Happy Mom Series: Previously Professional

Last fall I wrote a pair of posts about the search for who I used to be before I came a mom.  I am amazed at how rarely I know the education or professional background of my mom and blogging friends, yet I know their children’s favorite sports and food allergies.  Previously I looked at what we all used to enjoy doing back in those crazy days when we had free time and I also enjoyed writing about my own professional background, which is surprising to many.

In an effort to learn more about my fellow bloggers, I asked them for their professional background before they started answering mostly to the sound of “MOM!!!!!!” It’s time to introduce you to the women behind some of your favorite blogs!

– Sarah from Real Life used to teach music, chorus, and drama in grades K through 8.  What I love most about this?  I taught drama to grades seven and eight.  More teachers are hiding in the blogging world including Amy from A Million Boxes, Lolli from Better in Bulk, and newly staying at home, Tara from Feels Like Home!

– Before becoming a mom, Kelly from The Centsible Life and Christine from From Dates to Diapers were studying in college!  Hopefully there were some business courses mixed in because they are certainly busy bloggers…

– Nanette from A Mom Blog was a librarian’s assistant and then an office clerk before running her own family.  Gena from The Morris Bunch also “parented” others while working for a local group of truck stops as did Teresa of Single Mom and Teenaged Girl who worked as an administrative assistant.

– Some bloggers were science minded like Jen from Savoring the Thyme who did oncology research at a large pharmaceutical company and Kristen from Rage Against the Minivan who was a therapist.

– Others provided invaluable services such as Tina from Mad Hatter Mom who was a 911 dispatcher for Police/Fire/EMS.  Similarly, Suz from Not Your Typical Mommy was an assistant to a police chief and loved the fast pace and fast cars before trading it all in for the hectic job of “mom”.

– Want a good deal on a great car?  Tania from Pure Natural Diva sold Jaguars!  And if you’re looking for a great place to eat, Stacie from The Divine Miss Mommy was the Executive Director of the Georgia Restaurant Association.  I bet that Lisa from Crazy Adventures in Parenting could also help you find a great meal as she used to manage restaurants as well as retail stores.

– Mary from Everday Babysteps was a college academic adviser and now blogs for moms going to college at The College Mom!

– Emily from Colorado Moms was an executive assistant working for startup dotcoms who taught her to love HTML.

– Some moms got right back to their former careers, like Shana from Shana Mama who works as a legal secretary and Elizabeth from Busy Mom who is a nurse.

– Katja from Skimbaco Lifestyle worked in PR and marketing before moving to the States from Finland and opening her own online children’s clothing store.  Jennifer from Hip As I Wanna Be was a bureau chief for the country music news division of Sony Worldwide and Vera from Lady and the Blog was a business consultant for both Accenture and CGEY.  You can see why these ladies not only blog, but are social media marketing stars.

– Also in the marketing worked, Grace from Formerly Gracie pursued her MBA and worked in advertising.

– With jobs that make me want to learn more, Tonya from TonyaStaab.com worked for ten years in visual merchandising for the magazine industry, Maricris from Zensible Mama was a Senior Lead Officer in corporate customer service in the Phillipines working with high ranking officials, and Dawn from Party Blu Prints worked on Wall Street on the trading floor for UBS as a Risk Analyst for Derivative products!!

– Robin from Simple Green Organic Happy was a fitter and tailor at Smalls Formalwear.  I’ve got some pants for her to hem!

– Built to blog, Melanie from Blogging Basics 101 has her MA in technical writing and built website from scratch before becoming a technical writer at TV Guide.

– Before decreasing mom’s weight at Mamavation, Leah increased budgets as a fundraiser and then PR Director for the California State Assembly!

– Ready to party? Elizabeth from Party Planning Professor owned a party entertainment and party planning business.

– Andrea from Great Thoughts sold large office buildings for a New York based firm for eighteen years!

– And last but very much not least, Lara from Chicken Nuggets of Wisdom is a decorated veteran of the first Gulf War who went on to become an intelligence analyst for the US Customs office of investigations (now homeland security) working on the Mexican border in the drug division.  She left to find a more mom friendly job, which ended up being in college administration and PR. And yet, she says, somehow being a work from home mom is the hardest job ever.

So tell me….what did you used to be?


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18 Comments

  • I love this!! It’s so interesting to know what we all did, and how it has shaped who we are today, and what we’re doing now!

  • Great post! I often feel so disconnected from the person I was before kids. It seems so long ago even though it has only been 3 years.

    In my past life, I was a Project Manager and Executive Assistant at a Commercial General Contractor. I have my bachelor’s, but I plan on going back for a master’s once the kids are a little older.

  • I worked in sales and marketing for yearsand started several service businesses, but my last job was working as a District Sales Manager corporately for Avon Products. I managed and trained over 800+ women!
    Bernice

  • Holy cannoli. I find this absolutely fascinating. Thanks for sharing this (and for including me). So cool.

  • Candace

    Great idea for a post! I was a classroom teacher (high school social studies, writing, and art history) and then an Educational Consultant and writer (which I still do). Love reading what everyone else has done professionally!

  • I used to be a practicing lawyer, but it didn’t mesh with my vision for motherhood. Now I’m a law professor and writer, and I’ve found the right work-life fit for me:)

  • Perfect post for International Women’s Day!

    I didn’t take any business classes, but after having my first I did continue studying a bit and took a class on mothering. It was awesome to sit among college girls and tell them what motherhood was like. It didn’t hurt that my professor was an advocate of natural parenting like I am either. 🙂

  • LOL too funny! Great post!

  • What a great post! Thank you so much for including me. It is so fun to read about what others used to do before Motherhood.

  • Phenomenal! These women amaze me! And I’ll bet all would agree that motherhood is the toughest job they have every done…

  • Great minds… this is what my blog post was about today!!! So if you really want to know what my life looked like between when you last saw me in high school and as you know me now, you can read my blog! 🙂 (After all, you were part of my inspiration to start writing in it- have I told you that?!!!)
    Love you, Amy!

  • I graduated high school in July ’08, got married in Oct ’08 and became a mommy on July ’09. It might be a bit unconventional for most people but I love it and wouldn’t have it any other way!

  • It’s so fun learning what other moms used to do before having children. Thanks for posting this?

  • Best post ever, Amy! I’m always interested in learning about women’s careers. I love learning about all aspects of their personalities. Thank you so much for including me!

  • I was a waitress before I became a pharmacy tech. I still kind of miss waiting tables. I may even, on occasion, miss working at a pharmacy in front of a computer all day.

  • This is an awesome post. I was a completely different person – becoming a MOM has made me grow in so many ways. I wouldn’t change anything about where I am now for my pre-children stress-free days.

  • I LOVE this post! I worked in Architecture for years, then Engineering. Right before I had my kiddos I had settled in to life as an Optician selling and making eye glasses. It was my favorite!

  • wow – what a diverse group of professions – I enjoyed learning more about these bloggers – very inspiring!