Lots of people have been asking about work lately- especially did I get my license? and am I going back to work after Helen comes?
To the first question the answer is happily yes. I managed to squeak out my 2000 hours in the two year time frame granted to me by the great state of Michigan. Bedrest almost caused a rather serious difficulty but things were worked out. Hopefully the magic piece of paper will be coming my way soon, the piece of paper that is the LAST thing I have to do/earn after 9 years of school, 2 years of postdoc, licensing exam, etc.
The second question I can't really answer yet. For me this is always the biggest struggle and the thing that keeps me up at night, how to keep work and family afloat. When George came I went to a halftime clinical position that was partially at home, and he went to a great daycare. Can't do the same thing this time around- the daycare is too $$ for two- and don't have to- since I am fully licensed I don't have to keep up 20 hours of clinical work if I don't want to. I have accumulated little bits of jobs, consulting and other WAH, but they aren't enough to substitute. In fact I am in the process of getting yet another one of these little sidelines. All of that is very well, it brings in money, the hours are nice and flexible, but a mishmash of assorted sidelines does not exactly make a nice logical arc on a resume. I get caught between other people's expectations of me doing something Big and Fancy like a tenure track professorship, which I am not going to do owing to quality of life concerns and wanting to be at home with kids to a significant extent while they are young, and then being overqualified for things I really might enjoy for the time being like teaching night classes at a community college. Sigh. Maybe this will be easier when we no longer live in the state with the nation's worst economy.
So the dream is to do meaningful work on a reduced schedule while the kiddos are little, hopefully leading in some semi-logical way to a larger career at some point in the future (hopefully involving my beloved "crazy guys!" I heart schizophrenics.). I have a big feminist soapbox about this which I will not get on at this moment- plenty of you have heard it from me before, anyway.
2 comments:
Hey Christine...you will start to, eventually, not worry about everyone's big and fancy plans for your life and settle into something that makes you feel happy and fulfilled - whether it's a tenure position or a community college post. It will come to you. Try not to worry. Just know that what ever you decide, you will be awesome at it. Hugs to you, mama.
So I am intrigued by this feminist soapbox- does it have to do with "hearting" something or "crazy guys?" The former I can conjure up some fun feminist soapbox- to the latter I am quite baffled... :) You know if you have some spare time with a toddler (which basically doesn't exist outside of bed time) maybe you can fill me in!
mo - your prego friend who as well is looking forward to seeing her feet again & not having a massive belly that she tends to bump into everything else with!
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