My thoughts on participating in the Ready GO! Waku-Waku Juku. Part 1

Good evening. Thank you for your hard work today.
It has been quite a long time since my last note post.
To those who are new here and those who are returning, have you been doing well?
Thanks to everyone, my son has already turned one, and my life of maternity and childcare leave (which is actually just being unemployed) has lasted over a year and a half... The sense of impatience grows day by day. The cold season accelerates the feeling of isolation from society..
I don't know what I should do, but I want to do something!
There was a perfect program that answered my wish! And it's free! Thank you, Tokyo Shigoto Center!!

What is Ready GO! Waku-Waku Juku?

Tokyo Shigoto Center’sWomen's Work Support Terrace is a career support program for women.

That's what it says, ma'am! (Who am I talking to?)
By the way, the eligibility requirements are:
・Not currently working full-time (20 hours or more per week)
・Currently raising a child
・Not currently on childcare leave
・Have never taken the Waku-Waku Juku course before
You must meet all of the above. I applied at the end of August, had a quick phone interview shortly after (about why I wanted to participate, what I hope to achieve, whether I need childcare, etc.), and was finally accepted in early November. I applied for the Shibuya venue, and since every venue has had more applicants than spots, I didn't get my hopes up too high, but I'm lucky I was able to participate this time.

Content of the first session

The program consists of 12 sessions in total. This first session was a simple orientation and self-introductions for the participants. Before attending, I thought it would be light since it was only 2 hours, but it actually turned out to be an incredibly dense time. The talk by the director during the orientation was particularly impressive. She talked about how women's career development shouldn't be like a serious mountain climb, but rather like trekking, where you can enjoy detours and accidents along the way. It was an eye-opener, or rather, it made so much sense that I really appreciated it.
For the self-introductions, we split into groups of 3-4 people and took turns introducing ourselves for 1 minute each. Then we moved seats and repeated that 4 times.
It's been a long time since I've spoken in front of people, and even though it was only 1 minute, after doing it 4 times, I was pretty out of breath by the end. It reminded me of a matchmaking party I went to years ago. But here, the people listening weren't men, but kind housewives. I was saved by the fact that women have such great communication skills.

Future programs and how my son is doing

The program has 12 sessions in total. Those who wish can also receive career counseling and workplace experience, so I definitely want to try various things and write about them on my note, but it depends on my physical strength and my son's health, so we'll see... The first session was only 2 hours, but I was exhausted and worn out after returning from my first outing in a while. There are many moms around me who have been working since their babies were about six months old, and they are all truly amazing.
However, my son didn't cry at all at the daycare during the first session. He was so absorbed in playing with all the new toys that he didn't even notice me for a while when I went to pick him up. I had assumed he would be crying his eyes out after being left with strangers for a long time for the first time, so I was a bit let down, but I was also relieved by my child's unexpected resilience.

I want to do my best without overdoing it (though I'm secretly aiming for perfect attendance).
Keep it up, me.

Thank you for reading this far. I've been slacking off lately because I've gotten bored, but I'm posting childcare comics on Instagram, so please take a look if you'd like.

Click here for other articles on Neeton.'s note ↓

↑ There are also past job hunting articles. Recommended ones are here ↓