• HOME
  • BLOG
  • ABOUT
  • SERVICES
  • CONTACT

Audrey JoAnn | Content and Copy Writer

Compelling Copy for Female Founders

WHY I QUIT MY “DREAM JOB” AT A MAGAZINE TO BECOME A FULL-TIME NANNY

September 14, 2017

When I learned in the spring of 2016 that John got into Vanderbilt’s business graduate program, I was ecstatic and terrified. I worked at a job I wasn’t crazy for at Dallas’ city magazine, where, ironically, I had dreamed of working for a couple years before snagging my position. Before that job, I had worked two others, one at a PR company and one at a startup, both in creative-ish roles that looked fantastic on paper but fell flat as soon as I sat down at my desk in front of a computer for eight hours a day. Turns out, I don’t enjoy sitting in front of a computer for eight hours a day.

After discovering I wasn’t happy or totally fulfilled at either of those first two jobs, going on to the third made me feel like that millennial. The “three jobs in one-and-a-half years after graduating” millennial. Yep, I was job-hopping with the best (worst?) of my peers. My first week at job number three, where I was navigating dozens of Excel spreadsheets and learning how to manage online voting systems for Best Doctors and Best Lawyers awards, left me feeling a bit trapped. I hated it — but how could I leave another job AGAIN? I would not only feel like that millennial; I knew I would be one, no question. And who the heck hires that millennial?

So, I stayed for a year and a half, until the news of John’s school admittance came. Hallelujah. Counting the weeks until our move, I knew I didn’t want to be staring at the clock until 5 o’clock at another desk, doing work that made my eyes bloodshot and my mind feel mushy by the end of the day. Freelance, I thought, is the way to go.

I ended up getting a remote copy editing job for Nashville’s local magazine, which I still have and adore. But that one check pays, oh, maybe a third of my bills. I emailed other publications, applied for freelance roles I found on LinkedIn and Indeed, and, on a whim, signed up for care.com, thinking I could at least babysit or nanny in the interim between moving and finding more writing work.

A couple weeks before moving, I was starting to get nervous. I was literally sitting on my closet floor praying every morning (don’t judge — I can’t focus with my crazy dog barking and throwing toys at me, so closet prayers it was) that I would find something that was fulfilling and that paid enough to live on. I hadn’t heard anything promising from the companies I’d contacted about freelancing when I got a message from a woman needing a nanny for her five-month-old.

I thought, Why not? I definitely wasn’t turning down any offers, so we got on the phone and instantly clicked. I was set to start the Monday after our move — yay! A job! — but, still, in the back corner of my mind, I felt insecure. What would people think about the girl who had three jobs in less than two years, who went to a private university to get a journalism degree, who was moving with a guy (separate insecurity to dive into another day) to a new city to work as a nanny?

I felt unconfident and even pathetic about this narrative that was becoming my life. But then we moved, and I started this new job as a nanny that I felt so unsure about. Out of the now four jobs I’ve had since getting out of school, this one is resoundingly my favorite. It isn’t what I imagined doing two years ago or while I was sitting in journalism lectures at TCU, but that’s how life goes sometimes, isn’t it?

The family I work for knows I freelance on the side and encourages that. Before I was even officially hired, they were telling me to use their WiFi to work while the baby napped and to let them know if I needed time off to take a meeting or interview for a story. The freedom that working in childcare has allowed me professionally, personally, and financially is mind blowing, and I never would’ve known that if I’d listened to the inhibitions I created around the title of “nanny” and turned down this family.

Not only have I done more professional writing (and editing) in the year that I’ve been a nanny than I did in the two years at creative/editorial jobs after college, but I also adore the family I work for, which obviously makes life a lot more enjoyable. All those mornings where I woke up and prayed for a job that was fulfilling actually came to fruition, just in a way I never really considered. Like, for example, I get outside every day! I didn’t think that was something I needed until I got it. We go on walks, hang out at the park, and pick up coffee (for me) and smoothies (for him) at the place down the street. No longer are the days of sore backs and apathetic attitudes from sitting on my behind for hours on end.

All this to say: I know the uncertainty and anxiety that comes with planning for a career that excites you. Maybe you got into one field that you went to school to pursue and ended up dreading going to work every day. Or maybe you stumbled into a job that felt right for a while but no longer pushes and motivates you. I am not one of those people who thinks you should put your head down and stick it out — sometimes, yes, that’s necessary if it’s a season of transition or trial. But, if you’re consistently unhappy with the role you’re in, life is way, way, way too short. Change it. Learn from my time that I spent feeling stuck in a job and then feeling self-conscious about taking a job I was “over-qualified” for. (Not true, by the way. Nannying might be more flexible and easygoing in many ways — like, hello wearing yoga pants every day — but it certainly has its challenges. Especially with a baby entering toddler-hood.)

Now my only regret, if you want to call it that, is that I didn’t find a job setup like the one I have now, earlier. If I’d started nannying (or doing some other unconventional post-grad job) while freelancing right out of college, maybe I’d have enough clients to freelance full-time by now. At the very least, I might have saved myself some pretty low lows and allowed myself to reach for a potential I’m proud of much earlier, instead of feeling quite hopeless and confined to a career chugging away behind a computer, clawing myself up to the next tier of the corporate world.

Of course, not everyone will relate to my experience. (Especially if you’re in love with your job! Which is awesome, by the way. Keep doing what you’re doing.) But if you’re feeling unsatisfied in any area of your life, let me encourage you to shift a few things. First, try shifting your mindset. Sometimes, that’s the most powerful and possible shift someone can make; I understand everyone can’t leave their jobs, hightail it to a new city, and find a great family to work for. So, tell yourself the good things about where you’re at. On many days at my previous jobs, that was the only thing that got me though them.

And then, if or when you can, make the big change. Do the scary thing, the unorthodox thing, or the unexpected thing that even you don’t know how it will turn out. Do it, because I can promise that even if it isn’t perfect (and it won’t be), the result will be a learning curve, at worst, or the imperative step to becoming who you were truly meant to be and where you were truly meant to be, at best. And ain’t nothing wrong with either of those outcomes.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

6 Comments in Life

« THE BEST HANGOVER
M.I.A. NO MORE »

RELATED POSTS

  • I TURNED DOWN 3 AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES IN 1 DAY + IT WAS THE BEST MOVE EVER
  • THE ONE THING MISSING FROM MY FREELANCE BUSINESS
  • DEALING WITH CRITICAL FEEDBACK GRACEFULLY
  • Hello

Comments

  1. Julie Brown says

    September 14, 2017 at 10:05 am

    Love that you are in your zone! And, oh, what an amazing family you work with!! So blessed, both ways!

    Reply
    • audrey swanson says

      September 20, 2017 at 7:56 am

      Thank you, I love them! I feel super fortunate 🙂

      Reply
  2. Hannah says

    September 14, 2017 at 10:07 am

    I love this, I nanny too! I always knew I wanted to work with kids but I also love to travel…… so getting a job where I am at a school was tough for me because the only vacation time I would have was during the peak travel months! The struggle I am having now is concidering it a “big girl” job. In my mind being 25 means you have to have this set job that will be with you for life! I am working on counting my blessings and realizing being a nanny is a important job. I loved this blog entry for so many reasons! ❤️

    Reply
    • audrey swanson says

      September 20, 2017 at 7:58 am

      Wow, I didn’t know that! I totally understand where you’re coming from. It is hard to feel like nannying compares to friends who are becoming lawyers or who have worked at the same office for the last few years… but you are a blessing for the family you work for AND it allows you the freedom you crave and need! Super glad we have this in common. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Albert E Erickson says

    September 14, 2017 at 6:04 pm

    Hi AJ,
    Thank you ? for sharing your innermost thoughts and expressing them with such clarity and feeling!
    Grandma and I have followed your journey these 24 years and are so proud of the person you have become and still becoming!
    Love ❤️ you!
    Grandpa

    Reply
    • audrey swanson says

      September 20, 2017 at 7:59 am

      Love you and thank you so much for your encouragement, Grampa!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Welcome! I'm Audrey, and I adore connecting with female founders and telling their stories in a way that matters & lasts for years to come.

Search

Download my free guide! (Click below!)

Let’s keep in touch!

Catch me on social!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

audskelton

Who do you think was more excited about this day t Who do you think was more excited about this day trip out to the coast... us or Wallace? 😅😂 I love them. Also, I can’t get over the burp cloth on John’s shoulder. Ya know, just in case. #newparentlife
One hour, just us two in our backyard with a big c One hour, just us two in our backyard with a big charcuterie board, a deck of cards, a couple glasses of rosé, and no baby monitor. 🤎

The first week of Wallace’s life? I ached even being in another room from him (#hormones). I was a wreck of emotions and had legitimate baby tunnel vision... preeeetty much nothing else mattered. But things have been balancing out this past week, and today was so needed.

My mom is in town all month and watched Wally for us so we could have some time just us two—yep, in the backyard because of shelter in place restrictions from COVID. (Plus let’s be real... I’m not quite ready for an out-of-the-house date yet anyway. 😂)

As much as I desire to be a present + loving mama and ambitious business owner, it’s just as important to me to prioritize our marriage with little moments like this to just be in each other’s presence (and not just talk about burping and swaddling and bedtime routines, like most of our recent convos).

Here’s to (almost) 2 weeks of being parents, @the_beermonger. I think we’ll do okay.
My two favorite guys in the world. 🤍🌎 My two favorite guys in the world. 🤍🌎
Me, trying to figure out what to do with my hands Me, trying to figure out what to do with my hands without a bump. 👐🏼 Wallace, trying to figure out what we’re doing out of the house. 🤨

First family walk in the books! All of 10 minutes. 🤪 (Also, does anyone else notice the rainbow over Wally?... My heart. 🌈🥺)
1 week old. 🤎 The hardest, most emotional & mos 1 week old. 🤎 The hardest, most emotional & most rewarding week of my life. Babies’ sleep schedules, y’all. They are not for the faint of heart.

Wallace is hitting all his milestones, has learned the alphabet, and is picking up Latin. Just kidding. But he CAN poop 3 times in an hour and a half 😎, and he eats like a champ, is so strong that we prefer to tag team diaper changes for now, and makes the sweetest, cutest noises all day long. (And night.) Like even his cry is cute. 😩

One of my friends called this time the “wet weeks”: urine, breast milk, spit up, night sweats, tears, blood, more tears. It’s a lot, and it’s temporary. So even in the hard moments, we are reminding ourselves that the hardest things are often the best things. 

And this really has been the best thing.

So, so thankful for a hands-on husband who’s been so involved in everything... there’s something indescribable about watching your partner care for your child and step into a big, new role like this so gracefully. And we are thankful for ALL of the support, near and far (... mostly far), from our family and friends and coworkers. What a week... here’s to continuing to figure it all out together as a family. 😌
At 5 a.m. my water broke and at 3:44 p.m. our worl At 5 a.m. my water broke and at 3:44 p.m. our worlds and hearts were changed forever. Everything in between was a gritty, fast-moving tidal wave of emotion, pain, instinct, and a kind of love I never could’ve imagined.

Welcome, Wallace Ronal Skelton. 🤎 You kept us waiting until you decided, very quickly, you’d like to be here. I’m still in disbelief that you are ours. 

January 4, 2021 • 7 lbs 4 oz • 20.5 inches • Sweet as can be.
Well, this baby friend doesn’t exactly have our Well, this baby friend doesn’t exactly have our sense of punctuality which realllly threw me for a loop after thinking & saying for months that I was certain he/she would get here early. I’ve drank 3 boxes of raspberry leaf tea in 3 weeks, walked dozens of miles, eaten way too many dates, done hundreds of squats and bench step-ups... and now I’m surrendering. You come whenever you feel like it, little one. I’m comfy enough and can still sleep through the night (minus a bathroom break or two) so we will just keep on waiting and letting you teach us our first lesson of parenthood: PATIENCE. I knew I could always use some more of it. 😉 #40weekspregnant #pregnancy
scenes from our blissful, muddy, much-needed morni scenes from our blissful, muddy, much-needed morning hike. ☀️🍂 in a year that’s felt like 5, getting outside whenever we can has been my favorite way to reset. so thankful to live in such gorgeous surroundings!
our first and probably only christmas just us thre our first and probably only christmas just us three! quiet and simple and a little sad but mostly filled with hope and gratitude. hope yours is special in all the best ways. 🤍
Load More... Follow @audswan on Instagram
THEME BY ECLAIR DESIGNS
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.