The age-old question: career, family, or both?

So granted, I’m only 23 and have just entered the work force, and don’t have kids or anything (ha), but I still find myself struggling with a huge decision that I know is looming in the not-so-distant future:  career, family, or both?

Is this decision a polarized one, or can one find a fulfilling mix of both?  I’m hoping that the latter is true.  Today’s family sees much more equality in gender roles with who takes care of the kiddies, and who goes out and makes the money (thankfully).  But, nevertheless, it’s still a big issue for both parents to take into account.

Note that I definitely don’t knock what anyone else chooses to do – that’s his/her own decision.  This just represents the thoughts I’m wrestling with…

To me, the thought of both parents holding down full-time day jobs, and then going home to young children at night seems quite daunting.  And, do I really want to have children be in daycare all day, while the parents are at work?  Maybe both parents can work part time?  Or, one works part time, the other works full time?  Something like that?

Some anecdotes I’ve heard:

1.  One day, over the summer, I overheard someone at work talking on the phone about his/her children (who were at daycare)…and didn’t know what day they started school!  This person really had no idea.  Do I really want this to be me in x number of years?  Do I want to be so immersed in my career that I have no clue when my kids are going back to school? Hmm…

2.  Another time, just recently, I was chatting with someone at the office who just had a baby 6 months ago.  This person said (and I quote), “Now with the baby, it’s like, it’s 6 o’clock and I have to get going early to get home!”  No joke, this was a serious statement.  If 6 p.m. is leaving early, I don’t want to know what leaving late is…

Okay, so granted, I don’t know the full story about these people or how it is in their homes, but it really makes me question if you can be a workaholic and a parent, and have neither sphere of life suffer.  Also, I know that IBM is really flexible when it comes to the work / home balance, so aren’t people taking advantage of that?

Now, on the opposite end of the spectrum, I (or my soon-to-be-husband) could stay at home with the kids all day.  But then, what do you do when the kids go to school, you have nothing to do with yourself all day, and you have no career to fall back on?

I don’t think I want that, either.

Is it possible to work part-time, so that you can have the best of both?  You still have the job to be self-fulfilled, yet you’re not so pressed for time that you can’t devote yourself to your family.  I know that IBM has job share that means two people can work part time and split the work of a full-time job, and that people can take advantage of working at home.  But would working part-time translate to lack of career devotion to an employer?  Would working at home blur the line between work and family?  Would both parents working constantly hurt my familial relationships, and psychologically mess my kids up and make them become detached or something?  Will they become closer to babysitters and nannies rather than their own parents?

Lots to consider.  But at least I can put off making this difficult decision for a decent number of years yet… 🙂

Corporate Word of the Week:

Byliner (n.)– A non-existent term that is erroneously used when one really means “byline article.”

ex. – We should write a byliner under the executive’s name surrounding the new service we’re offering.

The politics of politics

So I assume that many a blog post is covering yesterday’s election, thus, I’m doing my civic duty and adding another one to the mix, haha. 

Yesterday was the first time that I exercised my right to vote – and honestly, being neither a die-hard Republican nor a die-hard Democrat, I found it to be a difficult decision, given the gravity of the issues at hand (you know the ones – the economy, the war, abortion, etc.).  However, I knew history would be made either way, which was somewhat comforting to me in my decision.  Which just makes me think about the politics of politics…

It really bothers me when people rigidly align themselves with a particular party and then refuse to budge…no matter what.  I’m talking about when people vote Democrat just to vote Democrat, and don’t even consider that a Republican could possibly be a better candidate, and have a better stance on the issues.  And vice versa.  I’m also talking about when the hardcore Republicans who are crazy about their party dislike the Democrats for being hardcore and crazy about their party.  And vice versa.  Are the parties even intended to stand for opposite ideals?  I should think not.  And newsflash:  we’ve had good presidents and bad presidents from either side.  And, it is truly both parties that have made America what it is.  I should remind a few hardcore Democrats I’m friends with that a Republican, Abraham Lincoln, ended slavery.  And I should remind a few hardcore Republicans that a Democrat, John F. Kennedy, helped put a man on the moon.  You get the point.

And what the heck is with the stereotyping?  I’ve had a number of people assume that, because I have a religion, I must be a conservative Republican.  Others think that because I’m a young north-easterner, that I must be a liberal Democrat.

Ummm why?

Honestly, I’m neither party.  I’m usually indifferent to both sides until a candidate convinces me – through their dedication to the issues that matter in America, and through their morals, hard work, and values – that I should consider voting for them.  That being said, it would be nice if people didn’t put me into a box…

We should theoretically just do a blind election – no parties, just people.  Maybe then there wouldn’t be so much separation, and so much assumption.  Maybe then, we could focus on issues, and not red or blue.

But, at any rate…congrats to Obama!  I’m glad we’ve made history.

Corporate Political Word of the Week:

Democratical (adj.) – A non-existent word uttered by some guy on NBC.  Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think he meant “Democratic?”

ex. – New England often votes Democratical.