The decision to step out of the workforce was deeply personal. I felt like my family was fighting fires instead of growing towards a shared goal. I wanted to try a new path and stay home with my family to help guide us in the right direction.
My plan was to start working again when my youngest started kindergarten, however circumstance accelerated my timeline after my spouse was let go from his job. I needed to quickly dust off my resume, find employment, and start working so my family could stay afloat financially.
I had two motivations in going back to work, empowering and supporting my family financially and doing something positive that directly helps the human experience.
I networked with my contacts in the medical device sector and parents from my children’s school. I applied for dozens of positions, and my calendar was solidly booked with calls and interviews for 45 days.
I heard about reacHIRE from social media, coincidentally only a few days after my spouse became unemployed. reacHIRE offered an incredible program with career coaching, onboarding, and frequent check-ins. This was the ramp-up I needed to get myself back into the engineering workforce.
reacHIRE proved that they cared enough to invest in me and other women going back to work. I wanted to be a part of that movement! One of the most significant experiences was working with a reacHIRE career coach. She empowered me to create a better narrative of my background to present to employers. It worked!
Through reacHIRE, I successfully completed a five-month assignment with Boston Scientific. Today, I’m happily employed as a Design Assurance Quality Engineer at Medivators, a Cantel Company. Medivators makes innovative products and has a fantastic culture — my two most critical motivations for accepting a position. In my role, I’m guiding the new design assurance department to create safe, quality, and effective products.
At first, my biggest challenge was becoming the primary earner for my family. Now, I feel like this is my greatest strength, as my children have seen me rise from a stay-at-home parent to an empowered engineer with a vision and an influential role.
My advice for women attempting to re-enter the workforce: take a breath and say, “I. Am. Powerful.” reacHIRE empowered me to know my worth, refocus my narrative, and make meaningful contributions at a higher level than I did in my prior career.
In the future, I see myself leading and influencing Medivators creation of best-in-class products and expanding design assurance globally.