New Baby, New Job: Why So Many Mothers Are Changing Careers After Baby

Maternity leave is a very special time for mothers. Not only do we have the chance to bond with our newborns, but it’s also the perfect time to reflect on what we really want to do with our lives.

After giving birth, some women realize how unhappy they were at their old jobs and dread going back to work when maternity leave ends. Other working mothers find that it’s time to shake things up and do something out of their comfort zone.

This is why many new moms, and even older moms, are now turning to RED Academy, not only for the digital courses they offer but to keep up-to-date and ahead of the game in this ever-changing world of technology.

Ashley Joslin is a 33-year-old mother of two, living in the suburbs of Vancouver. She decided to go to RED Academy while she was on maternity leave in 2015.

‘I knew that I didn’t want to go back to working in the industry I was in. The hours were long, the stress was high, and ultimately, I felt as though I had hit the maximum income opportunity,’ explains Joslin, who is now the Director of Digital Revenue and Marketing at Left Travel.

Joslin says that going from having one child to two changed the landscape for her in terms of what career would work best for a happy work-life balance.

‘I can say, without a doubt, that going to RED Academy was the best education decision I’ve ever made,’ she says.

What appealed to Joslin, and what so many other moms are finally starting to realize, is that some of the best opportunities for women and moms are now in technology.

‘There are lots of opportunities to allow for partial remote and contract work. Your office is your computer,’ says Joslin. ‘Tech also offers loads of business opportunities and it’s a field that is only going to continue to grow. I work in an office, but have the flexibility to work from home if required,’ says Joslin.

RED Academy offers courses in web development, user experience design, user interface design and digital marketing.

Don’t fret if these technical words scare you. RED Academy focuses on giving their students the right experience to launch an exciting and fun new career in tech. Students work on real-world projects with real-world clients and they emulate a working environment in the industry to prepare students for their exciting new futures.

Full-time students can seek career support from RED Academy Career Coaches who will work with students until they find their first role in the technology industry, sharing guidance including resume and cover letter reviews and salary negotiation tips.

‘For me, attending a focused career program like the one RED offers meant that, within a relatively short amount of time (compared to a University degree program), I was able to walk away fully equipped to enter a new industry with a skill set that was both immediately applicable and also up-to-date,’ says Joslin.

RED Academy understands there is a shift in how women and moms work, especially now that so many women are using technology to access new ways of providing income, becoming entrepreneurs, or starting their own web-based businesses.

Cory Manson is also a RED Academy alumni. The mother of two was four months into her maternity leave when she heard about RED Academy and started a 12-week program just one week after her maternity leave ended and the same week that her son turned one.

‘I was always intimidated by the tech industry and never considered getting into it because I wasn’t a technical person. But after attending a ‘sampler’ session at RED, I quickly got over that phobia,’ says Manson. ‘I chose RED because of the way their programs were designed to mimic the real world and because they were taught by industry professionals. It really feels like everyone that works there is truly invested in your success.’

Like so many others, she says the birth of her child gave her a new perspective and the push she needed to make a career change. ‘I didn’t want to be in a career where I was unhappy and didn’t want to bring that negativity home to my family,’ says Manson, who now is happy at work as a full-time designer.

Both Joslin and Manson agree that if you’re a mom on the fence and you’re trying to decide whether or not to take the leap into a new beginning, test out the technology industry, or even if it’s worth it to invest in additional education, you should really just take that leap.

‘I’d never felt as though I was the best version of myself when I was staying at home full time with a challenging baby. It just didn’t work for me. Essentially, I needed to work. I needed a break from ‘kid world’ and a chance to be around people and flex my creativity in new ways’ Manson says.

‘As moms, we tend to neglect ourselves. And I know I felt like I had lost myself those 12 months of being at home with my son. Going back to school and meeting new people re-energized me and made me feel like I was me again.’

And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, what’s better than finding the ‘me’ in Mommy?

Check out RED Academy for more information, locations, and courses or visit one of their sampler events starting September 9, 2017.

This post is sponsored by RED Academy but the thoughts and opinions are our own.