I have _____ college degree and WOH or SAH...

[AnnieW625]

I have a BA degree, and work, always have. I would love to stay at home for some time while my kids are still young, but I haven't had the chance yet and honestly even before we had kids the conversation never came up, and now that I spend a lot if time here I wish it had because I feel like I miss so much by not being a SAHM.

poll coming

[georgiegirl]

I have a Ph.D. and a J.D. and I'm a SAHM.

I worked one year (when DD was 2.5-3 and I was pregnant with DS) as a clerk for our state supreme court, and life was pretty hectic. DH and I decided it would be best for our family for me to SAH. (before i worked, he was adamant about me having a high oowered career, but he quickly changed his tune within a month of my job starting.). Any job that was family-friendly (like being a law clerk) didn't pay enough to make it worth it. DH's job is very inflexible, and barring an absolute emergency, he cannot take off. The only time in almost 7 years he has taken off work (unexpectedly) was when I was hospitalized with pneumonia. DD was 3.5 and DS was 3 months old, and we had no family in town.

[mom2khj]

I have a BA degree, and work, always have. I would love to stay at home for some time while my kids are still young, but I haven't had the chance yet and honestly even before we had kids the conversation never came up, and now that I spend a lot if time here I wish it had because I feel like I miss so much by not being a SAHM.

poll coming

I could've written your post exactly.

[theriviera]

I have a bba and an MBA. I'm a part time wahm.

[KrisM]

I have a master's in engineering. I worked 8 years before kids. I have stayed home almost 9 years now. No plans to go back to work.

[Indianamom2]

I have a B.S. in music ed. I worked briefly, but honestly never loved it. I felt a strong desire to be a SAHM. Turns out my firstborn DD has a lot of ongoing issues and it has truly become a very full-time job just being her mom and helping her navigate school and her anxiety and the problems that brings. I honestly don't think we would have been able to help her with various therapies/appts. if Dh and I were both working. It's hard enough with my full attention.

I never thought I wanted to be a SAHM. I always intended to work and thought that I'd be bored out of my mind at home. But then I suddenly lost all desire in what I'd always wanted to do (teach). I sort of think God knew that He was giving me DD and that she would need all of me and my time....so he allowed that desire to work outside the home to die. I can honestly say that an outside job would sometimes be easier...

[123LuckyMom]

I have two Masters degrees, and I'm a SAHM.

[lizzywednesday]

I work and I've worked full-time since March 2001; I am still with the company that hired me. I have sporadically looked for work elsewhere, but haven't fallen in love with other positions yet. (At present, I need to tweak my resume, actually.)

I have a BA in English Lit from an accredited 4-year University that I earned in 4 years. It's not a "certificate," it is a diploma, so I answered "other" regarding my schooling.

When considering my options prior to DD's arrival, I toyed with the idea of being a SAHM, but then really got frustrated with the prospect of not controlling my own income, which I have done since starting work in college. DH says we could make it work, but I don't think he meant in NJ.

At one point, I considered going to law school, but the team that hired me worked on our law school textbook line and those authors were enough to dissuade me from pursuing either a JD or LLM degree in my "free" time. Now, with a glut of lawyers in the market, I'm rather glad I didn't go to law school, totally aside from the fact that I would only have been going because I was "bored" not because I had any real commitment to the study & practice of law.

I've toyed with the idea of returning to school for one reason or another, but haven't figured out whether the payoff would lead to increased earnings or security of position anywhere.

While I do actually like working, I also admit to being frustrated sometimes with being a working mama because a lot of the things I'd like to take DD to do seem to be geared to SAH parents, so I make do with what I CAN do instead.

[Pennylane]

I have an associates, quit 2 classes before I received my Bachelors. I worked until I had children, but haven't worked in the last 11 yrs ( other than a small part time job). Once my dc are much older I wouldn't mind getting some type of job. Maybe just in retail or something low key.

Ann

[MSWR0319]

I have an MBA. I worked 4 years until I had DS. I NEVER wanted to be a SAHM, but when we had DS I couldn't bear to take him to a babysitters. Turns out it was probably for the best, as he's a bit high needs and has some food allergies and severe dog allergies that probably would have caused problems before we figured out what was going on. I'd love to work a part time job once both kids are in school, but don't know what it would be because I'd want summers off too.

[Melaine]

Bachelor's Degree in Communications and I SAH.

[crl]

I have a law degree. I practiced for about eight years. I have been a SAHM since we adopted my first. I had intended to go back part time but despite assurance to the contrary in advance, my employer wasn't willing to allow me to work less than 36 hours per week. So I decided to stay at home instead.

I would like to go back to work at some point but dh works insane hours and the amount of money I would earn, if I were even able to find work at this point, would likely not even be enough to cover taxes, child care, etc. Maybe when my youngest is school age.

Catherine

[westwoodmom04]

I have a law degree and worked for 10 years in two large law firms in major east coast cities. I stopped working when I was pregnant with dd because we moved cross country for dh's medical training. I went back to work when dd was 4 and ds 2 working for the federal government. After close to three years, I quit because I had an absolutely ridiculous commute. I plan to look for p/t or work at home work in the fall when ds goes to school f/t. I do not see myself working f/t for the foreseeable future; my husband's job is too unpredictable in terms of hours and demanding. I need to be the flexible parent for our kids as well as cover all work done to the house, doctor's appointments, sick kids, car repairs, bills and taxes, etc . . In my view, that itself is a f/t job.

[larig]

B.A.(Lib A&S), M.Ed (instructional technology), taught 10 years (h.s. math), teaching certificate in 5-12 math & social studies, ABD on PhD in learning sciences in education. SAHM. (I checked PhD, because the only thing I've yet to do is defend my dissertation, but I decided I was not going to do it when I decided to go back to teaching h.s. math in a few years).

[AnnieW625]

....I have a BA in English Lit from an accredited 4-year University that I earned in 4 years. It's not a "certificate," it is a diploma, so I answered "other" regarding my schooling.

......While I do actually like working, I also admit to being frustrated sometimes with being a working mama because a lot of the things I'd like to take DD to do seem to be geared to SAH parents, so I make do with what I CAN do instead.

I had a line for bachelor's degree.

I feel the same as you. I just don't get how in my area which I believe has a similar COL as your area how there are so many activities geared towards stay at home parents of the under 5 set. Finding a good daycare for infants under the age is really hard as well. I remember when I was looking for DD1 I thought my city was stuck in 1955 in that regard.

[baymom]

I have a Master's degree and am a SAHM. I worked up until the day DS was born and did try working PT from home after he was born but didn't like it and stopped soon thereafter. Now, DD is in 1st grade and I'm looking for a part time job. I have no desire to work full time in the near future. DH works crazy, not always predictable hours and travels for work. I feel like working full time for me would just be too much for all of us, at this point in our lives.

In my close circle of friends and the moms at DC's school often joke that we are a bunch of over qualified school volunteers. Most of us have graduate degrees from elite universities and left great jobs to be SAHMs. I never thought I'd want to be a SAHM for so long, but things really do change when you have kids.

[brittone2]

I did a 5 year combined bachelor's and master's program. I have a bachelor's in health sciences and a master's in PT. THat's how my program was set up; everyone got the same undergraduate degree prior to completing the master's, as our coursework was very set from freshman year onward.

I ended up SAH before I even got pg. I was going through IF, and was working in early intervention. I had RE appts several days per week 45 min to an hour from home, and that involved early morning US, bloodwork, and lots of waiting. Everyone wants the earliest appts (typically 7 or 7:30 am) and as a result you can't always have them. Since I was on the road (going house to house in EI), my clients were sometimes 1 hour in the totally opposite direction. I could have pressed for FMLA time, but it all just became overwhelming to juggle. Add in that with IF, you often dont' know in advance what days you'll be in the clinic. YOu may be scheduled to come in Monday, then they decide they need to see you on Wednesday, and then on Wednesday you find out you must be in the following morning. Planning in advance can be very difficult. At the time my boss was not fond of employees returning part time.

Flexibility is there in my profession, but in EI (which was what I loved) it can sometimes be difficult to say I'm only going to work on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, as there are IEP meetings, staff meetings, etc. and IME, work ends up creeping into the other days of the week. As a result, I would have needed to have backup childcare for other days and so forth. Had I had family who would have watched my child/ren, I might have considered it more seriously.

DH travels for work about 10-15%. It tends to be concentrated in two seasons of the year. We don't have family available to babysit (MIL is an hour away and watches our nephews FT). Juggling childcare would have been strenuous at times.

[wencit]

BS in Electrical Engineering and worked for almost 10 years before quitting to become a SAHM with DS1. I actually did WOH FT for 6 months after he was born, but despised it. The commute was long and terrible, and my employer's hours were not family-friendly at all.

I have no plans to go back to the engineering world (not that I even can, since it's been so long), but may do something when DS2 goes to school full-time. I'm still trying to figure out the next stage of my life.

[cono0507]

Doctorate degree. I work 6-8 twelve hr days/mo and I love my work/life balance.

[niccig]

BA and Graduate Diploma in Library Science - both done in Australia. My Graduate Diploma is equivalent to a MS in Library Science. I worked as a librarian until DS was born. I stopped working due to long commute, DH's crazy work hours and wanting a career change. The deal with DH was to use those years to work out what I wanted to do, so I did classes through university extension, and explored my options.

DS is in grade 2 and I'm now a full time student in Masters of Communication Disorders to be a SLP. I work part-time for the library where I worked full-time. I do project work from home. I have a set of IT skills librarians don't usually have and do the IT work that the IT department doesn't have time to do. I'm lucky to have this arrangement as it's flexible and pays enough to cover my tuition and after-care for DS so I can go to classes.

When I become a SLP, I'm not sure where I'll be working. It will also depend on DH's work and if I need to have benefits, need to earn more or need to have more flexibility for DS. DH is looking to change his work then, so it's up in the air what I'll be doing, but I'll definitely be working.

I put "other" on the poll as only work part-time but also full-time student.

[wendibird22]

I have an M.Ed. I work full time 11mos.

[sarahsthreads]

I have a master's degree.

I used to work in that field (computer science).

I quit when DD1 was born.

I became a small business owner a few years later, but with partners so I work very, very part time in that business (yarn shop - nothing to do with computers).

I also have somehow fallen into being paid to play piano! (Which I originally had wanted to go to school for, but was talked into being more practical.)

So I never have any idea how to answer the SAHM/WOHM question, because I stay home with my kids primarily, but I also have a business and work as an accompanist - and neither thing has anything to do with what I went to school for, a lifetime ago. :shrug:

Sarah :)

[ett]

I have an MS degree. I worked for 5 years before quitting when DS1 was a year old. I have no plans to go back to full time engineering.

[smilequeen]

I have a DDS, I am a SAHM.

[PunkyBoo]

i have a masters degree. I stayed home for over 8 years and have returned to work, been back at my career for a year now.

[hillview]

I have a BA and work (always have). I would make a poor SAHM. I work from home 70% and travel 30%. I am shocked at how many advanced degrees there are here. I have no regrets about not getting an advanced degree financially (I have folks with MBAs, PhDs and Masters working for me); that said some day I might like to go back to learn more stuff

[scrooks]

I have a bs in engineering. I work part time (I didn't see an option for that) 2 days a week (in my field). I have worked part time since DD was born. I am thinking I will be sah for the next year or so after ds2 is born. I'm not sure how this will go yet... I really hate to give up my part time gig but I think logistically I have to. It's very scary ... I'm about 75% sure my job will be there if I want to come back to it after a year but there is no guarantee. It's kinda like my security blanket!

[JElaineB]

I have a bachelor's degree and a Ph.D. I work full-time outside the home.

[Kindra178]

JD. I worked full time until I had the twins. I took a year off and then returned part time to a very flexible (very hard to find) legal job. DH works crazy unpredictable hours. He is almost never home for bedtime. I am pretty sure that I would still be full time or close to it if I didn't have surprise twins (three kids in 26 months).

[WatchingThemGrow]

I have an M.Ed and SAH.

[vludmilla]

I have a PhD and a separate Master's degree. I am a WOHM but I have a very flexible job with summers and school vacations off. I feel like it is almost the best of both worlds.

[elliput]

After 20 years in the workforce, I decided to start a second career as a SAHM. Actually, it just made sense for us financially, and with DD's autism, I knew I needed more flexibility than WOH would offer. Also, I am a senior year college drop-out. :)

[speo]

I have an MS and I am a SAHM. I worked for 6 years in between.

I was originally going to get a PhD and I had every intention of becoming a prof. A PhD in my field at my school would have taken 8-9 years. After being in grad school for awhile, I really thought about everything and decided that I wanted to be a sahm for my kids when they were little. That is how I ended up with a masters. I enjoyed working and I enjoy being a sahm. I anticipate going back to work in the next several years. I might switch fields ... I am still not sure.

[Gena]

I have a BS and currently work FT.

I went back to work after DS was born. Then I was a stay at home Mom from the time DS was 18 months until just after he started Kindergarten. I hadn't planned to go back to work at that time, but DH lost his job. DH was a SAHD for a year and half. Now we both work FT.

DS is currently in 3rd grade. In a little over 2 years DS will be in middle school and will age out of after-school care. Due to his special needs, he will not be able to be home alone after school. I don't know what we will do at that point. I'm hoping that I'll be able to drop down to PT work, but my current company won't allow that, so it will mean finding a different job.

[DietCokeLover]

I have a Master's Degree. I work in my own private practice 2 days per week. I SAHM the rest.

[swissair81]

I have a BSN and I'm SAHM/in school. I'm going to need to work when I finish my MSN, so I'm trying to pick a field within nursing that works for me. I have not been working, because I cannot do floor work when I am pregnant and it's not conducive to nursing either.

[Pear]

I have 2 bachelor's and a master's. I primarily SAH, but I do some work for my old firm from time to time. It is a nice balance, being home with Dd, but keeping my professional contacts and skills.

[lizzywednesday]

I had a line for bachelor's degree.

And I need to re-read things before I respond like a snot. Sorry, Annie!!


I feel the same as you. I just don't get how in my area which I believe has a similar COL as your area how there are so many activities geared towards stay at home parents of the under 5 set. Finding a good daycare for infants under the age is really hard as well. I remember when I was looking for DD1 I thought my city was stuck in 1955 in that regard.

I haven't even tried to find infant daycare (if we have a 2nd child I will) though I love the staff in the infant room at the center where DD goes and wouldn't have a problem sending a future DC there unless the staff changed significantly.

Yes, we're in a similar COL area, I think, despite being on opposite coasts.

I think the other thing that colors my POV about WAH/WOH vs. SAH in my case is ... I am 35 and have been with my company for 12 years. This means I do earn a decent salary, plus I maintain the family benefits (vision, medical, & dental insurance, plus prescription coverage) and actually have some money left over for fun things, like a new storybook or whatever, after I parcel out savings, household stuff, and groceries.

I make almost double what a 22-year-old new-hire might make, plus I am fully vested in my pension & 401(k) funds, have a lot of seniority and experience, and a lot of flexibility to alter my schedule when/if I need to do so.

[Melbel]

BSBA (Finance) and JD. I practiced law for 12 years. I successfully negotiated a PT salary at my big law firm, but in reality, I was still working close to FT with a substantial pay cut. About 6 or so years ago, DH started working at a big/international law firm with higher demands as well. I was having medical problems (back pain) at the time as well, and opted to start staying home (DS was 7 and DD1 was 5). I have been s SAHM the entire time DD2 has been around.

Having done both SAHM and WOHM, I can see the pros/cons of either arrangement. Considering our family's health issues, it is the only feasible option right now.

[marymoo86]

MBA and another Masters - WOH F/T right now

I expect to remain so after DD#2 is born but hope to telecommute 2-3 days instead of 1 now. I already have my "virtual office" setup so hopefully it will be an easy negotiation.

[LMPC]

I have a PhD and took 15 months off when DD was born. Since then I have been working two days a week with the plan to increase my hours as she goes to school (she'll be in kindy in about 15 months).

[BabyBearsMom]

I have a BA and a CPA. I WOH FT. Always have and always will

[bisous]

I got my MA in History in order to teach at a local community college. I knew the dean personally and he recommended the institution and I think he would have helped me. (Not saying in anyway that it was a done deal.) Then half way through my MA program, my then two year old developed type 1 diabetes. I just felt like that was the end of my aspirations for jr college teaching. Now that DS1 is older, I no longer feel like that is a closed door. Of course my friend the dean is retired, community college teaching is harder to crack into than ever and I'm not even sure that is "my dream" anymore. Oh and DC #4 is not born yet.

I think I have several years of still really focusing on SAH but would eventually like to return to something fulfilling that can also help the family budget. I don't know what that is anymore.

[iaam]

I have a PhD in Biochemistry but made the switch to business right after graduate school. First I did management consulting for 4 (very gruelling)years and now I am in marketing at a big pharma. I have always worked and can't imagine not doing so. I love my kids and love being their Mom, but I went crazy even when I stayed home for maternity leave (4 months the first time and 3 the second). It's a constant struggle, especially because DH has an even more demanding career, but we make it work.

My parents are both physicians and my Mom always worked too. I think that I learned a lot from her experience.

[Snow mom]

I have a BA, a MS, and a PhD. I'm going to SAH for at least the next year. No idea if I'll go back to work and if so doing what.

[daniele_ut]

I have a BA in Theatre and Psychology and an MFA in Theatre Lighting Design. I worked in my field for about 15 years before I quit my job to be a SAHM when DS was born 16 months ago. I do freelance work for my old employer a few times a month and for 3-4 weeks every summer when DH is off for the summer. We are still adjusting to the loss of income and the increase in healthcare costs that came with dh's crappy health insurance but I am hoping we can make this work long term. I feel that my children need me at home more now as they get older than ever before.

[mommyp]

I have a PhD and I WOH part time (3 days/week).
Teaching gives us the flexibility that we need and I really enjoy it!

[twotimesblue]

Bachelor's degree and used to have a pretty high-profile career in the entertainment industry. Since DS1 arrived I've been a P/T WAHM - I do not miss the stress, long hours and competitiveness of my former job and have no desire to return to full time employment right now. I have to keep working P/T as we need the income, but my hours are very flexible and I enjoy being at home with my little dudes far more than any 'perks' I used to get through work!

[TxCat]

I have an M.D. and WOTH FT - always have, and probably always will.

I think I would enjoy being a SAHM, but it's nowhere close to feasible for us. I have loans to pay off AND I'm the breadwinner in the household, so I definitely need to keep working. Fortunately DH has a more flexible job so that helps.

[ilfaith]

I have a BS in Communications. I worked for 10 years in my field before relocating to Florida for DH's career. After that I worked in "jobs" (part time retail and part time as an office/marketing manager for a small business) until DS1 was born.

DH travels about 40% of the time, so for me to return to work, it would need to be something that would afford a good deal of flexibility. I can't see myself returning to my old field, but I haven't figured out what I want to be "when I grow up." I keep busy with my boys' activities and volunteering, but even though my husband can support us comfortably, I do miss having my own income.

[maiaann]

I have a bachelor's degree & stay at home. DH has his masters & is the breadwinner. Having one spouse who is a SAHM or SAHD is very common here & all the SAH parents I know are college educated.

[ourbabygirl]

BA in Spanish & Secondary Ed.; MA in Education. I taught for 7 years before having DD, and have been a full time SAHM for about 4.5 years now. I didn't want to be a SAHM when I was in college (or even grad school), but a few years after I got married and started considering starting a family, I thought it would be nice to have the option of staying at home with them (at least while they're little). I'm really lucky that DH makes a salary that allows me to be able to stay home.
I'd like to go back to teaching, in some capacity, once my youngest is in 1st grade, but I'd like to go back teaching much younger kids (like preschool age), so I'll need to go back to school and get relicensed and such. Since that will require money for school and probably childcare, my plan is on hold for a while until I can figure out when to start and how to save up the money for it. :)

[zag95]

I have a BA, and MEd. I worked FT when DD1 was little- then 3 yrs ago, went p/t because she had speech 2 x per week. I do tutoring and occasionally sub. Now that DD2 is here- I do my work schedule around my kids' schedules. In another yr or 2, will probably look at re-education and seeing what my options are.

[nfowife]

I have a BS and was an elementary school teacher for 6 years prior to having DD1. Since I was about 3 months pregnant with her I've been home (we moved at that time and it didn't make sense for me to get another teaching job in our new town with the school year/due date timing, plus it was only a temp. move). I have a good 3 years until DD2 is ready for kindergarten and at that time I will see where we are financially. Ideally I would like to go back to school for a master's in a related field that will enable me to not be in the classroom but still be involved with children and education in some way on a part-time basis. I will be looking to go back to school in 2015 or 2016 when we have settled somewhere with the hopes of staying put. Up until now (and for the next 2 years, we are about to move this summer) DH has been military and we've moved every 2 years or so. Hopefully in 2015 we will be settling down in a more permanent living situation.

I don't really miss much about working, though there are plenty of days I wish I wasn't a SAHM! :)

[Globetrotter]

Masters and now 100% SAHM, though I worked from home PT for a long time after having dd - when I look back at it, I am so glad I did this but have no idea how I managed when the kids were little and dh was working 24/7. DH's job demands and regular work travel make it very difficult for me to go back. Well, let me put it this way.. it doesn't make financial or logistical sense for me to WOH and fortunately we can afford for me to SAH and still have great savings, etc… I know we are fortunate and I am thankful for that, but I strongly feel that my SAH/WAH allowed dh to get where he is now, so in that sense we are BOTH responsible for it. AFter toying with the idea of going back (last year), I have decided to volunteer in my field instead so I can get the emotional satisfaction without dealing with the logistical issues.

[BayGirl2]

I have an MBA and work full time. When DS was born I was still doing traditional consulting, including the travel. A few months later I moved to more of an Advisory role where I work remotely with clients most of the time. So now I work from home 80% of the time, travel 4-6 times a year, and visit local clients. This position was a step up and I'm up for another promotion this year.

I never seriously considered not working at any point in my life and i still don't think I ever would be a SAHM. It's just not where my strengths lie, there are others more equipped to educate my children full time. But I still consider myself a good mom. We do a pretty good job of balancing things. Longer term DH has considered transitioning to independent PT consulting so he can be home when the kids are elementary age. He also does not want to be home all day with toddlers but is an amazing dad and would probably be good at home with older kids.

DH has a college degree and has a professional job but growth opportunities are somewhat limited. He feels my career has more long term potential and we've invested more into it, so I'm more likely to be the primary breadwinner if we had to choose.

[jenmcadams]

I have a BA in Biology & Math (smal liberal arts college), worked in strategy consulting for 3 years, got an MBA from a top school, worked in tech marketing (more in strategy & business development with a strong emphasis on analytics) for 3 years and have basically been home for the last 10 years. I occasionally will do a consulting project and I help my DH with his businesses, but I love being home. I volunteer in the kids schools pretty extensively and also in the community. My DD is starting private middle school this Fall and I may end up ramping up the consulting once we get her settled at her new school and get everyone in the routine. Sometimes I miss the intellectual stimulation of work, but I feel like have great friends (some work, some don't), a great family situation and I'm generally content :)