Hi Brooke, last month I wrote in Ask Brooke about how I haven’t worked in almost 17 years and was thinking of looking for a job so I could re-start my career. I had listed a bunch of concerns that I had: my father being on long-term care, my daughter’s health issues, worries about fatigue and lack of time for self-care, and last but not least, worry that I had been out of the workforce for so long no one would want to hire me.

I didn’t really understand the answer you gave. It was “How can you earn the income you desire in a way that allows for ALL of this?” I thought about it for a while and I still didn’t get it. The only answer I came up with was that I’m going to have to be super productive and organized. I’ll definitely have to schedule and plan my time well. I’ll have to put routines and systems into place and follow through on them, religiously. I’ll need to be disciplined about bedtime. But I can do this.

So here’s the big news: I GOT A JOB!!! It’s pretty much my dream job, and it all happened so fast. I really didn’t need to worry about marketability at all. I just decided that I had a lot to offer and worked the steps: update resume, look for job postings, write cover letters, etc. Less than 2 weeks later, I got a great offer. I’m so excited (and a little scared too), but I know what seems hard at first will feel easier over time.

I have no idea if I answered the question the right way…somehow I thought you were trying to hint that I should start a business, but I got the result I wanted!! I’m a bad-ass upwardly mobile professional woman!