The Conversation Continues: Stay-at-Home Moms Ready to Bust a Move (Part 2 of 2)

By Delmar Johnson

In my last article I began to speak to stay-at-moms who were ready to bust a move -- get out of the routine of home, soccer fields, PTA meetings, school recitals, baseball teams, and other kid-centered activities.  While I've always found it interesting that kids drive mom’s (and dad’s) schedules rather than the other way around.. that's for another article perhaps.

Mom, Lets Review

Mentioned in the last article were five things to get you and your new career jumpstarted. I hope these five tips got your juices flowing and your mind ticking, helping you zone in on creating your new career plans.

1. Get clear about who you are

2. Take stock of what it is you have and own it

3. Identify what your career interests are now

4. Let your circle of influence know you are ready to get back into the market

5. Network, network, network

6. The bonus: Lean into the fear

But maybe getting clear about who you are and taking stock of what you have will take more than pulling out your iPad, lab top, or the trusty pen and paper.  You may even be asking yourself, “Where in the world do I start?”.

Well, there’s simply no better place to start then at the beginning. What makes you jump out the bed in the morning? What has you excited for the day? Maybe it's knowing you have all kinds of great ideas for a blog that you can't wait to get out there. Maybe it’s training for the marathon you've always wanted to run but didn’t think you had time for. Maybe you're finally starting back on that book you’d put on the back burner after the first 20,000 words.  

As we get older, our priorities change. As women we, more often than not, shrink who we are in order to let others shine--especially our family. Then, at the end of the day, we have nothing left to give ourselves and we begin to settle for what's left over. But let’s face it, that's no way to live! The beauty of it all is that you absolutely have the power to change what may have been your previous outlook. You have the power to create a new path.

What are your interests now?

As the age-old saying goes, a woman has a prerogative to change her mind! What interested you before becoming a stay-at-home mom may be drastically different now, or, heck, it may very well be the same! The question is what is it? What do you need to do to make it happen? Lets explore...

Maybe you wanted to be a project manager.

How about a teacher?

An Executive Assistant?

Be a graphic designer!

A social media maven?

The possibilities are endless.

Take a Closer Look.

Previously I just skimmed the surface of the skill sets moms develop during the course of raising their children and running productive households. No mom underestimates the challenge of raising positive contributors to society! But let’s go a little deeper by offering you some scenarios based on the suggestions above that will paint a better picture of what it is you potentially have developed and evolved into, of which you might  not yet be aware...

SAHM Skills vs. "New Opportunity" Skills.

Stay-at-Home Mom -vs- Project Manager

Planning, organizing, negotiating, budgeting, scheduling, regrouping, meeting deadlines, follow-up

Stay-at-Home Mom -vs- Executive Assistant

Personal relations, attention to detail, sense of urgency, scheduling, planning, organizing, negotiating, meeting deadlines

Stay-at-Home Mom -vs- A Social Media Maven

Tech savvy, personable, enjoys writing and sharing information, content creator, community oriented

On any given day a stay-at-home mom can pull out multiple skills that mirror those you find in a corporate setting. Do any of those skills sounds familiar to you moms? Some even repeat and overlap with each other!  Just because it wasn't in a corporate setting doesn't mean they have no relevance. If anything, they're even more relevant because it dealt with real-life situations. I bet some of you reading this even experienced a few “a-ha!” moments, or at least I hope so!

Never let someone else diminish the relevance of your talents, skills, or know-how because they weren't necessarily sharpened in a traditional work setting. Keep in mind, the world of work today doesn't look like it did yesterday and it takes flexibility and a non-traditional outlook to compete and succeed.

Cheers to your success!