Changes for the Durneys: I got a Job!

I have done a lot of soul searching in the past year. Maybe that is inevitable when you undergo so many life changes at once. New baby, international move, change of careers (from GC to SAHM). I have spent a lot of time thinking about what is important in life, what the purpose of a job is (other than the obvious) and what is needed to be happy. In case you can't tell from this blog, this has been an incredible year, completely exceptional. Above everything else, I will always be so thankful for the circumstances that allowed me to stay home for a year with Jude, in Amsterdam! Still, I thought often about working, taking time to myself, letting go of Jude (just a little) and how to accomplish all of this. I thought often about how fortunate I was to not miss a moment of Jude's first 16 months, but still had twinges of envy when I heard of friends getting new jobs, getting promotions and having their work recognized. I thought a lot. A lot a lot.

This spring, I decided that I would like to go back to work in the fall. Part time seemed like the best compromise between wanting to be with Jude, but also wanting to accomplish things for myself and help provide for our family. I applied to jobs at Pete's school that I was overqualified for and underwhelmed about, but hopeful just the same that it would work out for the above reasons. I didn't even get an interview. I got excited about a possibility of doing genetic research for a rare disease organization and was disappointed to find out they weren't hiring. I applied to a remote genetic counseling position and even after follow through, never heard anything. I was discouraged, but we were about to spend the entire summer traveling to Italy, the US and Croatia. Thankful to have an entire summer free, I put all job searching on hold.

While in NYC, I met up with my graduate school friend, Heather who shared that she had been working as a part time consultant for a NY-based genetic testing start up company, calling patients to review test results and family histories. Realizing that this could be a good fit for me based on my previous consultant experience, Heather emailed the manager to see if they were hiring any more part time remote genetic counselors. I had a good chat with the manager, who herself took time off with her first son and was offered the job while we were still in the states! Hooray! The time difference was my biggest concern, but we talked through the possible hours I could work to get up to my goal of 20 per week. I had training this past week and will call my first patients on Sunday! I will be working from home, which has pluses and minuses. I won't have a new, local social network, but I can wear what I want and don't have to commute anywhere! Valuable timesavers with a toddler in tow!

For those interested, I am working for a company called Recombine. They offer a genetic carrier screening test to couples would like to become pregnant or are already pregnant. A regular OB office will test a pregnant woman for around 3 genetic conditions depending on her ethnicity. Recombine's CarrierMap tests for 253 (and counting) conditions! As most people are found to be carriers for something, they also offer free genetic counseling to anyone who orders the test so that they can be informed about the implications of the results. I am passionate about carrier screening and the potential to spare parents the anguish of an untreatable illness in their children. I counseled too many of these families with beautiful children with heartbreaking conditions. Click the link if you want to check it out. I am excited!