As the years go by, priorities change. It almost feels like yesterday when I joined the organisation back in 2000 as a temporary secretary, a part-time role I took because it worked well with the needs of my young family. Both living and working in Glenfield made for a great work-life balance.
I knew I wanted to progress my career once my children were older but had no idea just how supportive the county council would be of me and my aspirations and so it’s no surprise that I’m still here almost 25 years later.
My family has always come first for me but they’re also my biggest supporters. They encouraged me to take on two widely recognised project management qualifications (Prince 2 and Prince 2 Agile), which I was able to do free of charge. I even went one step further by completing a level 4 apprenticeship at the age of 51 – you’re never too old to try something new!
Fitting training and career development around family life was made possible by great agile and hybrid working options at the council. I love being in the office and sharing ideas with colleagues but also appreciate the convenience of working from home.
My biggest challenge of all came in 2017, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. At first, I worried that my career might be over after all my hard work but I could not have been more wrong. My line manager was incredibly understanding and when I did return to work, the council’s wellbeing team offered me amazing support and comfort.
At 58, I’m not quite ready to stop working just yet but with great phased retirement options available at the council, I’m looking forward to working part-time again with the next few years – which is a real full-circle moment.
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