The first year of maternity leave, I was fully living in the moment of being a new Mom. I soaked in every cuddle, bed time story and lots of first moments with my little one. I felt completely happy and satisfied with living the stay-at-home-mom life and careers was not on my priority list at that time (a hard thing to imagine for me given that I have always been very career-driven!). There were moments I even considered staying at home longer than anticipated – and I was happy with that decision…at that time.

As days went by and I watched my child grow stronger and more independent each day (needing me a little less each time), there was a sense of nostalgia that started to creep in about my “old life.” At some point, I missed my career and who I used to be. At times, I felt guilty for feeling those things – I felt like a “bad mom.” Luckily, through support from my expat parent community in Frankfurt, I learned that I was not alone in this and that it was completely ok to mourn who I used to be while celebrating the new person I was becoming along this parenting journey.

I wanted to reconnect with other parts of who I was outside of motherhood and return back to my career. Once I made that decision, I dived into new opportunities, acquired new skills, and found new professional networks of working moms to motivate and inspire me. Now as I prepare for my child to start Kita and for me to have more time to focus on my goals, I find myself dreaming of a new career path now as a mom and deciding between corporate vs. entrepreneurship.

While I decide which route to take, here are the things that I am considering about both corporate and entrepreneurship as a soon to be working-outside-of-the-home mom:

Corporate

There is a lot that speaks for me returning back to a “traditional”, corporate job. After almost two years on maternity leave, I crave having consistent interactions with colleagues. I miss bouncing ideas from other people, problem solving together, being motivated by number goals, and the overall social aspect of having a corporate job and working alongside other people. Corporate for me, also provides stability with a consistent salary (and perhaps, bonus) and usually set working hours. There is opportunities for growth and motivation to learn new skills and grow within a firm. However, I also have concerns about corporate life now as a new mom. The inevitable long hours, after work social gatherings that keep me away longer from my family, the pressure to “climb up” the corporate ladder and constant feeling of having to prove myself. While I miss the stability and consistency that comes from working a corporate job, I know this life all too well and how exhausting it can be. Oftentimes, leading me to burn out. Now as a parent, I want to be conscious about how I spend my time outside of being a mom. My time is precious and any moment I spend away from my family has to be meaningful and enjoyable doing things that truly matter to me and are fulfilling.

Entrepreneurship

This is a whole new world for me. One I never imagined wanting to be a part of. In my view, I always thought of becoming an entrepreneur as an inherited trait – “some people are just born with it” type of thing. As something you either love or hate and want or do not want. I personally never saw myself as an entrepreneur – though I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs and often get told often by loved ones that I have natural entrepreneurship qualities. While this runs in my family (and others have seen it in me), I originally did not see these entrepreneurship qualities in myself. Now as a new mom, constantly having to be creative with my time and do things efficiently and having over 8 years of corporate work experience, I am reimagining the ways I want to work again. Motherhood has helped me recognize those same entrepreneurial qualities I saw in my family members, to now see those in myself. I want to no longer be fixed on a typical 9-5 schedule or seek fancy titles. It has become more important for me to have ownership of my time and structure my day as I want. To have the freedom to do pick up or drop off for my child when in school, work from a cafe or from home office, and most importantly, build something worth being proud of. The idea of entrepreneurship, while full of uncertainties and risks, is becoming more of an appealing path I want to take.

Since becoming a mom, my priorities have changed. While I feel grateful and privileged to have had this time at home with my daughter, I know I am ready to come back to my career – either in corporate or as an entrepreneur. While I could get creative and choose a mix of both, my time is limited and I want to ensure I give my full focus to one job at a time. As I figure out how I will execute on my career goals, I know that I do not want to return back to the “standard” way of working that I once knew. Now as a parent, I am seeking flexibility in my schedule, control of how I spend my time, and utilize my skillsets to create something meaningful that helps other people. For me, career is more than just about doing a job to receive a salary in return. More than ever, I understand the value of my time (specially when it is time away from my child). I want this next career step to be about challenging myself and trying something new and impactful!

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