SAHM back to work after 9 years. Do I really need to start ALL over?

[Anonymous]

I have a variety of degrees, including a JD, and I had a lovely career until ~2005. I completely, wholeheartedly understand that I need to be humble and recognize that many of my skills are outdated. I also lack experience with an entire skill set that is (now) relevant to what I once did.

So believe me when I say that I in no way expect to waltz into a professional career again that is anywhere near my former status.

I was, however, expecting to be given a chance to get back in the game at, say, 40% of where I used to be. So I i used to make $100K in 2005, I'd be happy to accept $40,000 now and have about 40% of the former portfolio. But what I'm experiencing is, well, silence. No call back, no interviews even, so it's not a question of how I present myself in person / do I look old / do I come across as professionally behind.

Do I take this to mean that I need to be looking for right-out-of-college administrative assistant jobs, then? Receptionist, Jr. proofreader kind of stuff? I pray not, but it's feeling that way. Other vitals: I'm in DC, my resume is current and polished to 2012 standards. I'm 42 and you can glean that from reading my resume.

Thoughts from hiring types?

[Anonymous]

I'm not a hiring type, but I am an attorney who stepped out for 7 years to stay home. Getting back in was not easy. The only interviews I got, despite my stellar resume (prior to stepping out, of course), with ivy league schools and a top 5 law school JD, were the ones I got through connections. And even then I got comments about the job not being like "pick up at nursery school" or "not a PTA meeting." There's a real bias out there. That being said, I am almost two years at my job, and I just got the job I originally really wanted when I decided to return to work, which I will start in a few weeks. Start the networking big time and good luck.

[Anonymous]

Are you looking at any contract attorney type jobs, just to get your foot back in the door of practice? I know doc review sucks, but it would be something to put on your resume showing employment experience while you are looking for something better.

[Anonymous]

So I i used to make $100K in 2005, I'd be happy to accept $40,000 now and have about 40% of the former portfolio.

I think another problem you may be facing is that there are likely people (many of them working moms) already employed at the places you are applying who would also be interested in doing this.

[Anonymous]

Not an attorney but that is essentially what I had to do: start at the bottom making $32K as a glorified AA. I report to people younger than me. It is humbling and sucks.

FWIW, I also switched careers. Nonetheless, I often cannot believe I am back here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not an attorney but that is essentially what I had to do: start at the bottom making $32K as a glorified AA. I report to people younger than me. It is humbling and sucks.

FWIW, I also switched careers. Nonetheless, I often cannot believe I am back here.

Looking back, are you glad you switched careers?

[Anonymous]

Would you consider a different career? I think the market flooded with recent law school grads that it might be tough to market yourself against them.

[Anonymous]

How long did you work before you SAH? And were you practicing law? If so, where and what type?

[Anonymous]

OP back, thanks for the thoughts. This being D.C., I should've made clear that I'm not seeking attorney positions. I was more of a research/journalist/policy type back in the day and am not qualified for classic legal jobs --now or ever.

I WOULD consider a different career but I can't even figure out how to start that at age 42-43. Also, I don't actually have a passion for anything new at the moment so can't see spending another what? $20K? $30K? on yet another post-grad degree. sigh.

[Anonymous]

Have you thought about getting in touch with momentum resources? http://www.mom-entum.com/? Maybe they would have some ideas for you. I think you definitely could start a new career at 42-43 if you went back to school. A friend of mine did, but she went back for accounting, which is sort of specialized and not something that everyone would want to do. But if there isn't something you have a passion for, you shouldn't go back to school just for the sake of going back to school.

[Anonymous]

Must be nice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not an attorney but that is essentially what I had to do: start at the bottom making $32K as a glorified AA. I report to people younger than me. It is humbling and sucks.

FWIW, I also switched careers. Nonetheless, I often cannot believe I am back here.

Looking back, are you glad you switched careers?

Or, more to the point, given where you are now, do you regret taking the time off or do you wish you kept working?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not an attorney but that is essentially what I had to do: start at the bottom making $32K as a glorified AA. I report to people younger than me. It is humbling and sucks.

FWIW, I also switched careers. Nonetheless, I often cannot believe I am back here.

Looking back, are you glad you switched careers?

Or, more to the point, given where you are now, do you regret taking the time off or do you wish you kept working?

I stopped working b/c i got laid off when my company closed its dc office. So, i had no choice in the matter and it was 2009, in the thick of the recession. I didn't really love my job and while I loved the overall field I was in, I got pigeonholed into a subset of it that I had little interest in. I should have left that area long ago but was in a cozy job that was great for a working mom so I got complacent and trapped. Getting laid off was sort of liberating. My DH and I agreed that I would stay home for a while but I did apply for the few interesting sounding jobs that came up, I clearly didn't get them. Once my youngest started K I wanted to go back. I decided to look in a new field and landed my current job. Despite the low pay and grunt work I took it in part b/c it is very close to home and family friendly. I try to keep the bigger picture in mind: that I am gaining valuable skills and will eventually move up. i'm not that ambitious and have no desire to someday run a company or manage hundreds. i just want an interesting job that pays well. I think if I had wanted to stay doing exactly what I was doing before I would still be looking. My old field had very coveted jobs that are hard to find.

Do I regret taking the time off? Not at all. It was only 3 years but I enjoyed it a lot and think it was the right decision for my family.

[Anonymous]

This being D.C., I should've made clear that I'm not seeking attorney positions.

People assumed you were seeking attorney positions because your law degree was the degree that you mentioned. If you can be more specific about your other degrees, previous jobs, etc., perhaps people can be more helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP back, thanks for the thoughts. This being D.C., I should've made clear that I'm not seeking attorney positions. I was more of a research/journalist/policy type back in the day and am not qualified for classic legal jobs --now or ever.

I WOULD consider a different career but I can't even figure out how to start that at age 42-43. Also, I don't actually have a passion for anything new at the moment so can't see spending another what? $20K? $30K? on yet another post-grad degree. sigh.

Are you still interested in the research/journalist/policy positions? What is the last year experience you had on your resume? Is it 2005 or do you have something more recent? If it is 2005, is there a certification course in research/public policy that you can take that will only cost a few thousand dollars (as opposed to a whole new degree). Then with a new certification, you can start applying to entry level jobs. Also, on craigslist on the legal section about once a month there is usually a posting looking for people to write for legal/blogging/marketing firms. A JD is not always required. The pay seems a bit low (ie, "per piece" or "per summary") but maybe you can get a job like that to start to at least have a more current resume. However, (and I noted this on a previous SAHM attorney post), watch for these posts every single day, and if you see one, apply immediately.