“After 20 years of freelance editing and writing, I decided to go back into the world of full-time two years ago. While I had many years of editorial experience, nonetheless I assumed that my status as “mother of five” would eclipse any professional merit I had to offer, and that I might have to compromise to achieve my goal of a 9-5 job. While it is true that school holidays and illnesses and other family concerns might derail a full work day, it is also true that as practiced multi-taskers we can achieve in half the time what others might balk at completing at all.
No strangers to crisis, large and small, stress management has become a well-earned skill that enables us to push forward with determination. Many of us with college degrees have stayed home to care for our kids and enrich our minds in other ways (with freelancing and cultural and charitable opportunities, for example) yet we willingly accept lower “supplemental” salaries than perhaps we do not deserve considering our past academic achievements and basic capacities for success.
Looking at my freelance experience, my insecurity about presenting myself to the work began to lessen as I considered these things and heard from others about co-workers leaving at 3 pm, writing letters from the work place computer, pretending to know things that were not grasped in the slightest…I came to consider that my professional integrity as an honest person truly willing to put in the time would be a real asset.
Eighteen months ago, I was hired as a full-time managing editor of a monthly magazine. Since my office is based in New York Washington DC New York New York
My gratitude for this arrangement has made me take this work extremely seriously, and often times I am working overtime without any grudge what so-ever.
With this arrangement, sales of my magazine have gone up almost 20% since I started. And precisely because I have a remote office, I cultivate and treasure all the more the office relationships in New York
Thank you Suzanne for telling us your professional story. I have learnt a lot from my working experience in a Multinational firm before getting married but I am learning more by growing up 6 children (still growing..). I always call myself a family manager. I am often told by my colleagues at school when we are in an emergency situation how could I possibly stay calm and find a positive way of watching at the problem and I tell them to imagine myself feeding my children who are from 15 to 2 years old or listening to them when everyone has something to say...
RispondiEliminaWell it's not easy being a working mom, but I learn a lot from difficult situations. The reason why I am working gets stronger and clearer and when you accept the difficult moment you are living you always have the chance of irony and facts that normally make cry happen to become an occasion for laughing. It happened yesterday: It was snowing heavily. I would have never arrived at school on time if I had gone by car (where parking it??) or by bus to reach the tube. So I took my bike (I call it my mule). After 5 minutes riding I was completed covered in white, I looked as a snowpuppet going around in the paralysed jam...those are the moments when you say 'Ma chi te l'ha fatto fare!' (WHY AM I DOING THIS?), then when I reached the tube I met one colleague of mine who seems to love his work and then I met another friend of mine who works near my school, which is far from my house..and there was such a friendly atmosphere in the crowded train vagon that warmed my heart, and I felt happy!
Yes, Mr Chesterton is right! And the passion and the wish to be fulfilled!
Rita De Cillis
dear Rita,
RispondiEliminaI know you're not english or amercan!
can you write your comment also in other languages please?
Thank you for your disponibility.
Gaetano