As one of our Lead Peer Interns, Karla meets with students to assist them with their resumes and connecting them with the resources available in the Career Center. Utilizing her training with the NACE Career Competencies and exploring her personal experiences, Karla shares her unique perspective in her first blog post with the center. Throughout this blog, Karla reflects on her experience as a working professional in college while also being a mother.
They say nothing prepares you for parenthood, and you will never be fully ready to welcome a child into your life. I definitely agree with that, and even though true, what really surprised me was not how unprepared I was for what motherhood would bring but how ready it has made me for everything else. Yes, parenthood is both rewarding and challenging, but nothing has ever made me feel more prepared to take on the world like being a mom has.
When I first decided to go to college, as a 28-year-old brand new mom, everyone looked at me like I was losing my mind. My daughter was barely a few months old, and everything was new. I had this little baby who fully depended on me to survive, and I had the wild realization that I could jump over mountains to make sure I could provide her with the best life possible. It was then when I realized that nothing could stop me from achieving my goals.
Most people around me questioned how I could take on college when my baby had not even turned one. I heard it all. “Are you sure you want to do this?”, “Being a mom is difficult enough, why add to it?”, or the famous “Just wait until she’s school age, you will have all the time then”, but what they didn’t see was this new burning fire I had inside of me to do better, be better. Aside from the fact that I really wanted to succeed, I started realizing how my experience as a mother has only added to my value as a professional. Through Career & Self-Development, I became aware of my strengths, areas for development and plans for the future.
Being a mom has taught me Critical Thinking, it has taught me that showing up and enjoying the triviality of it all is just as significant as enjoying the big important days. Not every day is going to be a hitter, and that is ok. In my career as well as in motherhood, I have learned to live for the little moments and enjoy the process. Mark Twain said, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life,” but I would have to disagree. Hard work is, well… hard, and it does not always have to look pretty or seamless. Sometimes having a job you love means putting in extra hours to get some work done, or just getting through the tough days with the hope that tomorrow will be better. And like work, at times, being a parent means dealing with an upset toddler who refuses to eat anything but chicken nuggets or insists on wearing rain boots during 90-degree weather. Sometimes you must enjoy the process and know that tough times do not last forever. Setting realistic expectations for ourselves and our life, on and off work, can make our experience more pleasant, because loving something (or someone) does not mean we are not allowed to have complicated feelings towards it.
I learned that Teamwork is priceless. Before having my daughter, I took immense pride in being independent and self-sufficient, on and off the clock. It was me against the world, and no one could stop me. That quickly vanished when I found myself caring for a newborn baby while trying to also care for myself. I realized how valuable it is to have a group of people on your side who have a common goal and want to see you succeed. When I returned to the workforce, my vision had shifted. I was able to see how precious it was to be part of a team who shared the same objectives as me. It was like suddenly, I was not alone anymore, and the heavy burdens of solitude were easier to bear.
Being a parent has allowed me to see that kindness and patience are underrated, and that Communication plays a pivotal role in not only my personal life, but my professional life as well. Before being a mom, I was the type of professional that put performance and execution at the forefront of my career. I thought that anyone who was not performing well was not well fitted for whatever industry I was a part of. To be quite honest, I am appalled that I ever felt this way. Being a mother made me have a conscious conversation with myself and realize that a lot of feelings I had towards others were projections of my own insecurities. When I became a parent, I became aware of my lack of empathy and patience, and now I realize that having a kind approach and clear communication has earned me a lot more respect amongst my peers and allowed me to connect better with my own child.
I could go on and on about all the ways parenthood has, directly or indirectly, affected my career path but I will leave you with this: Being a parent provided me with a newfound love for my education, my career, and my approach in the workplace. So yes, while it is true that no one is ever fully ready to be a parent, being a parent will make you ready for everything else.
