[Working Mom Job Change Part 2] When in doubt, just consult and start moving

Last time, I was in despair on my first day back from maternity leave.

From hybrid remote work to full-time in-office...

Actually, during my maternity leave, the rule allowing remote work changed to a full-time in-office rule... I think this is a common change in large Japanese companies these days, but since full-time in-office (working until 7 PM) meant I couldn't make it to daycare pickup on time, I decided to return on a reduced-hours schedule.

I had originally intended to return on reduced hours at first, but the prospect of returning to full-time later became hopeless.
So, reduced hours for the next 10 years, huh. Will I be okay? A sense of unease began to drift in.

Consulting an agent about my life

I'm the type who wants to resolve anxiety immediately, so I first contacted the agent who helped me with my current job to ask for career advice.

Rewinding to a certain day in March.
The phone consultation began.

I started by sharing that I had gotten married and had a child, and we chatted about how time flies.

From there, I asked about my anxiety regarding the company's rule changes and whether there was any possibility of considering a job change to a company that allows remote work with my current background.

The conclusion of that phone call was, "I think it's better to stay where you are for now."

I figured as much...

They said that since it's a major manufacturer listed on the Prime Market, the benefits are solid, and it's probably better in terms of overall cost-performance to keep working there, even on reduced hours, and try to make it work.

They advised me, "There is actually demand for working moms in their 40s right now. If I had to point out one thing, the market is active for job changes starting in your 40s if you have management experience, so it's not too late!"

One thing to do while at my current workplace: management experience, note this down.

A new realization

Also, another concern I had was which team would be strategic to return to.
The teams I could potentially return to were the sales promotion team or the public relations team I had belonged to in the past.

Since I had moved from PR to sales promotion in the past thinking about my career, I wondered if I should go to the one that seemed to have more demand for survival.
(This choice proved useful later on, so nothing in life is meaningless.)

"Well, if you don't have a preference for which one you want to do more...
Which one would be less painful for you?"

Whoa, that's a new perspective. It's true that I've rarely chosen things from that angle...
Having received a standard education at what's called a college-prep school, I've lived trapped by the fixed idea that "you must always choose things positively, set goals, and work hard toward them."

This is a bit of a tangent, but aren't there many people who have lived through college-prep schools who are trapped by this curse?

Many of my high school friends (excluding the genius types) feel anxious that they always have to be working hard or growing even after entering the workforce.

“To be honest, sales promotion wasn't my specialty to begin with, so I felt like I wasn't suited for it, but I was trying my best. Honestly, this was more mentally and physically exhausting. Public relations feels like something I can do without stress.”
*This is just the case at our company. The sales promotion team handled larger budgets and scales, and it was necessary to push forward aggressively with other departments.

“Then, it’s public relations.”

I was trapped by a spell, convinced that it was important to work hard even if it was painful, but it’s also an option to choose the path you are better at and move forward—it was a basic thing, but an unexpected perspective. I made a note of this too.

After this, apart from this agent, I applied for an interview with one more company.
Next time, I will write about what happened then.