Updating Your Plum Job Now That Youre a Parent

It's startling to discover how having kids changes the way you see the world. Just compare your "before kids" vs. "after kids" views on what counts as:

  • A good place to live.
  • A desirable car.
  • A great restaurant.
  • A wonderful evening.
  • Your ideal or "plum" job.

Give that "plum" job a closer look. Back in college or graduate school, you may have dreamed of a job that offered intellectual challenge, travel, or a chance to use your talents to make a difference in the world.

Once your start a family, your "plum" job can look more like a lemon!

Life is infinitely more complex now. Family life can magnify drawbacks that used to be inconsequential. Challenges that seemed thrilling at an earlier stage of your life may be daunting now.

It may be time to update your vision of your "plum." You can start by asking:

1. What talents do you want to offer the world through your job?
2. What do you enjoy?
3. How much income to you need to feel you are being fairly compensated?
4. How much flexibility do you want in your schedule?
5. How much mental and emotional energy do you want to have left after your paid work is done?
6. How often and for how long do you want to travel out of town?
7. How far do you want to commute?
8. Is there an upper limit to how many hours you are willing to work per day? Per week?
9. How often are you willing to relocate?
10. How much of the time do you want to work from home?

Are you already holding your "plum"? If not, keep your new vision in front of you. What steps can you take today to put your updated "plum" within reach?

(c) 2004 Norma Schmidt, Coach, LLC

Norma Schmidt, Coach, LLC, specializes in helping women who are both professionals and parents to find work that works. She edits the bi-weekly e-zine "The Balance Point" and offers teleclasses, workshops and individual and group coaching.

http://www.normaschmidt.com

coach@normaschmidt.com

203-256-0712

More Resources

5 Things You Need To Know Before Deciding On A Certification Training
The right certification trainingTrainings vary a lot when it comes to quality. It's essential to choose your certification training provider based on things such as the quality of materials, trainers' competence and skills, counseling facilities, track record etc.
Business Dress for Women: Making Impact
Buying a suit can be an important investment when you are trying to improve your look for business or career advancement. Wearing a standard off-the rack suit for business or a job interview does not always mean success.
Layoff Survival Guide - Do You Have The Career Management Horsepower It Will Take To Survive?
In a recent survey of over 662 career seekers, some disturbing trends identified that MOST career seekers don't have a clue what career management skills they have or what those skills are! As a result, it will be difficult for these career seekers to succeed.In fact, only 71% of the respondents recognized they had any career management skills at all! That's why they are particularly vulnerable to future layoffsBefore skipping to the answers, try your hand at identifying YOUR career management skills.
Why a Professional Resume?
As a job search tool your Resume is your main calling card. It explains who you are and what you have to offer.
Confidence Is Critical to YOUR Success....
Make EYE contact when you look at another person. Look at them!! Don't look down at your shoes or away from the other person.
Is a Career Change on Your Horizon?
Making a career change is nothing new in today's job market.I've heard it said that the average American changescareers at least once in his or her life.
We Rejected Your Résumé Today
Hi, I am Mr. Employer.
Reinvent Yourself in a New Career
Some people reserve the word "vocation" for religious calling. Contemporary career guides encourage us to think of a "life purpose" that guides and gives meaning to a life, regardless of career.
Interview Thank-You Letters
The number one etiquette tip for interviews is writing a thank-you letter. This is not a tool commonly used by job seekers right now.
Managing Emotions During Career Change and Job Search, Part One
How can you manage your emotions during your career change or job search? To answer this practical and wise question, let's first define what emotions are.
Why Well Produced Career Portfolios Are Replacing CVs
What is a Career Portfolio?The original portfolio used by artists looking for work was simply a collection of works demonstrative of the artists style and ability. Because their works varied in size and shape, portfolios came in all sizes and shapes.
Why You Should Never Complain About Former Bosses
You're at a job interview. You're doing great, answering questions left and right.
2 Job-Search Success Stories
Here are two success stories from my readers who found great new jobs last week. As you read each story, ask yourself, "How could I apply this to my job hunt?"1) Job-search goal cards workHere's a story sent in by Fred, from Chanhassen, Minn.
Make a Great First Impression
Searching for employment is one of the most nerve-racking activities to engage in. As if the direct need for income is not stressful enough, the process of writing a résumé, networking in your industry, and applying for jobs can leave anyone shaking in their tracks.
Take the Personal Out of the Workplace: Leave Your Troubles at the Door!
Bringing your emotional baggage into the work place is inappropriate for all the reasons you may imagine. Yet employees, managers and business owners do it all the time.
20 Questions That Helped Me Take A Leap Of Faith And Change Careers
When I was working more than 45 hours a week in a job with a two hour commute each day, the challenge of a new husband, new step children, two beagle dogs and maintaining a home was more than a stretch! Something had to give, and unfortunately I was the one starting to not be able to hold it together!It was a Catch 22 situation. We had an expensive home near the city center with large mortgage costs, which demanded feeding through joint incomes.
Common Résumé Mistakes
Using a general résumé.DON'T DO IT! You cannot successfully use the same résumé to apply to several different jobs.
Write Resume Keywords That Gets Your Application Read
As children we often used to read stories where magical words can open caves filled with treasures or magicians using words like abracadabra..
Interview Quicksand
How will you respond when you're asked the following two questions?1.What type of boss do you like to work for?2.
Self Describing Skills - Key Strengths
You need to be the best you can at describing your best qualities; particularly your key strengths. In my coaching practice I generally, at some point, ask my client: "What are you good at?" purely as a means to establish if they have already thought through this most important question.

More Careers & Employment Information:

Related Articles

Fascinating Ways to Make a Living Doing What You Love May Be Closer Than You Think...
You don't have to look very far to find fascinating ways to make a living. Opportunities are literally everywhere? if you're looking, that is.
9 Secrets to Career Success
Are you miserable at your job (or what you are doing) but go anyway to earn a living? Do you feel you are unable to use your talents and are doing things that are stressful? Do you find yourself in a career rut?
Targeting Your Resume is So Important For Your Career
Targeting your portfolio, (resume and cover letter) can get you any job you desire! The purpose of targeting is so you can find your perfect match, your dream job!To target successfully, you need to calculate the position, do this and you will be sure to hit the mark.When targeting the job you wish to apply for, ask yourself,"Am I responding to this position because I really want to do this job, or am I merely responding because the position is available?"
Rich Career, Poor Career
What makes for a rich career? It is more than just the salary and benefits. A rich career is one that suits your talents and provides an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution, as well as one that provides the right compensation.
Taking a Survival Type Job Is Good For You.
Ugh! Arg! How can a survivor type job be good for me?I'm barely hanging on to what I found and at minimumwage. (I have been promised a ten cent an hour increasein one month).
Are You Busy Living or Dying?
If you are not busy living, then you must be busy dying. Most of us do this subconsciously and are unaware of which side of this equation we reside on.
How To Survive A Job Loss
Has this ever happened to you: You have been working at a particular job for a few years. It's not the greatest job and it hasn't always allowed you to capitalize on your unique gifts or talents.
Using Your Whine Factor
Brian's work was exceptional. Still, as his boss, I rarely offered him additional responsibilities, never thought of promoting him or selecting him for a critical project.
Unlimit Your Life!
Do you have a tendency to think in absolutes?Is everything good or bad, black or white?This type of thinking can severely limit your options. Or worse, prevent you from getting an accurate picture of what'spossible.
Finding Your Ideal Career
In the current climate, many people are looking away from the traditional job market towards working for themselves. The massive redundancies and job-insecurity has caused many people to radically rethink their career plans.
Pre-Interview Web Research
You have obtained an interview -- congratulations! You feel prepared to discuss your strengths, your accomplishments, your willingness to work hard and learn quickly, and your ability to fit seamlessly into the employer's needs. But.
Six Factors That Can Cost You the Interview/Job
Most job seekers know that an unprofessional appearance will count against them at an interview. Here are six MORE factors that can help you remain in the unemployment line:
Hey! - Are You Being Paid What You Are Worth?
Are you being paid what you are worth? Has anybody ever asked you that? Have you ever asked yourself?The answer to this question really hinges on another question: "Do you work for a boss or do you work for yourself?"If you work for a boss the answer must be a resounding NO! You see, you cannot possibly be paid what you are worth because your boss is being paid what you are worth. He or she then pays you at a discounted rate.
How to Be Prepared for a Layoff
If you are concerned that your company might be planning a layoff, your best course of action is to be prepared. Employees often see warning signs that their jobs may be at risk.
Career Change: A Glittering Invitation To The Emotional Stalkers
As much as you are yearning for career-change, and as much as the trends actually favor it, just contemplating a shift is a glittering invitation to four emotional stalkers who love nothing better than to play a nasty game of team-tag at your personal expense. When you unmask these bandits -- even a little -- they begin to lose their emotional charge - leaving you free to more fully explore the opportunities to re-invent yourself.
Success at Work: Techniques: Computer Literacy
It's hard to believe that there are people in today's workforce who don't know how to use a computer. In today's society, being computer illiterate is equivalent to being functionally illiterate.
How to Turn Career Mistakes into Career Wins
I recently talked with a client who was paralyzed at the thought of making another "mistake" in her career.She was stuck and unable to choose a direction.
What Can I Do To Improve My Job-Interviewing Skills?
Whether you're a student job seeker or a polished and proven executive, the first thing you must come to terms with is, "Regardless of the position you seek, you are now in sales!" The product you are selling is YOU! The interview is your opportunity to differentiate yourself in the eyes of your customer [the interviewer] when compared to your competitors [other job applicants].
What You Should Know About A Medical Billing Specialist
Whether you are a person who is thinking about becoming a medical billing specialist or a company looking for a medical billing specialist, then this article is for you. There are several things that you should be aware of in the medical billing industry and I will walk you through them so that you will have the background information that you need to help you make a decision that will best suit your needs.
How NOT to Write a Resume
You can learn a lot about how to do something right by first learning what NOT to do.Take resumes, for example.