How to kick your career goals (while working, raising a family and generally being awesome).

By LISA MITCHELL

Having children changes you in every single way. When we first have to leave our precious little humans, even for a short amount of time, it hurts, physically and emotionally.

Our every instinct screams at us to stay with them. So we become pickier about what we allow to take us away from our families.

As I started to emerge from the fog of those first few months I began to notice that my mum friends had fallen into two groups:

1. Those who couldn’t bear the thought of returning to their previous career and wanted to do something more meaningful after having kids (I was one of them).
2. Those who wanted to stay in their chosen field but move into a role that would put their family into a better financial position. (My sister fell into this basket).

But how on earth are we meant to achieve either of these goals while working and raising our families? I wasn’t sure what the answer was until I began to look at education as a way of filling my knowledge gaps, developing my skillset and helping me to change my career.

Part of the answer was reminding myself that this wasn’t a selfish decision – because when you better yourself, it benefits your kids and entire family as well.

The other part of the answer came in the form of SEEK Learning. I’d been hearing advertisements for SEEK Learning for years and filed them away in the back of my mind, hoping that one day I would have the time and energy to further my education. I was always waiting for the right time, for enough money and for enough energy. Ironically, it wasn’t until I had children that the right moment occurred.

I found myself back at work, and to be honest it was a hard slog. I couldn’t remember feeling this way about my career before I had kids – I just wasn’t engaged any more. And what was worse was that I couldn’t imagine sticking it out in the same career for another 30 years.

Just as an FYI, this post is sponsored by SEEK Learning. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100% authentic and written in their own words. 

So I Googled SEEK Learning and went straight into the study and career advice section. It was here I began to think more about what I REALLY wanted to do – and I realised I wanted to be able to help people. There were plenty of career paths available, from childcare to teaching and community work, but psychology just connected with me the most. But which course would be best – both for my busy lifestyle as well as my new career goals?

It wasn’t until I decided to speak to one of SEEK Learning’s expert learning consultants that I began to get a sense of which course would benefit me the most. Unlike my family and friends and the advice they gave, the consultant knew not only which course would fit my family commitments and lifestyle the best, but also which course and provider would prepare me best for my dream career, because they are connected with SEEK employment.

They also filled me in on online learning, which meant I could study at any time that suited my schedule, as well as the ongoing support available to me.

And very importantly – they discussed my financial options to ensure my learning was affordable.

After thinking everything over I decided to enrol and I began studying psychology from home.

I’ll be honest, I was pretty rusty. I hadn’t studied formally for years so it took some getting used to, particularly when it came to time management and getting used to the learning process all over again.

But I kept at it. I stayed positive, tried not to get overwhelmed and when I did (which is totally normal, by the way) I would connect with other people on my course. I quickly learnt that breaking everything down step by step, and remembering my motivations, makes learning much more achievable. And before I knew it – I had passed my first psychology unit.

If you have a desire to learn, to improve your career prospects or change your career completely, I would say go for it. You may be surprised by how much support is available – and SEEK Learning have solutions no matter if you’re short on time, money or confidence (or all three). They can address every concern you have – and you get to achieve something other than managing to get all the kids to bed each night without too much yelling.

You just need to take the first step.

What goals did you aim to achieve once you had kids, how did you achieve them?

If you need some inspiration flick through these famous quotes…

Searching for a job and building your career skills go hand in hand, which is why SEEK Learning is the perfect partner to help you choose a course that will prepare you with the right qualification for your dream career. With free phone consultations available, SEEK Learning provides expert advice to connect students with the right course for their career goals, lifestyle commitments and financial situation. SEEK Learning connects you with Australia’s top universities and TAFEs, with over 250 nationally accredited and industry – recognised courses.