To Work or Not to Work

I've had a lot to think about lately.

After quitting my full-time, outside the home job that I had for ten years (which I really liked, by the way) in July, I originally planned to stay at home for at least a year. I got severance for six months (I quit because the job moved an hour away) so I had some financial flexibility.

Before I left, I got a call from a co-worker. His wife, the CEO of a local nonprofit firm, was looking for some strategic finance help for about five hours a week. It wasn't the perfect job for me, because it involved a lot of accounting (which I have no background in - I'm more of a strategic finance professional) and the pay was much less than I had been making. But it was a good opportunity to keep my resume current and earn some extra money.

Up until the end of 2008, this was working out really well. But it became very obvious that there needs were growing beyond the amount of time I was able to give. It was never five hours per week, averaging about twelve instead, and my to do list was growing and growing.

So, I decided to leave. After all, I'd only taken this job because it was a small amount of hours and wouldn't interfere much with my stay at home plans. But now, as I look at our budget, I look longingly at my final severance check. It's so much money to give up, isn't it? And, now, with the economy in a tailspin, will I be able to go back, when I'm ready?

My friend Kate sent me this link to the Career Diva's latest post - "Are Stay at Home Moms Regretting Their Choices?". It includes opinions from different moms, and I must say that all of this gives me a lot to think about.

So, are you regretting your choices? I'm not, at least not yet.