Divorce turns your personal and professional life upside-down. What kind of impact can you expect on your career?
Divorce almost always has a disruptive influence on your professional life. During and after divorce, moms and dads around the world watch as their lives change in ways they did not expect. If you do not have children, you experience similar changes in the structure of your life as you knew it.
For couples without children, the workplace can play a positive role by providing an environment of support and stability. On your own again, you may consider a transfer to a different state, or even country.
Taking your own change in hand, you may think about transitioning to a different role in your company, or consider a different career altogether. At its core, divorce is about dissolving something, not about destruction. Once the dissolution takes place, you may have more time, energy, and financial resources to realign with your own plans and lifetime goals.
These same positives hold true for couples with children, but the intensity and necessity of the change may be more strident. If you have been in the workplace, you may need to ask for flexibility in order to assume chauffeur duty on your parenting time. As well, you may need to ask for more hours to support your household.
There are many ways that a supportive workplace can act as a foundation for life after divorce. Companionship and camaraderie at work can help you get through initial divorce proceedings and help you adjust to your parenting time schedule. Parents in the workplace often act as a sounding board when a child is ill, or there are problems at school.
For a parent who has been out of the workforce, divorce may make the decision for you to begin job hunting. You may be able to structure your household around income from alimony and a part- or full-time job. At present, the economy is as good as it has ever been for finding a job, a factor that works in your favor.
If you have been a stay-at-home parent, make use of your own informal network of friends and associates to suggest and map out types of jobs that would be great for your current situation and your present educational and work experience. Be sure to ask friends to keep you in mind for jobs they might hear about in areas in which you are interested. Sharpen up your resume and check out job boards. The jump back into the workplace during or after a divorce can be dramatic, but of tremendous value to your financial and emotional wellbeing.
For parents who will continue to be at-home caregivers after divorce, your own work is cut out for you. Dreaming your life forward at the same time you are helping a child grow in a healthy and happy way can be the career of a lifetime.
Whatever job you do, divorce and its demands will have an impact. Work, in or out of the home, helps define, shape, and support who we are. Work done in the service of your family or your own future is always meaningful. Wherever you are in the divorce process, remember that disruption can lead to success if handled well.
Skilled Baltimore divorce attorney focused on divorce and family law
The Law Offices of Allyson B. Goldscher, LLC serve individuals and families throughout Baltimore and Baltimore County from our offices in Stevenson. Contact us when you have questions about divorce, custody or other issue. Call 410-602-9522 to schedule an appointment to discuss your questions.
