Erica Greene
Helping others is Erica Greene’s passion. It’s what drives her and keeps her happy. As a licensed social worker, the mother of two spent years giving her time and expertise to troubled children, adults with psychiatric disorders and parents needing support. After her first child was born, though, Greene chose to leave the job where she was focused on being there for others, in order to be there for her own family instead.
“It was really important to me to be fully present as a mother to my children. For me, this meant being their primary caregiver,” Greene said. “As a social worker I spent so much time devoted to educating families and children about development, bonding, education and parenting. I really wanted to fully experience all of these things with my own children.”
Two kids later, the self-proclaimed helper chose to opt back into the workforce, but only part time. With part time work, Greene is able to fulfill her passion in serving others while also maintaining her children’s busy lives.
“After being a full time mom for several years, I started to miss being a helper in the bigger picture. I wanted to contribute outside the walls of my own home. I wanted to talk with other adults about ideas and strategies for helping. I missed that part of my identity,” Greene said.
Now, the devoted mother works as a consultant for a non-profit known as the Crayon Collection, working with restaurants, schools and communities to reduce waste and promote education in the arts. Even with the organization now consuming a few hours of her day, Greene’s main focus still remains her children.
“Even though my kids are in school most of the day (unless they are sick!), I still like to be the one who drops them off and picks them up. Our car rides, after school time, homework time, etc.. are all really important times for us to connect. I know I am going to blink and they will be out of the house! I didn’t want to give that up if I could make it work,” Greene said.
That’s why having a flexible schedule is pertinent for Greene. After first going back to work at another company and quickly realizing that it was too much for her, Greene left to become a stay at home mom for almost another four years until the right job fit came around.
“I made a decision not to sacrifice my time with my kids. In our family, I am the mom and the nanny and the driver and the personal chef and the therapist so I stay busy! All of these jobs are as important to me as my outside the home jobs,” she said.
Greene, like many women, has found a way to raise their children, while also keeping a job that makes her happy, fulfills her passions and affords her the flexibility she needs to have a family.
“I think everyone is in a different situation regarding their financial needs, their work background and their passion. If at all possible, finding a work culture that is welcoming and a job that makes you feel like you are contributing something of value is a good start to finding a job that is fulfilling. Don’t sell yourself short! Go after the job you want,” Greene said.
While some women cannot fathom spending so much time at home, there are others who are unable to picture themselves away from their children. For such mothers, like Greene, working from home or part time is a viable, possible solution. OptIn is here to help women discover what work, home life balance is right for them and when they discover what the answer to that is, we are ready with the resources and services needed to get them there.
OptIn helps women seeking to get back to into the workforce with counseling, coaching, and connections. Visit optinbackin.com for info or email hello@optbackin.com
