So You're a New Parent. Should You Change Your Job?

Welcoming a child to the family is one of the most exciting times in a person’s life. Whether your new little one is biological, adopted, or fostered, those first few weeks with them are precious — and taking parental leave makes it possible to have important nesting time to adjust together.

But in between all the feeding, cleaning, and naps, there’s plenty of room to think. If these moments find you feeling anxious about returning to work and wondering what to do about it, you’re not alone. Many new parents see their job in a new light after entering this stage of life.

Here’s how to tell if switching careers is right for you after becoming a parent and where to start.

Your life is changing. That’s a good thing.

Parenthood dramatically transforms every facet of your life. How much sleep you get, what and when you eat, where you go in a day — it all revolves around your child’s needs. And before you know it, you can’t remember living any other way. Your new lifestyle has become the norm.

A necessary part of this important process is the letting go of habits, commitments, and relationships that don’t align with your new priorities. Since the average worker spends 34.4 hours each week working, it’s only natural that your job is one of those obligations up for review.

So how do you know switching careers is right for you? 

Ultimately, many factors and family conversations should go into the decision, but the following three clues can help you see things a little clearer.

The good news is, careers do exist that are more supportive for you as a working parent. These jobs offer the flexibility, autonomy, and remote work environment you need to be successful at work, as well as the robust benefits and competitive pay your family needs to thrive.

Modern work and parenting: the data

Frankly, it’s tough being a working parent today. Not only has childcare (a major barrier for working families) increased in cost, the last few years of high inflation have seen prices increase 23% on average for goods and services — making it even harder to afford the necessities of life.

So no surprise, 56% of working parents report difficulty balancing work and family. For some moms, for example, the answer is to leave the workforce altogether: 24% exit the labor market in their first year of motherhood. Meanwhile, low-income families are more likely to reduce work to care for young children (vs. high-income families, who are more likely to pay more for care).

Why tech is the industry for parents

The same TripleTen survey found that 74% of parents would switch careers to spend more time with their kids. Of all the industries named that they’d switch to, tech was number one. Why? Because it offers the flexibility, compensation, and professional growth parents need to thrive.

Parents who have switched to tech are enthusiastic about it

Almost all (97%) of tech companies offer some sort of work location flexibility, whether hybrid or remote. Plus, the industry boasts an average salary of $119,818 across roles — while most companies offer benefits like health insurance in addition to that compensation. Last, but not least, tech is a dynamic, fast-evolving field full of opportunities to stretch and grow as a worker.

Can you make the switch and parent?

The short answer is, yes! Even time-constrained, you can absolutely start reskilling for a new career. It will take a bit of creativity, good time management, and realistic expectations on how fast you can progress, but it’s possible with the right educational path_{How to Break into Tech: The Guaranteed Way}.

We know because we help people at all stages of life reskill and achieve their goals every day with our professional bootcamps. A majority (87%) of our students come from non-STEM backgrounds, which our Employer Survey shows is not a problem. In fact, 79% of employers are comfortable hiring candidates without traditional backgrounds like college degrees.

Bootcamps make a lot of sense for new parents because they’re self-contained, designed by experts to fit around commitments, and help students master the fundamentals and successfully pass technical interviews. At TripleTen, 87% of our graduates land jobs within six months of finishing their program and increase their annual income by more than $27,000.

So how much of a commitment is a bootcamp like TripleTen? You’ll need to spend roughly 20 hours each week on your program, and up to ten months to complete it, depending on which career track you choose.

But don’t worry if you don’t have all the answers right now. That’s what being a working parent is about! Instead, give yourself a break and familiarize yourself with your options. It also helps to hear from parents who have been in your shoes, like TripleTen graduate Pinwei Wu_{A New Country, A New Career, A New Calling: Pinwei Wu’s TripleTen Story}.

Pinwei’s story: Reskilling at home with two kids during a pandemic

Over a decade ago, Pinwei was working in industrial engineering. Then, two things happened that changed her life. She became a mother and her family moved to the US. But after seven years of being a stay-at-home mom, she decided she was ready to get back to work.

Pinwei had been exploring software engineering courses for some time when she saw an ad for TripleTen. She’d just enrolled when the pandemic started, which meant her two school-age kids were at home. Instead of separating time spent with family and studying, she combined the two.

There were some challenges because I needed to manage my time and multitask to take care of [my kids], but it all turned out well. I think I set a good example because they saw me learning and studying very hard. Pinwei Wu, TripleTen grad

It only took a few months after graduating for Pinwei to land her first developer job, building local job search platforms at a startup called Workbay. The company’s mission is to help job seekers find training and improve their resumes, so Pinwei feels like she’s giving back to people like her.

Discover more in our report

We wanted to better understand the realities of modern work and parenting, so we talked to 2,000 parents and collected our findings in Being There: Choosing Tech to Balance Parenthood and Work. This report offers important insights for any parent considering a switch to tech!

Explore it today to see things like how much time parents dedicate to childcare (and why kids don't think it’s enough), whether the perception of tech as a great industry for parents matches the reality, and how to find your own path to becoming a parent who doesn’t miss out.