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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP here.   I am not an impulsive person and usually I really think through things before committing to anything., Going back to work was one big impulsive mistake that I made. In my situation, I should have waited for kids to leave home and evaluated how my day to day life looked like,.  Thankfully, this whole episode has made me realize that I am dispensable at work but indispensable at home. Gave notice but they want to retain me and have come back with many great options that are very attractive. I have decided to pass. Not working for money, so my own personal time right now is precious.
 
Some posters asked how to get into the game.  You need to have the credentials in your own industry to get back to the working world but generally the following helped me (along with existing network of people who can give me jobs  :wink: ). 
1) Be up to speed on any tech and office skills you may need. Microsoft 356/office,  Photoshop, Visio, Flow, Skype, and even the lowly snipping tool that has proved indispensable for me. https://products.office.com/en-us/products - check these out.
2) In your volunteer work, take on tasks that are hard and people shy away from   - administrative, project management, marketing, website support, power point presentations and slides, organizing events for charity,  social media presence, accounting and tax prep,  soliciting corporate donations, proposal writing, applying for grants, creating training videos and documents, promotional materials etc.  
3) Get comfortable with having a digital footprint but curate carefully, do not overshare - blog, fb, youtube, IG, Twitter, polling tools, Linkedin, 
4) Use your smartphone features fully. There are some great apps that are available to simplify your life.  . 
5) Use online businesses for a variety of services
6) Write a daily status report and send to your boss. It does not matter if they ask for it or not. Have an open word document on your machine, and keep updating it throughout your day.

Good luck to people who are trying to get back into the workforce.[/quote]

I’m a little curious about what industry this job was in, b/c those skills would be had by just about any recent grad?  How did you differentiate yourself?[/quote]

Recent grads have experience with accounting and tax preparation, soliciting corporate donations, proposal writing, applying for grants, etc etc?  Uh, no.  Many of the things PP listed can only be learned on the job, often through years of experience - which she clearly has.[/quote]

I'm gonna be slammed more for this but there is very little that you cannot learn now. The internet is a great resource. If you do not have the opportunity to learn some (not all) skills in a job because you are home, then do so at your volunteer/charity space.  Everything I had needed to learn to succeed in the workplace -  I learned in Kindergarten and PTA.  I was also the Tiger mom, who has  taught, coached and tutored my kids and neighborhood kids for free, on every darn subject from K-12 that you can think of. And I have taken a bazillion courses in the community college and aced it.  Get out of your comfort zone in your volunteering and take on tasks that you have not done before because it is the best sandbox to play in. Plus, it is immensely satisfying because you can do it at your own terms and help others at the same time.  All of this translates into skills that you can bring into the workplace.

[b]If I ever had to run a business, I would look at SAHMs and Veterans as employees and make it super attractive for them in terms of remote working and flex time. and good remuneration/benefits.  This is a gold mine of talent and they are also selling themselves short - just like I did.  The reason I am leaving is not because  I cannot hack it at the job.  I am leaving because I do not want to make the time committment away from my family and my leisure hours + don't need the money.  But, I now know that I can get a job and do well in a job - if I want. [/b]

- OP
[/quote]

+100
Well said.  I’ve often thought exactly this![/quote]

Odd, this board is flush with complaints about veterans preference.  
[/quote]

+100

DCUM (and the DC area) is full of people who thrive on rules, laws, organization, and structure. However, there is a huge bias around here against veterans (they took our government jerbs!) and the police (low intelligence and racist!)[/quote]

Actually my point was most people don’t like to see folks promoted to positions b/c of unrelated characteristics for the job.  You don’t just hire SAHM (which veers towards discrimination on familial status), and folks complain about veteran preference b/c under qualified personnel get the job and everyone else carries the weight.

And it’s unlikely someone who has been home 15 years is as skilled as some more recently trained or experienced.  [/quote]

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