Hope! Working from Home

I always dreamed that I could work from home. It seemed like a way of life reserved for the very wealthy (ie, not actually ‘working’ from home…) or the very brilliant (authors, inventors, consultants…). For a few decades I tolerated various commutes - long car rides from DC to the suburbs of Virginia, long train rides from NYC to the suburbs of CT, and later long subway rides or walks across Manhattan from various office buildings to my midtown home. The commutes sucked hours out of my day and energy out of my life - but it was just part of the grind. Despite annoying commutes, I thrived and rose up through the ranks.

Fast forward a decade and I was the mom of 2 toddlers, no longer commuting. My husband at the time 'unintentionally changed jobs’ every couple of years and every new job came with a move - instead of focusing on my career, I was a loyal doormat and managed the moves, meals and kids.

I felt locked out of the ‘working world’. There is nothing working-mom friendly about elementary school schedules, and I figured no ‘real’ office job was going to accommodate my availability between drop off and pick up. I was panicked about my lack of control - and money - in a tumultuous marriage.

Enter a forward thinking company that hired people NOT based on their geographic location or ability to remain in the office for 8+ straight hours, but on the strength of their talent. A longtime contact and close friend offered me a position helping him with a startup - and my love for data began. It also started me on my career as a remote professional - and working at home became a dream come true. Good-bye long commute, hello Google Workspace, Zoom meetings - and at least some degree of freedom to build parts of my day around my most important clients - my kids.