A woman, a mother, and Head of R&D

Some of you may read the title of this article and guess whats it's going to be about. You are right — it's about my journey as a woman in the Hi-Tech industry, as I developed as a mother and as an engineer to the point that I am today.

Maybe I’ll begin at the end — I’m 32 years old, married, and mother of 3 (energetic) boys, the youngest is 1.3 years old, and about a year ago I was promoted to head of R&D in my firm. Coming back from my maternity leave to this stressful role was quite challenging.

When I gave birth to my first son, I was sure that there was nothing more important in life than being with him, and every second that was not spent by his side went to waste. This was rather radical, and I went through a period in which I thought about changing my whole career path. Leaving the demanding engineering field, and doing something else that will let me be at home more was my prime goal. Fortunately, at that time, I couldn't leave my job.

It took me a lot of time, and I was so sad every day leaving my baby in the care of others. But slowly, I came to the understanding that children grow and that they won’t need me as close to them as they needed me as babies and toddlers. I found the balance that suits me and my family, and now (most of the time) I don’t feel guilty about prioritizing my career.

So, let's go back to being a manager in the Hi-Tech industry, being responsible to a group of about 40 programmers and engineers, while still breastfeeding and not sleeping at night. What’s my secret? well, I’m well married. My husband is a true partner. Second — I pick up my children a few times a week from school\kindergarten\day care, and I stop working for 4 hours while they are awake. Most of the nights I continue my work after they go to sleep. third — I outsourced everything related to household chores.

My point is that you can have it all — being a loving and caring parent while having a successful career.