Mums, you’re awesome, just sayin’…
My name is Sangeetha, I am an Engineer at notonthehighstreet (NOTHS), where I have been working for the last four years.
After graduating in India I got my first break in technology as a Software Test Engineer. I then got married and moved to the U.K. and found my first job within a couple of months where I continued my career in testing as a Mobile Tester. Soon after joining I fell pregnant and took my maternity leave eight months later. When I returned I was promoted to an Automation Test Engineer, which I continued to do until my child was around two and a half years old. At this point I wanted to work closer to home so I started looking for a shorter commute. This is when I found my role at NOTHS where I was continued as an Automation Test Engineer for two years.
I am ambitious and love working in technology and so my ultimate goal was to become a Software Developer. My reporting manager and my technical leads really helped me to pursue this goal and after six months they promoted me to an Engineer. The jump from the Tester to Developer is huge, it has been a very steep learning curve because the skills set are totally different. As a Tester you learn and use one or two tools, but as a Developer you learn lots of tools that you use daily. It’s a huge challenge, but still, it’s worth it as I am doing the work that I love.
A short while after being promoted to Engineer I fell pregnant with twins which was wonderful, but also meant taking a long career break. Like many people raising children during a pandemic, it has been difficult. I had faced multiple challenges whilst being off work and raising my twins myself, and as a result I felt stronger, more decisive and certainly more resilient. And, the company has been very supportive. They always responded to my messages and kept me up to date with company life so that I never felt disconnected. Also they let me take an additional two months of parental leave so that I could take more time with my twins who were still very small at the time. This extension helped me to prepare myself mentally and physically for a return to work.
As of 19th February 2021, I have been back from my maternity leave for seven weeks, and am continuing my journey with NOTHS as an Engineer. It feels like a fresh start after such a long break. I feel more focussed now than I did before my maternity leave. I know it’s been a long break but it’s something that I have had to accept. Now that I know there isn’t going to be another long break, my career path is clear. This in itself is quite liberating.
It’s true that all the additional responsibilities a mother has can make having a career harder. People can think by default that mothers can’t manage because they already have a lot on their plate. So they can think that they cannot be as competitive or up for a challenge. I understand that people are just trying to be nice, and personally this hasn’t happened to me, but I can understand how they might think “this lady is already overloaded, why would we put an extra weight on her like that?” But I think, every mother is different and working mums can be just as ambitious as a woman without kids.
Personally I am motivated and I want to grow in my career, and so I ask to be included in as much as possible. But I also understand that this purely depends on the individual. For some women, they might not want to get involved in demanding projects right after they return from maternity leave, chances are they could be already overwhelmed with their sleepless nights and child care responsibilities. This is where the relationship with their managers is so important, understanding each individual personally so they can support during tough times. It’s a two way street, a mother should be able to be honest about her life and responsibilities so that she can also ask for support or flexibility without feeling guilty or concerned. Managers need to trust mothers and know that they are capable and competent, they just have additional responsibilities. Open communication is so important.
Personally I feel that the commute is the biggest enemy for mothers. Not having to commute from home is kind of a magical thing. It enables mothers to be in control of the little and precious time that they have.
Currently I have my three children at home due to the lockdown. Two are still toddlers, and as everyone knows the expense of sending two children to nursery full time is huge. So I thought I would try having a nanny or babysitter so that I could continue working full time.
Interestingly having two children with a nanny works out cheaper when compared to the nursery and cuts down on additional childcare costs. So we have someone coming here every day during my work hours. This plus no commute has cut down some of our additional expenses. The work from home policy has massively made my life easier. I find that I am not as tired, because the fatigue really comes from rushing around, picking them up and then organising mealtimes, bath times and bedtime. Now I have more energy for the children as well as work, so in my personal opinion, flexibility is what every mother needs as well as understanding and trust.
