It is always a crucial story when it comes to making it back to our career path after a never-ending or long maternity break. The duration of a maternity break depends upon so many factors like support from the family members, health conditions, baby care and so many personal reasons one could have.

For someone who has been working since she graduated or post-graduated it becomes a really hard decision and heart-breaking feeling to sit at home and do nothing about their personal growth. Especially when the kid is grown up enough to eat food by self and is potty trained as well. These two being the major concern for any mother in order to make their child independent. Now when we decide to not be a wreck to our own career and look out for the best possible options to make it back to the career that we left somewhere some months or even years ago, little did we know that a really harsh world is waiting for us outside. We carry the same enthusiasm and that child-like smile with an aim to hit it back to make out something form our misery but let me tell you it is no less than a bully for us to face at times.

I am a Mental Health Awareness blogger and youtube vlogger. I deliberately decided to take this two years gap, after my work tenure of seven years, just for my daughter to turn five and get into a full day school and activity center, then beginning my hunting for the best job. We had also moved to a new city, wherein my mother-in-law refused to move-in along with us and it was all new environment for us to leave the baby unattended at a strange place. More than me, my husband was reluctant for any daycare arrangement. I had no option but to take this break and meanwhile, I followed my passion for writing and started raising my second baby, My blog!! which is doing well now. On a practical note, to serve all the means and end that too in a city like Mumbai, both husband and wife need to work for a smoother transaction. By now my baby is five years old and could convey everything to me and after preparing her for a while, I started applying for the jobs.

I came out of my cocoon after two years and went for several interviews, everywhere I was stuck at the work hours, I requested for some flexibility or work from home options but rules are rules. No job timings were getting adjusted with the timings of my daughter’s school and activity center time, but I kept trying. Finally I got a call from an Institue, for content writer profile, very well known Institute and the offer was amazing too, I could not resist, I went for the interview, I cleared first round and in my second round I was asked to demonstrate my witting skills, I did and also asked them to check my blog site, which has over 200 articles written by me, which could help them to understand my writing style,but they refused, saying that don’t have much time for all this.

Next, I was bombarded with so many technical questions which were not at all my area,I politely said I am afraid but I am not aware of it, I answered what all I knew, but after each answer I gave, there was a sarcastic smile on the interviewer’s face and he made fun of my blog saying that many mothers do it because it’s a thing of convenience doing from home, but you don’t even know how to promote your own blog ,then what is the use? I answered him, we write to express and connect with so many women who feel or go through the same situations in their life and that is sufficient for us, and many women are making their mark in blogging world due to their consistent and creative writing.

In the end, I was at my wit’s end and I asked him, Sir, did you went through my Resume before short-listing me, he said, we don’t have much time to read each and every line of each candidate resume, we called you seeing that you are a Freelance Writer. I said, you already know what I am, then why are you asking me the technical question which even you know I can’t answer and I left.

Every time we try to break the glass ceiling and we find such people in the way who try to break us. But NO, we are stopping here, neither we are giving up. Bring it on and we will make our way through all the jeopardies.

(The article also published at https://www.momspresso.com/parenting/virtual-siyahi/article/jeopardy-of-making-it-back-to-the-career?lang=0 )

Much love and gratitude

Priyanka

#VirtualSiyahi