One thing we hear, pretty frequently, is the idea that someone out of the workforce for many years must be “outdated” in terms of their skills. We hear this from returnees themselves. And we hear it, usually formed as a question, from some recruiters. This is especially true because of how many tech companies we work with, many of whom are focused on hiring engineers. If you haven’t worked in…
Mimi Leinbach had a varied career before her break, working in educational software and running her own children’s clothing company. She returned to work in product management at SAP, and now works there full-time as a Program Manager. She talks about her return-to-work experience and how the soft skills honed in her previous career have come in handy at SAP. Returnship Company: SAP SuccessFactors Returnship Role: Program Manager Tell me…
Returnee Beth Frasco took a 16-year break from her wireless engineering career to support her growing family through several big moves. She talks about her returnship experience in the Act Two program at NBCUniversal, how she prepared for her return to work, and the steps she took to reconnect with her professional self. Returnship role: Senior Business Analyst Partner Company: NBCUniversal What type of work did you do before taking…
Jason took a break from a 15-year career in sales and account management, primarily in medical sales, to give his young son a better sense of stability. When he was ready to return to work, Jason searched for a job for over a year before applying for and being accepted into a sales development returnship at Dynamic Signal. After completing his returnship, Jason was converted into a full-time sales development…
Divya Ambadipudi spent four and a half years as a Software Engineer in India and the US before taking a six-year break to care for her children. After deciding to return to work, she applied and was accepted into several Path Forward returnships and chose to return to work at Nutanix, where she was then hired full-time as a Full Stack Developer. She now works as a Senior Software Engineer…
Nancy Turner Jung worked in business development for Hewlett Packard for almost 20 years before taking a break to spend quality time with and help care for her ailing mother. After five years, she realized that she missed the mental stimulation of her career, and decided to return to work. After spotting a returnship at Quizlet relevant to her skills, she jumped on the opportunity. She talks about her returnship…
Deepthi Parthasarathy took a break from her decade-long career as a software engineer to spend time with her toddler-aged daughter. When her daughter started school, she decided to return to work, but sought to make a career shift from development to product management. After completing a returnship in product management at Walmart Labs, she was hired there full-time as a Product Manager for their retail supply-chain technology team – the…
Hagit Katzenelson worked in product management for a number of start-ups and tech companies before the demands of caring for family and a friend with cancer compelled her to take a career break. When she was ready to return, Hagit job-searched for five years before landing a returnship as Product Manager for Walmart Labs. She tells us about the importance of believing in yourself, her work on app development, and…
Deborah Chin worked in digital and print design for over a decade before taking a break to care for her daughter. What she hoped would be a break of only a year quickly turned into two as she juggled full-time care with efforts to transition into a UX Design career. After being accepted into a UX Design returnship at Walmart Labs, she was hired full-time as a Product Designer, where…
Alicia Schober took an 18-year break from her career in corporate sales and marketing management to raise her sons. After an emotional start to her career search – on her wedding anniversary – she spent a year and a half exploring her interests, preparing for her career return, and searching for opportunities before being accepted into a returnship at Sage Intacct, where she was ultimately hired full-time as a Sales…
