Reply to Is it disingenuous to get a new job when I plan to try to get pregnant with in 1-1.5 years?

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Reply to "Is it disingenuous to get a new job when I plan to try to get pregnant with in 1-1.5 years?"

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[quote=Anonymous]I would switch now, IF the new job is something you would want to do even if you don't succeed in getting pregnant (quickly or at all). It sounds like you're thinking of leaving your current position anyway as it's getting too grueling. That's respectable. There's nothing that says you must work as many hours as there are in a day just because you don't have children. Of course many times people switch jobs because they have children, but it's perfectly fine to recognize that you'd like to switch before that point. In addition, it gives you time to establish yourself in your new job before the baby arrives.

I'll give you my experience: DH and I were both law firm attorneys working insane hours. We knew we wouldn't want to stay at the firms long-term, both so we could have a family, and for our own mental health. DH jumped to government after five years, I jumped to government after four (two years after him). I put in 2.5 years at my new job, long enough to establish myself as an excellent employee, then got pregnant. I took a lengthy maternity leave and then returned to a job I love and can balance with my home life. But here's the thing -- I would have wanted to get out of biglaw even if I hadn't had any intention of having kids. And I would have taken this job to do so. Same with DH.

I don't consider myself to be mommy-tracked or to have "leaned out." While it's true that my government job is less prestigious and high-paying than my firm job, I am a star in my office, whereas I was one of many very good associates who would not have made partner. I will go farther in my government job than I ever would have at the firm, although I make a fraction of the salary. The only extent to which I am "mommy-tracked" is that if it weren't for my kid, I would probably be looking to switch to a different agency to change things up. I am not willing to do that because I know I could never replicate what I have now in terms of flexibility. If the kid weren't in the picture, I would be more willing to take chances.[/quote]

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