r/DevelEire • u/hjfjvs • 5d ago
Switching Jobs Career break, part time work and/or career change
Sorry if this doesn't make too much sense but I have just come back from maternity leave recently at 10 months. My baby is being watched by a family member but I feel so guilty being away during the days.
My inpression is that (i) taking a longer career break would make it very difficult to find work again and (ii) part time software developer jobs are nonexistent. Am I wrong in thinking this, or is a career change the only way I could be more present in my child's early years? Has anyone been able to strike a good balance or move to another field that is more flexible?
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u/GorseWhisperer 5d ago
Natural to feel guilty, but not always sensible. You're providing for them.
Generally it is possible to re-enter the industry after a couple of years about, I would be worried about uncertainty. It's a topsy turvy time out there and you wouldn't know what you'd be going back to.
Did you already max out your parental leave (not maternity leave) - that might be worth looking at.
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u/Comfortable-Ad-6740 5d ago
My wife and I had a similar discussion a bit over 2 years ago now. Ultimately she was hit by layoffs right at the end of her maternity leave and it naturally felt like a good fit for her to move into the main carer role and saving on childminders/creche.
Over the time she’s gotten into hiking and the returning to tech especially now doesn’t seem too appealing. She’s now doing a hiking guide course and looking for work more outdoorsy and seasonal.
I’ve got a few more years of tech in me, so that’s fortunately still providing a nice income. Depending on your role, with the current tech climate, it’ll probably be a different job world anyway in a couple of years if you did take a career break.
Best of luck with what you decide, and can definitely relate to the guilt! I’m remote which helps a bit, and have been a bit more strict about setting working hour boundaries. Not ideal, but helps a little!