Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I guess it depends on the profession he is trying to get back into. Honestly though, how much do professions really change in 6 years? Maybe some of the technology has changed, but I think people put too much influence on a resume and not the person. Why is it okay for a mother to take 6 years off but not a father. I say look past the resume, and consider the person.
Of course, it's not "okay" for a woman to take 6 years off to raise her child(ren). Haven't you been following the posts? It's not okay at all. It's just that women have put their careers on the backburner since the beginning of time and are used to be shafted as far as their career goes. They're used to seeing it go down the toilet and having to start all over again. I'm not saying that it's not good to raise one's children (I've done it and I continue to do it), but don't think that it's without a price. I feel for the man who is having problems getting back into the workforce just as I feel for the woman.
I guess it depends on the profession he is trying to get back into. Honestly though, how much do professions really change in 6 years? Maybe some of the technology has changed, but I think people put too much influence on a resume and not the person. Why is it okay for a mother to take 6 years off but not a father. I say look past the resume, and consider the person.
If you are a salesperson, do you think you can just open the rolodex up after six years and expect everyone to still be around?
Business is about relationships, and you can't just disappear for years and expect those relationships to be there for you.
You make sacrifices when you decide to stay home with a child. There is nothing wrong with that, but understand that you are giving something up.
I understand that you will be giving up some things by choosing to stay at home, and that you may have to re-start at a lower position once you try to re-enter the work force, but the point is, potential employers should look at more than just a persons experience in the corporate world. They need to look at the person as a whole, along with experience outside the corporate world. I think a guy who is willing to give up 6 years of working in order to stay at home with his kids, shows merit. I too feel for both men and woman who are trying to re-enter the work force, or change careers. Good luck to all of the seekers.
the point is, potential employers should look at more than just a persons experience in the corporate world. They need to look at the person as a whole, along with experience outside the corporate world.
They should, but they don't, and the reality is that the business world is often cruel and cold.
So what is the answer? Should men and woman put kids in day care so they both can secure careers? Or should woman just accept the fact that it is their responsibility to stay at home with the children, and forgo the career? Should a man never choose to stay at home because it will mean he can never re-enter the work force? I understand the problems in the corporate world, I just wish we could work to change things for the better of society as a whole.
So what is the answer? Should men and woman put kids in day care so they both can secure careers? Or should woman just accept the fact that it is their responsibility to stay at home with the children, and forgo the career? Should a man never choose to stay at home because it will mean he can never re-enter the work force? I understand the problems in the corporate world, I just wish we could work to change things for the better of society as a whole.
No easy answer. Sometimes you have to make choices, about a career vs. raising children. Neither is a right or a given. In my household, my wife chose a child-rearing friendly career (schoolteacher) so I could focus on pulling down the big bucks in corporate america.
They should, but they don't, and the reality is that the business world is often cruel and cold.
yeah....but accounting!?!?! that, to me seems like it should be the easiest thing to get back into!! What has changed about keeping track of numbers? It seems so silly.
I could not leave my career for 6 years...its technology....but accounting!? I always thought accounting seemed so.....static.
yeah....but accounting!?!?! that, to me seems like it should be the easiest thing to get back into!! What has changed about keeping track of numbers? It seems so silly.
I could not leave my career for 6 years...its technology....but accounting!? I always thought accounting seemed so.....static.
Depends. Tax accountants need to stay current with tax law and corporate accountants need to know their ever-changing industry. If you are talking about entry-level, then a gap won't matter. But once you are mid-career, you are employed based more on experience and accumulated knowledge than the same criteria as an entry-level hire. A big gap, especially in the 5-10 year timeframe, is often seen as pushing a candidate back to the junior level.
Gypsysoul, I hear what you are saying completely. As a wife and mother who has devoted the last 24+ years to raising 7 children while working, putting my husband through seven years of pharmacy school, while going to school myself, while running a business, the corporate drones of the world will still say, "Is that ALL you did"?
We live in a society that validates and gives credence to those who bring in a paycheck. Everyone else is an invisible, a nobody. Our country pays lip service to "family values". In the end, it's all that it is.
P.S. - I should add that in the end, life is what we make of it and I believe we attract good things to us (or we repel them) by law of attraction. I hope that you find what you're looking for. Believe in it before it actually manifests. Wishing you the best.
You sure hit the nail on the head with this post. I was reading thru this thread when your post stopped me in my tracks. Wow 7 kids & school & running a business !! Thank you for such a well written & honest post.
I am in no way going to fan the ever buring flames on the sore subjects between Mother that work outside the home and Mother that are primary caregivers. My thoughts below are merely IMO.
I am currently in the middle of churning waters myself. I really don't care for the phrase "Stay AT Home Mom" or those snarky comments like "Oh you don't work?" I say in my best Jersey Girl tone , "Um bite me." People can be so judgmental.
Being the primary caregiver for our home & it's inhabitants has been the most challenging & rewarding position I have ever held. It's not for everyone. I have friends on both sides of the fence and BOTH sides claim that the grass is greener on their side. They both defend their choices and so they should !
I truly feel for the man mentioned in the OP. I wish him all the best and I empathize with his situation. Do they give women the same flack?
So what have I been doing for 7 years? Between courting, marriage, an illness, pregnancies, moving, house building and making men, I've seemed to let those 7 years fly by.
Then recently I had my own personal epiphany.
By choice, I'm back in the "working" world. It makes me happy and a happy Mommy is a great Mommy. And yes, the laws of attraction do work. I was not even looking for this job. I walked in and I was hired on the spot. My husband epiphany was when he spent a week at home with our 2 toddlers. LOL Needless to say, he has a new found respect for ME. In addition, now I can say that I am both a Domestic Engineer and an Office Manager
ps My husband is cringing when I sing that old commercial jingle "I can bring home the bacon AND fry it up in a pan.." LOL
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
YES Donna7!!:)
Needless to say, he has a new found respect for ME. In addition, now I can say that I am both a Domestic Engineer and an Office Manager
