1 What this course can offer you
Getting back to work after a career break is rather like the popular children’s game Snakes and Ladders (Figure 1): some of the help (ladders) and challenges (snakes) you encounter are predictable but others arrive when you least expect them.
Figure 1 Snakes and ladders
Here are some of the difficulties (‘snakes’) that you might encounter – have you thought about, or come across, any of these?
- no family living nearby to help out
- suitable STEM jobs are all too far away
- my skills are out of date
- I can’t get a nursery place for my child
- my partner works away
- I’ve been out of the country for too long
- I’ve lost contact with all my old colleagues
- I don’t know what’s going on in my industry sector any more
- my CV is outdated and full of gaps.
And what about ‘ladders’? What and who could help you return?
- an old school friend works in a well-known company – I’ll ask her for help
- I’ve seen an advert for an internship on our community website
- I’ve found an online course which will update my skills
- I’ve got loads of voluntary work experience
- I’m excited about going back to work and being a professional again
- I’m ambitious and want to get on with my career again
- I’m still in touch with my old boss
- my friend has offered to pick up the kids twice a week.