Gen Y Speaks: I struggled to re-enter the workforce as a full-time mum. This is how I landed my dream job after 2 years

Baby’s crying. How did porridge get in my hair? Time for a nappy change. It’s the third poo she’s done today. Is it only 9am? I need to get the older one to school. Wait, is the “parent involvement project” due today?

This was my life as a stay-home parent to a newborn and a two-year-old, back when I thought that being a good parent meant giving up everything for my kids: my career, my hobbies, my sleep, and myself.

To be frank, I was excited about being a new mom at the very beginning. Then, my enjoyment lasted most of the time. Then, sometimes. Then, I avoided thinking about it.

Eventually, I realised my impatience towards my kids reached a breaking point, and that I wasn’t the parent I wanted to be.

I needed to do something for myself again. More than that, I also wanted my children to grow up to be independent young people. I wanted to show them that I could be that person, and that life doesn’t have to end when they become parents one day.

SEARCHING FOR A JOB

I had been away from a corporate setting for five years, having been running my own business with my husband before becoming a full-time mum. I also had experience in the tourism and engineering industry.

Nevertheless, five years is quite a long time to be without a paying job. It was difficult to get back into the job hunt.

I applied for over 80 roles and reached out to recruiters on LinkedIn. Nothing.

All the industries I was once familiar with had been impacted by the pandemic. I started to panic and began regretting ever leaving the workforce.

Was I no longer valuable to employers, I wondered. Did my five years of absence mean that the only job I was qualified for was to be a stay-home mum?

Then, I thought to myself: Maybe I could start by doing a course or some upskilling. During the pandemic, I heard that the Government was subsidising training for Singaporeans, so perhaps it was worth a try.

After scrolling through numerous courses, I applied for a training course about digital marketing under Google’s Skills Ignition SG. It would last a total of nine months – three months of coursework and a six-month attachment with the Google Pay team.

It was worth a try, even though I did not think it could lead to anything at the time. I never imagined it would be what brought me back on the career track.

I remember how my incredibly supportive parents took the kids out of the apartment to free me from distractions during the interview process.

I borrowed my dad’s laptop for the virtual interviews, using an ironing board as a table. I hadn’t even used a laptop since becoming a full-time mum.

On the day that the results were due to be released, I recall anxiously refreshing my email page every minute. Close to midnight, I texted my sister: “I think I didn’t make it. I failed.” I cradled my baby to sleep and felt pinned under her, literally and figuratively.

GETTING A SECOND CHANCE

I woke up the next day not realising that I had dozed off at my desk, and that an acceptance email had come in.

I was over the moon. Being a trainee at 32 and having changed industries twice, it felt like I was given a second chance at a career.

The journey was tough, despite the fact that the courses were flexible and broken into very easily digestible pieces in those three months.

Some days, I had to attend the lessons while tending to my baby as she slept in her cot. On other days, I woke up early to tune in to the coursework at 4am.

I struggled to make it work. Covid-19 scares meant that my older child was constantly missing preschool, and I simply had no time to attend lessons when both kids were up.

I quickly realised I had trouble sitting and learning for an hour straight, because it has been so long since I went through something like this. I was quieter among other learners in the course, and my confidence took a beating.

When the six-month job attachment at Google started, I was also overwhelmed by what others would consider to be basic.

I didn’t know how to send a calendar invite, or how to locate my calendar app in the first place. Having to speak out in meetings was a nerve-racking experience, and I suffered from imposter syndrome.

But Google’s culture was refreshing. There was never any blame for mistakes I made, and I was motivated to keep trying. I’m also very fortunate to have a very solid support system in my parents and sister. My husband, who was overseas at the time, remained supportive throughout my entire journey.

Slowly, over the course of my work attachment, I felt like I was finally moving forward. I had no idea where I was headed but at least I wasn’t plodding along on the same spot anymore.

A CHANCE TO CHANGE MY LIFE

With these baby steps, I decided to start the job application process again four months into my job attachment.

Skills Ignition SG trained us to craft our resumes and go for job interviews, so I felt more prepared than before.

But I was still fully expecting a healthy number of rejections. I accepted any interview that came my way across various industries, and went for over 15 of them.

To my surprise, I managed to secure a few job interviews for roles within Google too.

This time, I was way more prepared than in the past, when I was doing interviews from an ironing board. I made sure I was in a quiet space, and I kept any clicky pen far from reach to resist the temptation of clicking on one nervously. I did not want to put this job opportunity at risk.

Two weeks later, I was hired. I remember crying as I told my sister the good news.

I’m now two months into my permanent role at Google, where the culture is “family first”.

There is no stigma or pressure around blocking off an “untouchable” hour in the mornings for school runs, taking time off at the last minute because of a sick child, or choosing to work from home due to family commitments.

While there are job expectations that I have to fulfil, there is also flexibility around how I decide to meet those expectations.

What do I love about it? I can be a present mum, and continue to make a professional impact in my workplace. I clear my emails while breastfeeding my baby. I took my kids to visit the office for the first time last week and now my toddler thinks I’m the coolest person.

I’m not saying that upskilling is the silver bullet that can remedy any situation, but I believe that taking the first step can turn out to be an unexpected opportunity. And sometimes, a chance is all we need to change our lives.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ramona Koh, 33, is a data centre business operations programme manager at Google, as well as a mother of two.