Escaping the Mommy-track but my only alternative also kind of sucks
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Anonymous
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I'm definitively mommy-tracked in my current 'prestigious' organization. I don't earn enough to hire a nanny that would give me the luxury to be more available and we need my husband's salary to pay bills (he earns much more than I do). My employer won't promote me because I haven't been available to work 60hr weeks in the office (I will do a combination of home/office but they would prefer I do it in the office for appearances) since I became a mother. My superiors all think highly of me and I get glowing reviews but they are unwilling to put their money where their mouth is. Can't say I blame them -- I would probably mommy-track me too.
I have another job offer to consider. My prospective employers are very family-friendly, will allow me to work some days from home, offer comparable pay (i might be able to negotiate higher but for now it's only slightly higher than what I currently earn), but they would place no barriers on my professional advancement -- if I perform, I will advance quickly regardless of whether I work from home or the office. Vacation/sick leave would be the same. The other major advantage is that I have several board members and the organizations leadership approval due to longstanding relationships. Here's the catch: I don't love the work, I would be a little embarrassed to tell ppl that I switched companies since I've been vocal about leaving my current career path and this job would be more of the same line of work, and I would be pigeon-holed for the foreseeable future. I might be mommy-tracked at my current job but at least it looks much more prestigious on paper (and I can do the work in my sleep). WWYD? |
Anonymous
| That is a hard one to say w/o further details. If you feel like you just need a fresh change, the new gig might be good. But, w/o knowing the field, it is too hard to say. The new opp sounds better from what you've described so far. |
Anonymous
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No need to tell anyone at your current firm your new job is more of the same. Just tell them you are leaving. Doesnt sound like you love your current work either.... I'd do it.
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Anonymous
| Does the new place have a proven track record of advancing people, or is it lip service? |
Anonymous
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Why do you care so much about the prestige? Prestige doesn't sound like it's doing much for you. You're stalled out and the situation is unlikely to change at your current position. And frankly, another prestigious company is likely to require the same type of hourly commitment.
Who cares what your friends think? Sell it to them that you took a new job for advancement potential. |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
Change jobs. Tell people that you changed jobs. If they ask why, explain that you had hit a glass ceiling in the old job and that you had no career growth options, but that the new job is upwardly mobile. That's reason enough to leave and it's correct. |
Anonymous
| Why do you care so much about what people think about YOUR career? Trust me, they really don't care as much as you think they do. |
Anonymous
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I would factor prestige into my decisions. If it matters to me, then it matters to me.
That said, it sounds like this new job is a good fit, so long as you don't like the new work any worse than the current work. Do you have some sense of the career you'd like to be moving into, or do you just not like the work you're doing now? Congrats on the job offer! |