Welcome!

Hi!  My name is Margaret, and I’ve recently realized that I am at a unique point in my career life.  I’m a 48-year-old married mom of two kids.  Both have ADHD and one has high functioning autism (think Aspergers).  Two years ago, I was terminated from a company that I had loved in a Buyer job that was not a good fit for me.  I was in shock – I had known it was coming but still felt surprised at the time.  So I regrouped, rewrote my resume, and started looking for a new job in the same field that I had just left.

My field was Supply Chain, and I had held roles of Assistant Buyer and Buyer at a few companies over 10 years.  But, taking time away from this career to refocus on caring for my children, I lost my skills as a Buyer. In these 11 years, I had held part time jobs, a full time job working 3:00PM to 11:30PM as a secretary for ICU RNs and other staff, and also spent three years not working at all when I had a baby and a toddler.

I won’t bore anyone with the details of the Buyer position that I left in 2015.  The good parts of my story, and the reason for my blog, are what happened next, and continues to happen today.

As I searched for a new Buyer/Supply Chain role, I kept getting interviews but no call backs or offers.  After a while, I began to wonder if this was the right career for me.  After some thought and conversations with my husband and other wise souls,   I decided to pursue a new path:  writing.  So here I am, beginning my very first blog about changing career paths when you, and everyone else, might not expect it.

I’ll tell you my story as we get to know each other.  After you’ve read my premier blog entry, comment with your first name and tell me something about your career trajectory.

Type to you soon,

Margaret

 

 

A New Chapter

Hello and welcome back to career change over 45, the blog for anyone of a certain age who is returning to the workforce, changing careers completely, furthering their education in order to do either of these things, or other types midlife career changes.

I’ve been otherwise engaged for quite some time. Beginning in August 2018, I was caring for two terminally ill parents, traveling most weeks to their former hometown 200 miles from my home. My dad died on February 14, 2019; my mom joined him on September 23, 2019.

So I feel like I stepped away from everything – my husband and kids, my friends, and the world of work. My parents needed care, and I feel fortunate that I was in a position to help them. I feel the need for a fresh start, so I’ve been taking a Coding Bootcamp class through University of Wisconsin – Madison. It’s all online, and it’s the most difficult thing I’ve ever learned. I hope to learn the most popular “front end” languages thoroughly enough to build this blog and another one for kids. I’d also like to get a job with a company that has a big platform of code to be written and maintained.

I’ll be here more often from now on – I’m excited to fulfill my career dreams now!

Hello again

So today I had an Aha moment while watching a Training challenge video for my skincare business. It was all about using videos to share your enthusiasm with the world about these products (email me at margaretdephillips@gmail.com to learn more) and anything else you love that can Entertain, Educate or Inspire someone else.

While I watched this video I thought about what I can do with videos on social media. I made a quick introduction video immediately so I wouldn’t lose my nerve

So watch for me on Facebook, Instagram, and a YouTube channel to be named later.

Also check back with this blog, as I’ve decided to write more.

Also, I’m moving ahead with the kids book.

See you soon!

Catch-22 Update

Hello Readers,

So I haven’t been blogging much lately.  These last few weeks have been an adjustment for our family.  My DH is traveling a lot for work.  We’ve all been getting used to the new schedule and doing well with it.

I’ve started my book project with one chapter nearly done.  I borrowed a library book of a similar plotline to read as research.    My DS is also lending me another book of its type.

I’m also working my Rodan + Fields premium skincare business.  This has changed my life in so many ways, from having something that is all mine to showing my kids I can do it to the wonderful people I’ve met.

My kids started school today, and I’m feeling energized about my work again.  I have 6.5 hours to do my Rodan + Fields work, write on my blog and focus on my book project.

it’s time for this wife and mom to get going on the journey to my best career yet – one I design myself!!

 

 

 

 

 

Catch-22

Hello!  I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday yesterday.  We had a perfect day just the four of us biking, swimming, grilling and fireworks.

This morning I received a call from a recruiter who had a contract to hire position close to home and at a reputable company and in a solid industry.  The hourly rate was clear but the length of contract was very vague.  All in all, I had to say No.  Childcare would cost me almost as much as my take home pay.  Also, when my DH begins traveling for his job on a regular basis, I will be the primary parent about three weeks of each month.      It would be me and me only to work out arrangements for sick kids, before and after school care, and every other logistic involved in raising kids and running a household.

I’m not complaining at all – my family comes first at all times.  I just wish child care and full time work balanced out better financially.  It would be great for me to work full time for a variety of reasons besides money.  I would contribute to Social Security, have the option of benefits should I need them for my family, interaction with adults, just to name a few.  But if it costs almost as much for someone or someplace to care for your children, it may not be worthwhile financially.

While I know this issue isn’t news, I wonder if anyone has found a solution?  Or has an idea for a solution?