Are you a parent thinking of changing careers?
Becoming a parent is a life-changing event that can make you re-assess your priorities. As exchanging late nights at the office for midnight diaper changes becomes increasingly common, you may start to feel like you need a change yourself!
It’s estimated that 43% of women leave their careers once becoming a parent, including women who opt to change career paths. This means that although seemingly daunting, changing careers as a parent is something a large majority of people successfully undertake.
Knowing the stats is a comforting fact, but what are some of the key coping strategies parents use when taking that leap? Here are a few things to consider from working parents who have made career transitions while also caring for their family:
Build a community
Sharing is caring, especially when it comes to sharing household and childcare responsibilities. Whether it’s your partner, parents, neighbours, or close friends, building a strong support network will be essential in your ability to focus on your career goals.
Juno Bootcamp Alum Linda Columbus emphasizes the importance of building a community while going back to Bootcamp or school:
Solicit support from your community. I would give this advice to anyone entering a Bootcamp, but doubly so if you’re a parent.
“Whether that’s your partner, a parent, or someone else — you’ll need that extra pair of hands to help with life outside of Bootcamp,” says Linda. “Also, make sure there’s a way for you to really focus while you’re attending class. It would be extremely challenging, if not impossible, to give your full attention to class if your kid is around in the background. And Bootcamp will require your full attention!”
Create a mock schedule
Once you consult with your community about your possible plans, create a mock schedule of your life both in and outside of class time and studying. Projecting how responsibilities will be divided based on schedules can help you predict what life may look like during your career transition. While last-minute appointments and emergencies are bound to pop up, a mock schedule will be based on the ideal new day-to-day that’s created once you start your new career journey, and set a strong foundation for what to expect overall.
Do parental leave differently
Whether it’s your first child or third, how your parental leave is spent is up to you. While it’s completely okay to want to focus 100% on parenting, some parents may want to use the time to pursue career development or transitions.
Everyone should feel empowered to think about what form of leave would make them happiest, and not be afraid to challenge assumptions or mix things up.
Juno College's CEO & Founder Heather Payne encourages people not to be afraid to take an non-traditional approach to parental leave if they want to further their career, or change careers completely. Taking classes during parental leave gives people the chance to train for a new career once they go back to work. While it may not be for everyone, taking parental leave as an opportunity to further development is just one option available to parents looking to make the jump!
Work at it slowly
Changing careers can take time, and maybe even more time as a parent, so don’t feel you need to dive head first into it. When making the decision, be sure to assess all options available to you, such as part-time courses or part-time Bootcamps. Many of these programs give working parents the opportunity to pursue additional education without the full-time time commitment, ultimately making it easier to balance your new career and home life. Some may approach career changes like a sprint, but there's also nothing wrong with approaching it like a marathon!
Change careers with Juno College's Coding Bootcamp
Our Bootcamp is designed to help absolute beginners break into tech — available in a full-time format for those looking to make a change fast, or a part-time format for those juggling busy schedules!