AGILE IS THE NEW BUZZWORD
❉ It’s not just about getting your feet back under the same desk as before – transferable skills are the order of the day. Adaptability, rising to new challenges, teamwork… the skills needed to raise a family tick all those boxes. No one works in the same way as they did five or 10 years ago, anyway. ‘Agile’ is the new buzzword in our global economy, using technology-driven solutions such as online document sharing, Skype and mobile apps to collaborate from anywhere in the world – including the kitchen table in your pyjamas. Working hours become more flexible when productivity is valued over presenteeism, and working from home saves on the sky-high cost of office space.
There’s a shift, too, in the timing of time out – sometimes it’s about looking after parents rather than children. A friend and mother of two teenagers recently quit a senior legal position to help care for her parents, both of whom have Alzheimer’s. And a former colleague who had a highpressure job in the health sector moved back home to support her mother in caring for her ailing father. When he died, her mother urged her to return to London and she is now back in the fray.
For some women, a long break points them in a totally different direction. Julia Noble (left) quit her job as a lawyer with a major bank 10 years ago to bring up her family. She had a long-held desire to learn to paint, and went to classes while her children were at school before winning a place at art school alongside students 20 years her junior – and gaining a First Class degree. Transferable skills are key for career switchers, and Julia has drawn on her legal experience in her new life as an artist. ‘My research skills have helped me find galleries to host exhibitions, and dealing with clients has given me the confidence to approach people who seem interested in my work,’ she explains.
Confidence is key to shaping a post-family future. Sally Barker (above, right) had spent 20 years in media sales, and was in her late 40s with two sons about to go to university, when she realised it was now-or-never if she wanted to fulfil a childhood dream. Sally had always wanted to teach, but didn’t feel ready after graduating. Cushioned by voluntary redundancy and her husband’s salary, she volunteered at local primary schools and loved it. After qualifying on the job, she got a permanent post, and has visited China twice as a maths specialist looking at ways of raising standards in schools. ‘It’s hard work, but very rewarding,’ she says. ‘It would have been so easy not to listen to the voice in my head saying, “I’d love to teach”.’
Tracking the progress of women who’ve achieved so much is less like watching someone shimmy up a ladder and more like seeing children clamber around a playground – with thrills, spills, bumps and scratches. But, as the old song goes, sometimes you’ve just got to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again.