In 2004, Nicki Schroeder walked away from a media law career she loved. Her daughter, born in 2001, had been diagnosed with autism, and the demands of the job couldn't coexist with what her daughter needed. So Schroeder, who had been practicing since 1994, left.
She didn't return to paid work for a decade, as she shared with Business Insider (1).
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When she did, the re-entry was almost absurdly smooth. She spotted a legal role at a media organization advertised with a deadline two hours out. So she scrambled to pull together a résumé and submit it. Four hours later, she had an interview invitation.
"It was funny to see how quickly I snapped back into things," she told Business Insider. "On my first day, someone asked me a question about contempt of court over the phone. It was satisfying to think, 'I know the answer to this (1).'"
Schroeder is now 57 and working as general counsel at a newspaper group. Her career gap, she says, barely registers. "My 10-year break comes up in conversation sometimes, but it's a bit like saying, 'I used to be blonde (1).'"
Her advice to others in similar situations centers around not being apologetic or defensive about taking the break.
"Whether you've been trekking around Australia, bringing up your kids or looking after elderly parents, you will almost certainly have done something during that break that you can talk about with energy and enthusiasm (1)."
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Schroeder is careful to acknowledge her circumstances. Her husband worked in banking and could financially support the family through the break. She stayed professionally engaged — becoming a charity director, completing psychology and English diplomas and serving as chair of the governing body at her daughter's specialist school.
She also kept her professional network intact, leaning on it heavily when she re-entered: contacts helped her prepare for the interview process and assembled a list of key legal precedents from the decade she'd been away.
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