Ilyssa Frey

Ilyssa Frey

Communications Manager, The Meadowbrook School of Weston
5 year career break

"I was in high-tech public relations and marketing before I had my twins in 2002.  I chose to stay home with them until they started full-day kindergarten in 2007 -- which also happened to be around the time I attended a Back on the Career Track presentation at Bentley College.  When the kids started school, I said to my husband, ‘I think I want to go into nonprofit or education,’ and within a couple months I got my feet wet in both sectors.  Also around this time I enrolled in a continuing education class at Massachusetts Bay Community College in Fundamentals of Website Design, as I thought this would be an important skill set to have.

I did some networking and secured contract work at a nonprofit organization down the street from my house – I didn’t want a long commute while my children were little -- while joining the marketing committee of a local Montessori school and doing a lot of volunteering at my children's public elementary school.  The nonprofit job became a two-year, part-time gig; the pro bono work at the Montessori school led to an invitation to join the board of trustees; the volunteer work at the public school led to a School Council position.  This was all over the course of four years.

I found the job of my dreams a few months ago, as communications manager at The Meadowbrook School of Weston.  It offers a good compensation package, a great work environment, and flexible hours even though it is a full-time position.  Why did I get the job?  I think because I really leveraged every ounce of my corporate, nonprofit, and education experience to become the ideal candidate.  This is also a story of ‘right place, right time, right connections’ -- my boss is a woman I worked with on the Montessori school board.

There’s a difference between finding a job and developing a career.  Knowing I didn’t want to go back into high-tech was the impetus for searching for something else that I could commit myself to.  I became laser-focused on getting education experience even though I am not and never was a teacher.  For me, the longer I wasn’t working, the harder I felt it would be to go back… and that was in the back of my mind the whole time.  Now my 10-year-olds see me not just as Mom, but as someone with a job and important work to do (other than raising them, of course).  I’m glad my daughter especially sees me working.”

Background: Marketing, Advertising/PR Industry
Relaunch Connection: iRelaunch Presentation Attendee
Key Job Search Factor: Academic Updating