Trying to return to a career 16 years after having a child is just as difficult than what the college graduates are facing for the first time. I had a lot of catching up to do.
Being a technology veteran in the computer industry, you would think that I would have it made in the shade with a job to return to, right? That's what people told me for years, but you're only as good as what you've kept up with, and everything I knew both in hardware and software have changed so drastically that wasn't worth pursuing to learn it.
The good news is that I've chosen to learn everything from scratch about web design and web programming and became pretty good at it. So even though I had to reinvent myself, I'm in a better position than most people with nothing to fall back on. My career is still out there. It's just that it's evolving. Some people have nothing because their industry was terminated and will never return and they don't have a clue as to where to begin. I can't imagine what that must feel like and I hope I never have to.
I've learned everything on my own and that's the way I like it. I'm not sure if I would call myself a girl-geek because there are so many people that know tons more than I do, but I guess with technology, you never stop learning, and maybe that's good. I've learned that you don't have to know everything. You can always learn new things as you go along. The trick is to stay open to learning. In technology, you have to. There are new things to catch up on every day. Years ago, when I was a programmer/analyst, you had a few years to feel that you were on top of the world before they announced anything new. And when they did, the company would send you to workshops to learn. Now everyday there's something new to learn. Sometimes it can be overwhelming, but that's the industry. Actually, it's the companies that are competing with each other, and the consumer is in the middle.
In 2008, I started my own website service, Laura Tower Website Designs, a freelance home-based service, dedicated to designing basic and affordable websites, promoting individuals and new small businesses on the internet. I enjoy working with people and helping them get their voice heard on the web. I communicate with my clients throughout the design process.
I'm finding that being freelance is my best bet right now. I can pick my work, my clients, my hours, and have total control over how I want my work to look. There are many web designers out there, so I depend on my originality to help me stand out to attract clients.
