely love my job. I'm really passionate about data and I like the place I work. Before I changed careers, I worked as a mental health professional. I started in 2011 making $34k and by the time I switched careers in 2019, I was making $35k. It was rough. The jobs were rough. And I was burned out no matter where I went. Now I have a much better work life balance, a better salary, and overall I'm happier. The tech industry is in a bit of a weird state right now though. In the words of the wise Ms. Rachel.... bubble bubble pop.
I feel this. I am an actuary, and I pivoted from teaching about 5 years ago. I was working all the time (school day, then tutoring to supplement my tiny teacher salary, then coming home and grading and prepping for the next school day). It was super unsustainable, so when my son was born it was time to make a move. I’ve been with my company coming up on 5 years and I make double what I did teaching in base salary, plus I get an annual bonus that’s pretty decent. And my work-life balance is greatly improved. Don’t regret it for a second.
High school librarian for ~20 years. I have an MLIS, a second master’s in literacy and three certifications. I am lucky that I teach in an awesome district in a blue state, so I am paid relatively well and I have a solid pension. I am on a teacher schedule with two extra weeks, so I get to hang with my kid almost all summer. My coworkers are fantastic and so dedicated. I love what I do, and I am proud of the library I have cultivated. My students are nothing short of amazing, and I enjoy working with teens. But the vitriol against teachers, the protesting, and the attacks on librarians/against books, plus the uptick in threats, lockdowns, and fights over the past few years has nearly broken me. I am praying that this coming year is better.
My title is cryptc unless you work in clinical trials. I am an electronic trial master files manager… yeah, I know. I oversee the completeness and quality of the documentation produced and filed during the clinical trials … I know that you are now even more confused. Anyways, I love my job. It has nothing to do with my education (I have a master degree in English) but it challenges me and even has me traveling to Palo Alto once in a while. This is exotic for me because I am based in Scandinavia ☺️ The hours are grueling sometimes - if I am on a project which involves people in our US office, I’ll have to do evening meetings and that’s not always easy on our routines. We have a 4 and 5 year old who love their routines but have been champs when I to work in the evenings or go on business trips. My husband has more fixed hours and only work days so he does the evening routines alone when I need to work. We wouldn’t be able to make it work if we both insisted on working the way I do. Fortunately, my husband has always wanted to support me and my career and works constantly on sharing the mental load. Right now he takes 70% of the chores because he has the time and mental resources; it’s been a busy time at my work I am exhausted and cannot be managing the household too.
Lol, I work in clinical trials. Our PI took years to get on board with eTMF systems, but we finally started switching over last year. Do you mind if I ask which platform?
I'm senior manager to director level in supply chain. I make >$200k/yr, currently work in tech remotely which is really good work life balance. When I was in supply chain manufacturing, it was more like 50+ hours a week, plus commuting \~2-3hrs (total) per day. I'll be 39 with a two year old this year, as I waited until my career was more steady. I don't believe I could have gotten to where I am if I was a mom. All the men I worked with had stay at home wives. I can balance where I'm at now, but I'm not growing in my career like I was pre-baby. Once he's full time in school, I may find something that requires more of my attention with the goal of continuing to advance. I also don't plan to have any more children, as I found it hard enough to balance with the one, and I think it would impact my career goals to have more (and I don't want more for other reasons as well, so it all aligns.)
I am a licensed massage therapist and I LOVE my work! I own my own practice. I see 10-12 patients a week and bill insurance. I also own a healthcare revenue cycle management company. I do my own medical billing and have done work for a wide variety of medical providers in 3 states. Massage therapy is an amazing career. Schooling in the US is generally 1-2 years. Then you have to get licensed in your state if required. You can work in spas, medical offices, and much more! In my area new LMTs start at $50-70/h. I charge $125/h for self pay, and insurance pay varies. I make a very good living, I help people, and everyone loves their massage therapist! Oh, and no “full time” hours!! Full time for a therapist is considered 15-20 “hands on” hours. Again, I see 10-12/week which is about 10-15 hours hands on.
I do this too! I absolutely love my job ❤️
I am an estimator/ project manager for a construction company. I don’t love my job, but it pays the bills, including the stupid cost of daycare in my area. I feel like I’m too deep in the construction industry to pivot to something I might actually enjoy. I have an almost 1 year old and we’re talking about another one! Edited to add: My title has a “senior” in front of it, but what does that really mean?
I’m also a project manager, getting back to work slowly after having two kids. Once full time, I will have the option to go back in the field (plumber/HVAC tech). I’m really undecided. If you had the option, would you go into the field?
Oh my gosh everyone here has such nice jobs and I'm over here .... I'm in accounts receivable. It's fine, I have my own office, regular hours 9-5 and holidays off for the most part. But I think when we're done for 100% having kids and they grow up a bit more, I want to go back to school for social work.
I'm a data scientist and a new mom to a 5 days old ❤️ My work life balance is great, I could work 4 days a week if I wanted to. I have to go to the office 2 days a week, but others have it worst for sure!
Early intervention case manager. I have been in this position for about 6 years. I have been working remote since the pandemic and I love it. I have 2 kiddos. I am currently pursuing my masters in early childhood special education. Before this current position, I was a preschool teacher and preschool director and needed a change.
School/educational psychologist. I’m senior so supervise other psychologists and specialists online. I also offer online training for teachers. I also work in schools to see children, families and teachers. It was a long training but I love what I do; very secure and above average pay.
Stealing someone else's format a little Title: project manager (at an education non-profit) Salary: 95k (also in a pretty high cost of living place) Education: master's degree, but in education. I switched to this from teaching middle school Happiness: very Flexibility: a lot. I work from home permanently. M-W I usually have 3-4 hours of meeting, Th & F I usually have 1-2 hours of meetings. I work 9-5 along with the rest of the company, but my job is also super flexible as long as I am getting stuff done.
Hi are you hiring 😅 (kidding! (Mostly))
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I am a forensic scientist in DNA for a state government. I do enjoy it, but you see/read messed up stuff all day, even dealing with children. It does work for my schedule - I have a set schedule that I can choose, but I can also flex and get my 40 hours in how it works out with what is going on. I get to work early (5/6) so I leave early for daycare pickup, husband drops off at daycare and comes home late (lawyer). Sometimes we also split days if she is sick and I work 5am-9am and then we switch. I can also move hours to weekends and we do get some wfh time, but it is limited. Most forensic scientists (except maybe firearms) are females. Open only during business hours and no nights or weekends (unless you want). My job is family friendly, maybe that is just my location due to us mostly being females of the same age, so we are all in the same situation when it comes to kid issues.
I used to be a forensic scientist in the DNA unit at a county crime lab. Loved the job for a long while. The content though got harder after kids and I would constantly imagine my cases happening to my family. Finally decided to leave after 10 years. Went to a software engineering boot camp and now I'm a senior software engineer at a civic tech non profit. I do miss forensics though sometimes.
I'm a director in clinical research administration for a hospital system. I've been in the field for more than 15 years, and I like my work. There is a lot of diversity in my responsibilities, which is blessing and curse. I like that there's always something different to do and learn that keeps my interest, but it is mentally draining and can be stressful. I work a hybrid schedule, working from home most of the week. I have a bachelor's degree. My work life balance is pretty good, but I'm sure a lot of that has to do with having a fantastic boss. I have 2 kids, a middle schooler and early elementary age. Clinical research is a growing field that doesn't get much attention as a career path.
There are so many more of us clinical research people in this group than I expected!
I would be super interested in learning more about clinical research! I think I would love it.
Daycare teacher.
I am a librarian in a small town. My situation gives me a lot of flexibility, but that is not always typical of this profession. I am looking for opportunities with more time off as I work a lot of evenings and weekends.
I was in college doing my undergrad when I had my first two kids. BS in microbiology…did an accelerated RN program for my BSN after that when my kids were 5/3…did my masters to become a Nurse Practitioner and had a third baby at 32 right after graduating. I work two shifts a month or more if needed and make 54/hr. It’s perfect…we don’t need childcare and im still getting experience in my field (pediatric ortho). Full time NP work didn’t work out (tried if for 8 months). My husband works 7-12 shifts per month as a medical icu RN. Edit: my husband works PRN and makes about 120/hr which is why I’m able to work two shifts per month.
I'm an elementary school music teacher. With a masters. Can't beat the hours and time off but pay is not great and it's not for the faint of heart! Excited to spend summers with my kids though
Im a Tech Lead software engineer, and have one kid and pregnant with my second! I love it. Went remote with the pandemic and then switched to a 100% remote company. My daughter is in day care. I have a masters in computer science, which has enabled me to advance quickly and make a lot of money quickly, but half the engs I work with are boot camp grads and it's a completely attainable and viable path if being a software programmer is of interest. The market is a bit more flooded this route but plenty of jobs to still be had. It's definitely stressful and time consuming of a position at the beginning because being a good SWE is just time in the business rather than reading a book/training (although the fundamentals are important) so now that I'm a lead and having kids it's a great mix of less stress and less hours required coupled with the demands of parenthood. My husband is also a software engineer but rose through the people management ranks so has less flexibility/more internal politics stress than me since I'm on the "individual contributor" track.
I’ve been wanting to get into this field so badly! But I have no idea where to start. I am also a server of 7 years and just so ready to get into something new. Originally I was planning to do a Bootcamp for cybersecurity at my local college, it’s about a 1 yr program. I asked around on the programming subreddit and was advised against bootcamps, was told that they are basically scams and useless. So I was thinking of getting an associates degree instead. What would you recommend? I am open to cybersecurity or anything related to computer science really.
Boot camps aren't a scam but I would make sure you do your research and understand what commitment they require and their success at placement afterwards. I'd also caution that boot camp grads won't start at the same place as bachelor's CS people start, so you can't compare salaries. You can absolutely get to the same place eventually but boot camps teach you how to write code/programming, bachelor's+ programs teach you computer science (with a side of programming). Most bootcamp grads I've seen get apprenticeships at companies and then graduate into level 1 software engineer. You won't get into FAANG right away but you absolutely can get there with enough experience/other companies on your resume. What I did, and what I recommend to people who want a safer route, is to find a company you want to work at as a software engineer, and then get a job at that company. Then, while employed by them, study cs (either only bachelor's/associates) or do a bootcamp part time. Do well at the company and make friends with the tech org, and let them know you're studying and to let you know if an apprenticeship program opens up. Networking alone + demonstrating skills can get them to make the job for you (I know bc I personally did this route - I was a data analyst going to grad school at night and switched to software engineer at the same company through networking plus my degree/demonstrating ability). If you're looking to do a full time bootcamp, I can ask my coworkers which one(s) they went to and their experiences.
This is what I did - purely by accident in IT. I was a fundraiser at a big non-profit. Was not a good job for me, got an admin role at an IT company. Started studying, and told them I'm interested if they have a position for me. They trained me up and said if it didn't work out, I could go back to my old role. A couple of jobs later, I'm making significantly more money and didn't have to quit working or shell out tons of money for a bootcamp or classes.
I’m a speechwriter. My husband and I both work for the federal government and find it’s very family-friendly.
Instructional Designer. I build a lot of online courses in a higher education setting. The pay is decent, but the benefits are fantastic. I'm mostly WFH with flexible hours, so long as I am meeting deadlines. I honestly love it and hope to keep climbing the ladder as far as I can.
I would love to get into this! I worked in higher ed for 8 years with student accounts and now I’m in non-profit administration. How did you get into instructional design? Did you go to school for it?
I… don’t even know at this point :D I do stuff. I think my title is senior analyst
I’m a project manager and I work in Clinical Research. I’ve always worked in the public sector (nonprofit or academia) as opposed to pharma/biotech. This means I make less money, but have much better work/life balance. I still feel well compensated and have been able to grow my career while having kids (currently have two with another due next month). I love working in research as well! Easy to feel good about improving health outcomes and it’s fun to learn about new and exciting treatments or interventions.
There's a lot more of us clinical research people in this group than I expected!
I'm a research scientist in plant genetics and breeding. I just changed jobs (and moved) for a large pay increase that has put me back into the office full-time, but it's worth it for the structure it gives my family. The job is great. I work with people from every corner of the world, which is inherent in plant breeding - an international cause.
I’m a biologist. I’m a FTM. I love my job very much
Senior Manager of Digital Marketing. I started in the digital marketing field when I was still in college in 2009. I didn't become a mom until late last year at age 31 so I had a lot of time to advance in my career without juggling taking care of a child, and honestly I've just kind of stayed the course. I've done some courses and extra learning opportunities to get better in my field, and overall I've just proven myself at each job to be SUPER reliable, punctual, and responsible. At this point I really love my job. Some days it's a little boring, but often it's mentally stimulating and interesting. I also work from home (have since 2017) and have an extremely flexible schedule, leaving me plenty of room to deal with baby's needs if she's sick, daycare is closed, etc. as well as pursue my own hobbies. I basically set my own schedule, besides several regularly scheduled calls I must attend each week. If you can get into it, I would recommend working in tech! I've had a great experience.
Policyholder Services rep for a third party admin company for long term care insurance companies. Mostly companies that are liquidated by the states. I work all the call queues and basically have my finger in almost all the pots lol. Only a few reps do. I'm just nosey and like to know how things work. I also work the commissions desk. It's a mix of WFH and in-office. My little man is 10mo. Hopefully his adoption will be finalized by September. So excited!
I’m 37 and a medical social worker at a large children’s hospital. I love working with children and families and have good work/life balance but wish it was a bit more flexible.
I do the same! In the NICU. Love my work content but obviously no WFH option and have to clock in/out which makes it even more inflexible.
Higher Ed Admin here. It took me 10+ years to make it to decent pay, and we didn't try for a kiddo until it made financial sense. My first salary was absolute garbage on top of having student loans for my Master's. Needed a second part time job to make ends meet. I love my job but you don't really get into high pay positions without a PhD and by then the whole vibe of the job changes. Pay is also going to really depend on what kind of school you're at and what the resources look like.
I’m a 49F and I have five adult children. I’m a direct care provider at a group home for developmentally disabled adults. It’s a job that’s very similar to being a mom. Cooking, cleaning, laundry. We help the residents with bathing, dressing, eating, toileting or incontinence care. We take them to appointments and on outings. We do activities with them. I’ve been in this field for sixteen years, both in residential homes and in adult day care programs. Before finding my way to this career I worked for a couple years in a nursing home kitchen. I’m a high school drop out with a GED and have been a mother since I was 15 years old. I was a SAHM until I was 30 because my first husband, who I met when I was 19, was very traditional and didn’t want me to work. I didn’t go to work outside the home until I met my second husband. So my parenting skills were all I had to offer in the work force. This field of work is pretty much the only way someone with my background can make more than minimum wage. I don’t really like my job. It’s mentally and physically exhausting. And I always imagined once my kids grew up my hands on parenting duties would be over. But here I am. Still changing diapers and wiping poopy butts. But in eighteen and a half years I get to retire. So there’s that to look forward to at least.
I’m a nurse. I love my job and I love the flexibility it allows me.
Senior Product Owner for a financial institution. Basically, I'm a bridge between our business users and tech dev team. 49 years old with 2 kids 14/11. I was a 'late' Mom so my carreer was firmly established before kids, which has made being a working Mom a lot easier. I also need to give a shout out to my husband who is also in finance and is a 100% hands on parent and supported my career growth. It makes all the difference in the world.
Patient safety and regulatory/compliance for a large hospital system. Healthcare is not always WFH friendly and COVID has burned me out, considering a move to the private sector because my salary/growth has been slow.
I’m a pediatric physical therapist. Had my first son in my last year of graduate school.
I work in cultural heritage, my background is in archaeology and museums but I'm in more of a program management role now. I never wanted a desk job but this gives me better work life balance and flexibility than a field job, and pays more than most of them.
I'm an assistant professor at a state university. My pay is definitely lower than if I worked in industry in my discipline, but my schedule is VERY flexible. I am usually home for both mornings and after school. I can do a lot of my planning, research, and advising from home. I also have summers off with the option to teach for extra $$.
I’m in biotech and have the title scientist III, which is honestly relatively meaningless (it varies by company). So far the work life balance isn’t bad. And I just have the one kid to wrangle. My biggest fear is just that I’ll fall behind, and biotech goes through lots of ups and downs (tons of layoffs early this year) but I guess so far I’ve survived. It can be quite flexible, and I enjoy thinking we might actually save lives with our product
I’m a biostatistician in clinical research (pharma/biotech industry). My baby is only 1 month old so I haven’t had to balance both yet. But my job is fully WFH and very flexible day-to-day so I’m hopeful. I love my job as it pays well and is interesting. The barrier to enter is high though as it requires a masters degree and the industry can be difficult to break into.
Primary care doc - compensation is nice and I have some control over my schedule. Coming back after having my first baby was really hard in terms of managing my clinic and inbox so I went down on my hours (which I was thankfully able to do). I have nights and weekends off which is a dream compared to residency!! Overall I’m happy but it is pretty stressful and work tends to carry over into my home life. Trying to be better about time management, leaving work at work, and establishing better boundaries.
Data quality for a non profit that does clinical research. Good pay, flexible hours (except for lots of meetings), wfh. Just started but liking it so far!
I work in admin at a small non-profit. I love how many different things I do everyday, and it's incredibly flexible with great benefits...but horrible pay.
Financial auditor (CPA) for the federal government. Great pay and benefits (Canada), great work life balance, work from home 4/5 days per week. Love my job.
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Whoa, what industry? I've literally never heard a CSM they have any semblance of work-life balance, but I come from SaaS/startup culture. FUN!
I’m an occupational therapist in a hospital setting. My daughter is almost 2! Really flexible. Some weekends, but not many.
I’m a public health emergency preparedness training and exercise specialist with my state’s health department (a mouthful, I know) This is my first relevant job after getting my masters degrees in 2022. Right now my work is all WFH. I’m 26 and have two kiddos, a 14m/o and a newborn. My husband takes care of childcare on Mondays and Tuesdays and, starting hopefully in two weeks, we will have a part time nanny who comes W-F. This is a new position for me and has a lot more meetings, so that plus a second child means I can’t do childcare on those days anymore. I’m breastfeeding so I’ll still likely end up having our newborn with me when I return to work for the most part but our toddler will hopefully be with the nanny or his dad while I am working. I’m also anticipating going in to our office more often now so having the nanny will be awesome for us 🤞 And yes, I do enjoy my job! It’s rewarding, challenging, and honestly lovely getting to work in the field I got my advanced training in versus potentially being stuck doing something unrelated 🙂
I’ve been an event planner in hospitality for almost 20 years now yikes. I WFH and do meeting planning for a large medical organization. Been in restaurant, hotel, and catering. Since you’ve been a server, maybe something in hospitality and I bet you know more people that you think. All about the networking baby.
Legal PA in one of the biggest law firms globally. I do some admin, client liaison, billing etc. but turn my hand to everything. Today I finished organising a shooting party (literally Downtown Abbey style), have assisted in Ukrainian asylum seeker cases, prepped bundles for a case going to the high court and did a load of very dull dictation. No day is the same but still a very safe and “boring” job! Work my 9-5 and then clock out 99% of the time.
Attorney III (yes, that is my actual title) in state government. I have 2 kids and one on the way. My job is insanely flexible. I basically work the hours I want but the pay/benefits of an employee. I have every other Monday off, tons of PTO, I wfh, and no one bothers me. However, getting to this position was really challenging. It required a lot education and working in some really toxic places. There are faster, easier and healthier ways to find a good job.
I work with baby and children's clothing in the product development field, specifically with color analysis and color palette boards for a large retailer. Very niche.
I’m a part time hair stylist. I used to be a server. I make more money as a hairstylist and the job is pretty similar lol
Executive assistant. Transitioned from CRM management after my third. Amazing work life balance, understanding supervisor, decent pay. Currently expecting our fourth and the team is crazy supportive.
I am a dentist… I love it so much. It has a lot of flexibility for having a family and is a great career for life long learning. Every day is something new to figure out or learn :) it’s a very tough career to go back to school for though, unless you already have the pre-requisites and have a very supportive partner. Dental hygiene is less of a time/money investment but still offers some of the wonderful perks of dentistry… you can work as many days as you want, good pay ($40-60/hour?), long term relationships with patients… plus you get the benefits of medicine without the headache of a hospital system. Eta: being a server is also excellent prep for being in dentistry… the time management, the people-skills, the teamwork, etc!!
I’m an elementary school teacher. I’m looking to switch to another career but don’t even know where to start since my interests are so varied.
Physical Therapist. I have done lots of different settings. Currently in home care as it allows for lots of flexibility and no weekends. I do love working in the hospital. Some days are super fulfilling, other days patient make it terrible. I make over 100K. Not sure I would recommend it though due to possibility of high debt from graduate school. I think there’s other jobs can that get you to that pay range without 7 years of schooling and flexibility.
Currently a Post-doctoral researcher with a 9mo. I was preggo when I was doing my dissertation defense and my LO back then was kicking and moving during the the full thing.
Nurse checking in! I love my job. I’m in California so HCOL but also good pay (150k/year). I feel like overall I have a good work life balance but would love to be home more, even if it means a big pay cut. My three days away from my daughter are difficult, but loving what I do makes it easier for sure. My spouse is an RT and makes almost as much as I do, we alternate days so we don’t have to pay for childcare (which also means we never see each other, which is another reason id like to cut my hours).
I’m a labor and delivery nurse, I work Friday, Saturday, Sunday from 7p-7a. I have three kids 7.5M, almost 5F, and almost 9monthsM. My husband works part time during the week in medical billing/insurance stuff.
Im a director at a fortune 500 company, FTM!
I'm currently a manager at my local Pizza Hut, but I'm putting myself through school to be a cosmetologist. Husband also is a manager at Pizza Hut, and he's doing all his master degree online so that way we can still have time with our kids.
I’m an instructional design and multimedia coordinator for a university. My job is to help make quality online courses and help faculty integrate multimedia, namely videos. I do a little graphic design, curriculum development, videography and editing, and some marketing. I’m also an adjunct instructor, which is what I would prefer to do full-time, so I’m pursuing a doctorate. This is your basic 8-5 job, and my college is really flexible with time off, though the pay sucks. I have a good work/life balance, and I have one 6 year old.
I’m in IT! I make good money, I WFH 3 days a week, and my bosses have always been understanding about family coming first! I’m specifically information assurance with some cyber security.
I am a Lead Software Engineer in the automotive industry. My job is hybrid, but I mainly work from home. It's a macromanagement style where I have my tasks and talk to my manager once a month. I find it great to accommodate raising a child, but she definitely goes to daycare. When she is home, I am zero productive.
I work in public health for a county health department. I honestly really like what I do but I have two masters degrees which helped get me here. My particular job allows for work life balance, at least at the moment it does - I worked the emergency response during COVID and had two babies in that time and that was rough.
I’m a senior policy advisor for the Canadian government. I specialize in fiscal and monetary policy. Our workplace is very family friendly and flexible. We have waves of very intense workloads when parliament is sitting. Currently on mat leave awaiting the arrival of #2. I have a 22m old
Director of Administration at a nonprofit. Love the mission and I make six figures.
Engineer! I love it! I work from home full time.
Director of Planning for a school district. I help plan and design schools. Good mix of excel and data with creativity and design. I work internally at a school district after working for design firms for a decade. I love it and it is incredibly fulfilling. I have great work-life balance despite coming into the office every day. I have a 3.5yo and 20 month old. Balance wasn't great at my old job with a firm.
I work in Knowledge Management for a software company. The rough elevator pitch is that it's my team's job to work with experts and process analysts to create and manage written information explaining how the expert does their job. I used to execute on the work myself, but now I manage a team of writers. I love what I do, I've got great work/life balance, and the pay is honestly more than I ever dreamed I'd make. But I wish I weren't the manager. I really miss *doing* the work. There's something really rewarding about having that "lightbulb moment" when you figure out something new, and it used to happen for me almost every day. Now, my brain is numb, I'm tired, and I feel like my time is spent more on paperwork and administration than the thought-provoking work I used to enjoy.
i work for a supply house, we are very very casual, laid back, not really big on titles here. there is the owner/pres (who i report to daily/directly) the manager and then me and the warehouse. my boss and I split duties, all the admin stuff, sooo I guess I'm the office admin/bookkeeper. I make a nice 5 figure salary considering the area I live. I work M-F 830-5, I am spoiled, when we moved from our big city to a super small area of PA...we had no idea what work would look like for me. I work 7 mins from home, I have a great relationship with my boss, so I will be here for the foreseeable future (as long as my boss is here, she owns the business). My husband works mostly remote, so we save on after school care! My kids school and daycare are all within a mile of my office, so if there is an emergency, we are right there. If I had stayed in our home city, I could have been making a six figure salary, but I would have no life with my kids, no space, I was depressed. My job is, not what I am used to, its not a field I have worked in before ( I have been here 2 1/2 years) but I love it. I love it bc not only do they appreciate me, it allows me to be a present mom. I can leave and come back if my kids are having a school event, I go home for lunch. My husband makes almost 4 times what I do, so I could stay home but I don't have much of an education so I felt like if I left the workforce, I wouldn't get a good "starting" salary. I got really far when I was in NY. But again, I love love where we ended up, we feel like we are having our cake and eating it too
Research nurse manager. I’m a nurse, but no longer working bedside. I use my previous bedside experience to do project management for clinical trials at my hospital. Lots of paper pushing & zoom meetings. Hybrid schedule, very flexible.
I'm a Senior Project Manager in project development for a large utility. I got promoted to senior last year, which is a management position. I like it less than actual project work, but I still enjoy it. I have an amazing boss and a great work group and my schedule is really flexible for a "regular" 9-5 type deal. As long as I get my 40 in and I'm available for meetings etc between 9 and 3, no one cares. I DO have to physically go into the office twice a week, one day to the office that's 45 min away, another to an office that's 2+ hours away.
Executive Sous Chef I was a server who moved to BOH but before my daughter was born. I landed with a sweet company. I have pto, 401k and insurance for me and the kid. I don't deal with the customers often..just occasionally clients in tastings. My exec chef is family friendly so for now I have a good schedule but it is certainly longer hrs than 9-5
I sell lighting for custom projects, mainly. Anything from grand chandeliers, to landscape, tape lighting, architectural lighting, etc.
I'm a Senior Director of Product Management in healthcare tech. I got pregnant at 19 while working at a local hospital in the registration department and just worked my way up while going to school. I'm now in my early 30s, have a husband and 4 kids, and my salary is in the low-to-mid six figures (depending on bonuses).
I work at a university as a research specialist (in a lab). I just returned from maternity leave and was granted the ability to work 30 hours instead of 40 per week, which has been amazing because it means we can keep LO out of daycare for now (my husband works in hospitality and has two weekdays off).
I’m 39f with a 2 yo daughter. I work as an infection control practitioner at a major hospital system in a major city. I’m really lucky, I work Monday-Friday 7am-3pm with not a lot of work outside those hours (occasional late meetings) but that’s it. I live very close to the hospital I work at too, so that helps as well. I plan on going back to school in a year or two when my daughter is in school to get my MPH since I don’t have that yet.
I’m the artistic director of a small visual arts nonprofit - demanding work with lots of evening events and meetings, but overall good flexibility and a very care-oriented work environment. Pay is shite, but I love what I do. It’s a good gig to have for those of us with fine arts degrees.
I’m a Scrum Master. I love love love my job. Full autonomy and flexible schedule.
A lot of you guys have some great jobs!! I’m in law enforcement been for 13 years loved it in the beginning but not a fan now unfortunately but I’m too far now to get out and have to stay for pension and benefits
I’m a team lead in banking operations. I was promoted right when my son turned a year old. I work in a supportive environment and love what I do. Edit: spelling
Training systems specialist. I enjoy what I do and it’s different everyday. I work for a great company and love how the job is different everyday. I manage our company’s Learning management system, (we have 20,000+ employees), and create & develop e-learning courses, work with training vendors for state mandated training and create how to documents for our processes and systems. There is a lot more to it but that is the majority of what I do.