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How Being a Mom Changed my Career For the Best
Let me start by saying that although I'm extremely flattered when people ask, no, I'm not a full-time blogger. That is a lot of work and frankly, I wouldn't even know where to start. But I pour a lot of myself into my blog and a lot time and thought into any creative process behind it all - but it's not my full-time job. In fact, I still consider it a hobby.
My "Real" Job and how It happened
For those who don't know, but ask, I am a digital marketing consultant. This is a fancy way of saying that I help companies with their digital marketing strategies, needs, ideas, and even help manage social media, design websites, craft creative content, and come up with marketing campaign ideas. There's a lot more that goes into what I do (analytics, research, A/B testing, etc), and I genuinely love what I do.
But I didn't always know what I wanted to do. In fact, I explored a lot different career options before stumbling on the right one.
After graduating college, I wasn't entirely sure what my intended career path was going to be. Like a lot of new graduates, I had a ton of ideas and pipe dreams, but didn't know where that would lead me. After a little trial-and-error, I found myself working in digital marketing at an incredible tech enterprise start-up in Austin, TX. What I didn't know is how that would impact my entire career.
This entrance into marketing paved the way to work with other agencies and opened the doors to a lot of fun opportunities along the way. I worked heavily in content creation, SEO, website development, and strategy building for other startups and smaller companies. It was very "by the book" and there wasn't a ton of outlet for pure creative work that I could really get behind.
Motherhood Changed How I Work
Because of being a mom, my career shifted. I took yet another leap of faith, and after some fear and hesitation, I quit working for other people and became a self-employed marketing contractor. Thanks to digital marketing and the platforms I use with clients, I am able to work from home. I stay home to raise our kids and can still contribute to our household and family (which is very important to me). But it's not just my career that being a mom has changed.
A little over 2 years ago, after our oldest daughter was born, I found myself needing some kind of outlet where I could be creative and "social," while being a work-at-home-mom. I didn't get out a lot and didn't have much socialization because of hubby's work schedule, and having something that I could really pour myself into felt important.
My Career Smarts Turned a Hobby Into More Than I ever Expected
So, I started blogging. I took my knowledge of website design, SEO, content, marketing techniques, and my love of writing and started a blog. Truthfully, it was a little embarrassing at first when I told people I started a blog, because I didn't know how it would be received and if it would be any good. But I took a leap of faith and I started sharing blog posts - everything was kind of random and there wasn't a ton of cohesion. I shared some of the fun things I was doing around our home and yummy recipes I was making. It was purely a hobby. But I didn't find my niche and hone my "brand" until 10 or so months ago. By no means did I intend for this blog to become a source of revenue, huge part of my life, or way to meet and be inspired by other incredible women in this community.
But it has started to.
Through this platform, I have had the opportunity to work with some amazing brands, meet a ton of amazing moms, bloggers, influencers, and have my voice heard on national platforms. I have written guest blogs for numerous motherhood-focused blogs about my experiences, my parenting style, and how being a mom affects my daily life.
My full-time job is being a mom. That comes first and foremost. But thanks to having to shift my career (read: being a WAHM), I was able to shape a job for myself where I can call the shots - I can choose who I work with, what projects I take on, and how I sort out my work-life balance. I also allowed myself to have a passion-hobby that is turning into more than I could have ever expected.
Being a mom totally changed my career goals, my career path, and what the future looks like for my brand and my personal growth and goals.
And I wouldn't have it any other way.
Xoxo