Motherhood is a responsibility like no other, it’s exhausting, inspiring, and purpose-giving.
Changing from one career to another and going back to studies takes commitment and focus. But it’s never too late – even if you are settled down with kids. Here’s a mom who successfully did it..
This is the part four of Changing Careers – From Moms Who Successfully Did It
Simona Shenbakar
She is a mother of 2yo twins. She has a Master’s in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and is about to complete her MBA from WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management in Düsselsorf. Originally from Macedonia, she’s been living in Germany on and off for 10 years now.
Can you tell us more about you?
“I currently work as a product manager, close to Cologne Area in a biotech company called Miltenyi Biotech. And my background is really rooted in the life sciences. So I have a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and cell biology, also from Bremen. And then I did a master’s in pharmaceutical biotechnology.”
“So after I graduated with a master’s degree in Holland, it was a couple of years ago, I decided to go back to my home country, which is Macedonia. And my first job there was a mix of a sales agent and scientific consultants. Which exposed me to Obstetricians and Gynecologists network within the country and opened a door for me to work in a laboratory.”
Do you always want the job you first had?
“My first job was more field-oriented, in sales and coming just right out of university, where I was very trained into lab work, this job actually taps into something more of a sales job. So when this opportunity for lab work actually came, I saw it as a shift towards my comfort area, this is a welcoming change. And working in the lab, and being with my family, close to my family, proved to be a very happy period of my life.”
We want to grow, right? We want to push the limits, it doesn’t matter if you’re a mom or a father or any, some of us really push the limits.
“And it is then when I decided to actually go back to Germany and again, assume a more interdisciplinary role where I could combine what I learned from the sales aspects in my very first job, but still apply the scientific and technical knowledge that I have.”
“As a product manager, I work in a Technical Marketing area, which means that I’m in constant communication with customers and by customers, I mean, those who actually work in the IVF lab. And being someone who actually worked in the IVF lab, is a huge advantage to how I operate in my daily job because I do have the tools to establish a common ground for communication or common language and how I talk to our potential customers. And it made my job a little bit easier.”
How did you manage to juggle motherhood, work, and studies?
“While I was on maternity leave, I also pursued part of my MBA. It was a part-time program meaning I was only visiting lectures on Saturdays and Sundays and during that time, during the weekends, my husband, was looking after the kids, that is how I combined those two things.”
“In addition, I can work full time because my workplace is 10 minutes away by car and next to my office is the kita/kindergarten. Everything is close, so that, that really makes it possible because it saves me a lot of time.”
What are some of the challenges that you faced?
“I think one of the major challenges that I had, both personally and professionally wise, is that I have realized that the established mental framework I had previously produced no results at all. So I have had some schemes and ways of working and habits that seem to be somehow not yielding results anymore.”
“Also from the first days of my motherhood, I used to, for example, try to find solutions in the external environment. For example, Instagram account about moms or motherhood, I thought it will help me or somehow enlightened me if I read this certain post or story, but actually, that doesn’t seem to be the case, unfortunately. And following those kinds of parenting Instagram accounts only increased on the increase my anxiety so I decided actually to stop doing that. And it was actually one of the best things I actually did for myself.”
What helped you overcome those challenges?
“I used to have this framework, that when I do something, I need to be good at it, you know, and if I’m not good at it, somehow it is of no value. So what I realized, at the end of the day, is not about how good you are at something, but how you want to acquire a certain skill or whether you want to become better at something.”
“I think this mind-shift, of course, helped me a lot. The thing is we come with a certain mindset that doesn’t help us.”
“So when we think about motherhood, we see it as I’m either talented or not, I’m either good at it or I’m not. But the point is that when you think in such a way, you don’t allow yourself first of all to grow, you don’t allow yourself to fail. And that is part of growth.”
“Another thing that may be also helped me is to prioritize your work in the sense that you have to identify what is an urgent and what is an important task. We tend to put the label ‘urgent’ on everything, but that’s actually not the case. Not every email that we receive, for example, even though it says urgent in the subject line is actually not that urgent.”
What would you tell Mamas who feel stuck and are thinking about changing careers?
“I think networking is a crucial aspect, reaching out to people who you feel at least comfortable with at the beginning, asking questions, connecting on LinkedIn. Many opportunities are out there. So I would strongly I strongly advise that networking is something that can really, really help.”
“And when making a decision of where you want to invest your time, potentially think of employers who really have this issue of parenthood or work-life balance quite as a priority. I think it makes all the difference, you know, who your boss is, whether he or she is understandable if your situation. And so we should be very, very specific as to whom we give ourselves to.”
One thing I’ve learned after talking to so many people about how they changed careers is that everyone’s journey is unique. Ultimately, you have to decide which actions will enable your own unique career pivot.
You’re in the driver’s seat, Mama. You get to decide when to act.
Do you want to be more inspired and see how others Moms changed their careers? Check out the second series here.
Where there is a will, there is a way.