Two Weeks’ Notice

Written May 2, 2020

Yesterday I put in my Two Weeks’ Notice at my full-time job and accepted a similar part-time position.  Yes, I interviewed and will start a new job during the coronavirus pandemic.   After about a year and a half of looking for a part-time job, it finally worked out during a global health and economic crisis.  Talk about God’s timing not matching my own. 

This all started in November of 2018 when I knew God wanted me to focus more on raising Hannah.  I was on maternity leave and in one of those amazing breaks when Hannah was napping, I felt like God was telling me to not work full time anymore.  I figured I was mistaken because we could not afford that.   Then, I decided to start reading more during Hannah’s nap times while she slept on me.   Of the first couple books I read, one was the Magnolia Story by Joanna and Chip Gaines.  I am a big fan of them and thought it would be a good, light read.   And then I got to the part where Joanna says that God told her to close up her shop to spend time with her kids.  I had to re-read the section a few times because I never would have thought she had slowed down with her career as successful as she is now.   God clearly put that book in my hands and the story really resonated with me.  It was possible to focus on your family, but get back to a career when your child does not need you as much. I started looking exclusively for a part-time job but none of them paid nearly enough to make it worth it.  I started to wonder if maybe I just did not want to go back.  And when nothing else came up, I went back to work full-time when Hannah was exactly 6 months old.

I applied for many jobs over the past year and a half, both full-time and part-time.  I committed to only looking for part-time jobs again after I started my current full time job in September and knew the environment was not a good fit after just one week.  Nothing really came of all the applications. I had a phone interview right before coronavirus, but they said I was overqualified.   After that, I mostly put the search on hold because there were not many jobs hiring.  We were to the point where Andy and I talked about me quitting this summer to spend more time with Hannah, whether I had a part-time job lined up or not.   Well similar to when a woman says she is done dating and soon after meets her husband, soon after I received an email from a recruiter on LinkedIn.   It was for a full-time position so I just shrugged it off and replied that I was looking for a part-time opportunity.   The recruiter asked the managers and they said they would be willing to bring someone on part-time if it was the right person.   I completed a phone interview with her the following Monday, went to an in-person interview on Wednesday, and on Thursday they told me they wanted to hire me and would honor part-time hours with only being in the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays.    The next Monday, I had the official phone offer and yesterday I received my written offer and put in my two week notice.  Within two weeks, I went from giving up on the part-time job search for a while to accepting the job. I did not even have to take a cut in my hourly pay and we were assuming I would have to for any part-time job.

I tell you all those details to say, things will work out in God’s timing and way if you let Him.   I wrote in a previous post how my word for the year was Faith and I have still struggled with it.   I really think God was waiting for me to get to the point where I was ready to quit cold turkey and rely on what he had next.   Even leaving a full-time position for a part-time one in the current economy takes a leap of faith.   I think we often hear how God will work things out if we trust Him, but sometimes people do not mention how God will often present you with opportunities that require you to take a risk based on faith.   And sometimes a decision based on faith will not make sense to others.  

Part-time work is not the best option for every family, but for our family it is the next right thing (like in Frozen II….I’m sure there will be even more Frozen references now that I’ll be home with Hannah more).  One of my first thoughts when Hannah’s daycare closed during the stay at home order was this time will either prove that I should be home more or it will prove that I misunderstood and should not keep looking for part-time opportunities.   Well, it has not been easy, but I have loved the extra time with Hannah.   I feel like I know her so much better than I did before this quarantine and that is even with working full time from home.    It also showed me that if I could find something part-time instead of not working/her not going to daycare at all I should.  She has gotten a little more shy during this time when we pass people on walks and I appreciated the in-person interview last Wednesday to get to socialize with other people for a little bit too.   It is going to be a transition for us, especially during such a different time.   But I am so grateful that things are moving in a direction that means more time for me and Hannah and a better balance for our family as a whole.   I hope all of you are able to see things more clearly during this strange time and that you do not give up on things working out during this pandemic.