Transferable Skills
by Alexandra Kuykendall, MOPS Ministry Outreach Representative
After four years of staying home full-time with my daughters, it was time to for me to reenter the world of Dry Clean Only shirts and audience-free trips to the bathroom, and head back to office life at least part-time. Looking over my résumé, it didn't feel right that the years I'd worked the hardest stood out as a "hole in my work history." I wanted words to describe how much I'd grown, been challenged and changed in four years. But, how could I sum up sleepless nights, sloppy kisses and whispered secrets in a few bullet points? I couldn't, they were too precious, too sacred, and the word "job" made them feel too mundane.
In my efforts to make sense of this transition, I tried a different approach. I made myself a list of transferable skills, ways my mommy life could be applied to cubicle life:
• Able to multitask. Nursing a baby, while talking on the phone and making a peanut butter sandwich. No question.
• Strong research skills. Where is that smell coming from?
• Pays close attention to detail. Absolutely, when the difference between the pink and blue sippy could cause serious meltdown.
• Works well under pressure. Potty training by the start of preschool!
• Bilingual. "Mama, Y'ar yu?" Translation: Mommy. I need to see you to feel safe.
• Provides strong customer service. Who else answers the same question 2,421 times in one day?
• Able to manage a team. Getting four people out of the house, clothed and fed within an hour of intended departure takes an organizer.
• Willing to master new skills. I promise cleaning poop off the wall is a new skill.
Looking over my list, I realized that I offer a more confident, tender, fuller version of myself to the world because of my most rewarding and challenging "job." Thank goodness being a mother doesn't have a quitting time, so I can keep my skill set growing.
After four years of staying home full-time with my daughters, it was time to for me to reenter the world of Dry Clean Only shirts and audience-free trips to the bathroom, and head back to office life at least part-time. Looking over my résumé, it didn't feel right that the years I'd worked the hardest stood out as a "hole in my work history." I wanted words to describe how much I'd grown, been challenged and changed in four years. But, how could I sum up sleepless nights, sloppy kisses and whispered secrets in a few bullet points? I couldn't, they were too precious, too sacred, and the word "job" made them feel too mundane.
In my efforts to make sense of this transition, I tried a different approach. I made myself a list of transferable skills, ways my mommy life could be applied to cubicle life:
• Able to multitask. Nursing a baby, while talking on the phone and making a peanut butter sandwich. No question.
• Strong research skills. Where is that smell coming from?
• Pays close attention to detail. Absolutely, when the difference between the pink and blue sippy could cause serious meltdown.
• Works well under pressure. Potty training by the start of preschool!
• Bilingual. "Mama, Y'ar yu?" Translation: Mommy. I need to see you to feel safe.
• Provides strong customer service. Who else answers the same question 2,421 times in one day?
• Able to manage a team. Getting four people out of the house, clothed and fed within an hour of intended departure takes an organizer.
• Willing to master new skills. I promise cleaning poop off the wall is a new skill.
Looking over my list, I realized that I offer a more confident, tender, fuller version of myself to the world because of my most rewarding and challenging "job." Thank goodness being a mother doesn't have a quitting time, so I can keep my skill set growing.
posted by onlyhuman79 at 3:21 PM
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