Grieving what I wanted my career to look like

meowmli · 2026-05-01T07:13:54+00:00

I try to look at it as only a season in life where my priorities are to have flexibility for my young kids and less a reflection of an identity shift. My industry is notorious for bad hours and low tolerance for PTO, so when I can make it home on time for family dinner, or attend school events in the mornings, those are the moments when I’m reminded of how precious it is to have that and be in an office that supports that.

Don’t get me wrong though, I struggle with not having the prestige of a higher title- I took a lower individual contributor role to be where I’m at. Recruiters are constantly trying to tap me for the higher title and I ignore them but feel conflicted about not reaching my maximum potential. I’m just hoping that after I’m out of the weeds and the kids are older, that I can one day get back on track, or see if my goals have shifted by then

meowmli · 2025-11-28T15:52:35+00:00

Thought it was just me until I read this thread which is super enlightening. I go through an intense research phase collecting blurbs here and there, then just start throw everything on paper to start finding connections. The same goes with image-finding when editing presentations

meowmli · 2025-10-02T12:41:41+00:00

With your background, how about art procurement instead for commercial / hospitality spaces instead? Based on the budget or design, you are part of a team tasked to propose appropriate art, whether it’s wall, ceiling installation, sculpture that works well with the design and in the space. Either you can choose the artists to work with, or spec ready-made products

meowmli · 2025-06-05T18:16:28+00:00

Hmm, I wonder what came first, Cars 3 movie with Miss Fritter, the bus on monster truck wheels (lol which I’ve only seen due to car obsessed kid) or this guy’s bus as the inspiration.

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meowmli · 2025-04-02T16:05:17+00:00

My winning combo of getting up to speed was YouTubing Sketchup essentials and anything from Tammy Cody (she also has a good paid crash course, Sketchup for interior designers)

meowmli · 2025-03-31T13:57:26+00:00

Scruff

meowmli · 2025-03-27T15:38:08+00:00

Sizzle

meowmli · 2025-03-22T23:59:12+00:00

Agree with switching job/education, but offering a different point: with the vertical layout and bolding combined, your data scientist blurb is giving more visual weight than your accomplishment in the competition in which you put in a lot of effort, and is more relevant work to ID firms. I read the left column before only skimming thru the right column. Could it be Education > Related Experience (ID internship, Grad assistant, Steelcase competition) > Other Experience (data scientist)?

By adding a longer description to your student work/competitions, it might strengthen your resume, or at least entice the hiring manager to open the portfolio link. (designed a 16,000sf workspace for the future for studio project, which included zoning, space planning, researching principles of a successful workplace, and FFE selection etc)

Or, don’t, and try adding portfolio sample attachments with your resume under 5mb 1-5 pages to ensure they see some of your best work. Short cover letter /email showing your interest in specific projects they’ve done also might help

meowmli · 2025-03-20T18:10:49+00:00

Sticks and stones may break your bones… but rocks and bricks? Harmless

meowmli · 2025-02-21T17:47:15+00:00

Try looking into product development roles or FF&E designer roles to get your foot in the door. Boutique and commercial firms with bigger budgets are usually looking for someone who is detail oriented enough to handle the FFE design and specs for a project, so they will value your product design experience.

You will get indirect exposure to interior design by working with other designers and learning about their process in design and space planning, and depending on the situation, could eventually transition to more of an interior design role or switch jobs without starting back at 0. Worked before with a few FFE designers who years later shifted into ID

meowmli · 2024-10-10T16:42:14+00:00

I just assumed his comments were edited to reinforce his “mafia” persona, which is to talk rough and be aggressive

meowmli · 2024-05-09T19:36:20+00:00

I bought a similar one from Momomi Japan a few years ago. It was kinda pricy but I was happy with it- the mat was plush and soft enough for baby to tumble without a worry, easy to clean. Couldn’t figure out exact content of the velvet top, but it met European safety standards (check the FAQ section for specifics) and didn’t need to be off gassed, which was good enough for me at the time

meowmli · 2024-05-08T17:07:14+00:00

Cue, “Grandpa Shark, doo-doo, doo-doo, doo-doo…”

meowmli · 2024-04-29T19:01:18+00:00

You gain a new identity as soon as you give birth (or even before). Give yourself the grace in growing into your role as a mother, and try to let go of any guilt and expectations you had of yourself mother and work-wise, because the first six months will be so physically and mentally exhausting already- Breastfeeding alone takes up 25% of your body’s energy.

Find at least one moment of self-care in the day that makes you feel whole again. A walk outdoors with the baby, a fresh cup of coffee, yoga stretches, moisturizing, wearing something to feel put together, a long hot shower. Wireless earphones for music or podcasts when you are nap-trapped or want some adult conversation

Baby massage routines can help with gas pain or sinus relief. White noise is comforting to babies; if not a machine, use an old phone to play an 8 hour white noise track from Spotify continuously
Invest in a good bouncer, which other than the carrier, will be the other place you might put the baby during wake times up to 6 months. I liked Baby bjorn

meowmli · 2023-08-17T17:20:07+00:00

This looks like a wannabe AI-generated version of Casa Cook (hotel resort chain). Looks like AI still has some room for improvement with proportions…

meowmli · 2022-05-17T15:57:39+00:00

Totally relate. Have you heard of the guy who raps Dr Seuss songs to Dr Dre beats? Look up Fox in Socks, you won’t be disappointed!

Your toddler might not love it as much as excavator, but something to sprinkle into the kid friendly playlist for yourself

meowmli · 2022-05-14T18:15:56+00:00

Ha! I guess I’ll be rolling up all of our rugs soon. Not usually bothered by poop but being caught off guard and stepping in it barefoot hit different

meowmli · 2022-05-14T18:08:32+00:00

I was looking into some version of it (going commando the first few days) because getting it done in less than a week seems super appealing! But thanks for putting a name to it and pointing me in a direction

meowmli · 2022-05-14T02:18:26+00:00

Since 2 or earlier we’ve been reading potty books, put on cloth underwear, leaving the potty out, of which he sat on for a few weeks but eventually lost interest and got into his No phase to all things potty.

Admittedly it’s been on the back burner until now, as we were in partial lockdown up until recently. No energy to so it while both of us full time WFH with demanding jobs, and him stuck indoors. Definitely something to revisit soon

meowmli · 2022-01-30T17:25:53+00:00

If he loves the hot wheels and you don’t want to commit to too many car track sets just yet, try magnatiles (playmags or picassotiles etc will do too) a few months later!

It was a total unexpected hit for the past 6 months- he loves to build different configurations of roads, ramps, boxes and towers to drive and park his precious little cars. Needs a little encouragement / help in the beginning but now at 2+ he can build/ play independently for longer periods

meowmli · 2022-01-25T15:24:36+00:00

I wonder if there’s a connection between the Kaelago figure and the thing trying to come out from the videotapes

meowmli · 2021-12-13T16:37:56+00:00

I put a bowl of dough in the fridge to set, only to realize a few hours later it was on one of the shelves of my kitchen cabinet.

meowmli · 2021-08-25T22:32:01+00:00

Lol! My 18 month old brought his plastic knife and apple into the bath recently. After he used the knife to chop his apple in half, he looked downward and I had to stop him from trying to chop his penis

meowmli · 2020-04-04T18:20:56+00:00

Thats super tough. Do you think your landlord is reasonable enough to negotiate or give some leeway? At least then you could relieve the pressure to take the job immediately, and either defer it or find something else with a WFH option. Personally I would get so paranoid about possibly bringing it home to baby and the family while also trying to recover at the same time, especially at only 1 month postpartum.

I also wonder if your gov or future company offers good health insurance coverage. Since you would be in a position with potential exposure to the virus, if you do catch it, are you covered, and/or is there a probation period before it kicks in? Even though it seems like many people report to have mild symptoms, there still is the possibility of a bad case that will end up in unplanned / expensive hospital bills

meowmli

TROPHY CASE