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Just because you are a parent, it does not mean you need to stop doing what you want to do in life. Perhaps you want to change careers completely, or maybe you may want to go into further education to enhance your career now and go further up on the career ladder. It is possible to juggle a career change and still care for your children, you just need to plan ahead and find the course that is right for you. If you have been thinking about changing careers or moving up your current job ladder, here is how you can do this whilst still being a mum.
Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash
Many parents put their children before anything else and although this is a natural reaction, we should never feel guilty for wanting to do something for ourselves. If you are fed up in your job role, you will not feel any fulfilment from going into work, and this means you will never truly be happy.
Being happy in your career means you can also be happy as a mum, and you won’t come home each evening feeling fed up. A career change, although it may be difficult at the time, may actually bring in more income for you and your little ones, meaning they can do more activities and you can be more financially stable.
If your career change means that you need some further education, you need to find an education centre that can support you as a busy mum and will work around your schedule so you can get the degree or certification you need to change careers. Many universities are now solely available online, meaning you can earn a degree from the comfort of your own home once the children are in bed.
If you do not need a degree, but need some extra teaching in a subject, evening classes are a great way to sneak out once the kids are settled in for the night with dad or a babysitter. findcourses.co.uk lists a wide variety of evening classes that are perfect for busy mums who want to obtain new skills for a job role. They offer lessons such as languages, coding for beginners, and even classes that guarantee a job at the end. If this sounds like something you may be interested in, you can find classes on findcourses.co.uk in your area.
The more support you have, the easier it will be for you to focus on changing careers and earning any qualifications you need to do this. Although not all of us are fortunate enough to have a huge family support network, there are many alternative routes you can go down to ensure that your children are happy and safe whilst you work on your career.
Nurseries and schools often run breakfast and after-school clubs where children can spend time with other friends and take part in a variety of different enrichment activities. If you have other mum friends, perhaps take turns in looking after each other’s children, so you can both get some time to yourself and the kids can happily play together. Inform your family of your decision, so they can be there for you and support you as and when.
If child care is something that you would need to look into using a service such as Toddle will help to put your mind at ease. This service will allow you to find the most suitable child care for your little ones and you can enquire directly to the centres via the Toddle website.
Whilst no mum in the world can follow a strict schedule, as you never know what is around the corner once you have children, you can still set out time for different things in your life. This means you can find a good work-family balance and ensure you still spend enough time working on your career, as well as with your children. Incorporating working to change your career into times where your children attend school or nursery is the most obvious option, but there are circumstances when this will not work.
If you have planned your time, you will have more of an idea of when you need to look for childcare and when you can have days off to focus on just the kids. If you are looking to climb the career ladder in your current role, talk to your manager about doing this around your family schedule and seeing what support measures they can put in place to allow this to happen. Some businesses allow you to complete work in the office if they want you to move up the ladder in their company.
The most important thing to remember when having a career change is to not feel guilty about spending a little less time with your children. Remember, this is only temporary, and it may bring more money or to make you happier, therefore, it will be worth it in the long run. Many courses work around those who work and have families, meaning there is no better time to start on your career change than right now.
This is a collaborative post.
Welcome to Birds and Lilies! I'm Lou: mother, blogger and freelance writer. This is my lifestyle blog, where I talk about motherhood, infertility and IVF, beauty, my love for food and wine, as well as my thoughts about stuff, and our real-life and travel adventures.
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