Professional softball player. Whale trainer. English major. Business Major. Psychologist.

These ideas are only some of the, admittedly far-fetched, avenues that I thought my life would go down. Really, how many kids ACTUALLY become whale trainers? I was 9, cut me some slack.

It wasn’t until I became a stay-at-home parent that I found something I was truly passionate about: being a mom. Even then, I knew it wasn’t a forever position. Sure, I’ll always be mommy, but the stay-at-home aspect was where I didn’t have full confidence.

Detour

After my years at home, the time came to head back to work. I was, understandingly, dreading it. I still didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up and I was 30 years old. My classmates had long since graduated and found their calling, yet I didn’t even know what I was interested in. Plus, I would have to follow someone else schedule, and *gasp*, where a bra every day (still considering ditching this rule). Hubby and I had lengthy discussions about my next step and I entertained the thought of applying to “just any job” for sake of being back in the workforce. Desk jobs entering data, assistant teaching, and even random jobs that I had never known existed. What even is an Internal Policy Administrator?

While none of these are bad careers, I just knew that they weren’t right for me. So I spent weeks applying to so many jobs. At least 34 applications later, I happened upon a random posting that caught my eye. It was for a Marketing Assistant at a startup company, which was something I had next to no experience in. I almost decided to continue scrolling, but luckily they had the magic words . . . “willing to train”.

Rerouting

I took the plunge and submitted my resume. Within a few hours, I had a phone interview. Then another one. And the following week, in-person. It all happened very quickly and I suddenly found myself a full-time working mom. Although I have only been with the company for three months, I’ve learned so much about the marketing field and continue to grow my knowledge base everyday. From graphic design to Google Ads, skills that were unknown to me are now an everyday part of my job.

If you had asked me, 20, 10, or even 5 years ago, what I envisioned as my career . . . this would NOT have been the answer.

You Have Arrived

So if you’re looking for a sign that your dream job is headed your way . . . this is it. There is still time for you to decide who you want to be!

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Kimberly Shapiro
Kimberly has been a Southern California girl from day one. At age 22, she tried something new…online dating! This proved a success and she met a nice SoCal guy named Max; they married in 2017, traveled to some of the most amazing parts of the world, tried living in different states, and eventually made their way back to the West Coast. Kimberly spent her (pre-mom) time working in childcare and on finishing her degree. In 2020, Kimberly completed school while being a stay-at-home mom and now holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology. Her and Max currently reside in Newbury Park with their two hilarious, sweet, and full-of-personality babies: Abby (2.5) and Ben (1). Oh, and Bear, their 5 year old dog! She works her part-time side job while spending her days with her little ones and any down time is spent crafting, walking through Target, or re-watching Schitt’s Creek. Weekends are for family and this group of four can be found at the zoo, aquarium, farm, or just spending time with their large and local family.

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