Honoring Return to Work Dads
As we head into Father's Day weekend, let’s honor four of our return to work dads who share their stories proudly and from whose experiences we can all learn and benefit.
One of our goals at iRelaunch is to trumpet success stories - to give so many examples of people returning to work after a career break that it becomes viewed as a normal and unremarkable career path.
So, as we head into Father's Day weekend, let’s honor four of our return
to work dads who share their stories proudly and from whose experiences
we can all learn and benefit.
Relauncher Dave Carty left his job as an international business development executive for Best Foods (now part of Unilever) to stay home with his three children for 13 years. He relaunched his career in 2014 in a strategy role at a K-12 school.
I remember vividly Dave’s accounting of the interview process: "When I interviewed with an employer who I could tell was uncomfortable with my time as a stay-at-home dad, I knew that was not the right place for me to return to work. I kept interviewing until I was speaking with employers who really got who I was."
Relauncher Roger Johnson's wife recently recounted his relaunch journey in her Harvard Business Review article, "What It’s Like When a Stay-at-Home Dad Goes Back to Work."
Roger was not only the relatively rare return to work dad, but he pulled off the highly improbable feat of returning to tenure-track academia after seven years out of the workforce.
Sami Kafala is a nuclear physicist who took a five year hiatus to care for his five children. His relaunch came courtesy of the UK Daphne Jackson Foundation which awards fellowships to returning scientific researchers who have taken career breaks.
And Dave Hubbard returned to the same job he left (also a rare occurrence), as Director of Government Contracts for a tech government contractor after five years caring for his child.
Thank you Dave, Dave, Sami and Roger for leading the way and proudly demonstrating how at-home dads relaunch careers. Happy Father's Day!
Don't relaunch alone!
Join our growing relauncher communities on Facebook and LinkedIn. For more great guidance on your relaunch and updates on when return to work programs are accepting applications, events for relaunchers and more, be sure to sign up for our Return to Work Report and follow us on social media to stay informed!
