Today, I paused mid-scroll when I saw my dear friend’s post. There it was, painted beautifully on her wall: “You are exactly where you are supposed to be.”
Really? Am I?
As we step into this new year, my social media feed is flooded with everyone’s “year in review” posts. Promotions celebrated. Dream homes purchased. Business milestones reached. Travel adventures conquered. “Best year yet!” they declare, with carefully curated photo carousels showing all their wins.
And here I am, still in job hunt mode.
Let me take you back to where my story began. Nine years I spent at a major US bank – four years as a customer service specialist, then five more with the mortgage team. It was steady, it was secure, it was… safe. But on June 2024, I walked away from it all. Not for a bigger paycheck or a fancier title, but for something my heart craved more deeply: to be a hands-on mother.
You see, I wanted to give my children what I never had growing up – a mother who was truly present, nurturing with intention, leading with her heart first. Noble? Maybe. But to me, it felt like the most natural calling in the world. I chose to be a wife. I chose to be the mother I needed when I was growing up.
Life, however, had other plans. My first freelance opportunity came in April 2025, a glimmer of hope that I could balance motherhood with meaningful work. Then December 20, 2025 happened five days before Christmas, ten days before the new year – I was laid off.
So while others are posting their “2025 wrapped” with pride, my year feels like it’s wrapped in uncertainty. Ten months of job hunting before I found that freelance role. Eight months of working. And now, here I am again, starting 2025 the same way I spent much of 2025 – searching, applying, hoping.
Now here I am again, in “job hunt mode,” and let me tell you something the motivational quotes don’t mention: working from home job searching isn’t the blessing everyone makes it out to be.
“But you’re home! You don’t need to pay for transportation!” “You can apply anytime!” “At least you’re comfortable in your pajamas!”
The well-meaning comments keep coming. But really? It’s not that simple. There’s the isolation of sitting alone while rejection emails pile up. The guilt of feeling unproductive while your partner works. The constant comparison to those New Year posts showing everyone else’s success. The questioning if leaving that stable job was the biggest mistake you ever made.
How can you complain when you’re just at home, right?
So when I see that quote – “You are exactly where you’re supposed to be” – part of me wants to laugh. Is this some cosmic joke? Is this really where I’m supposed to be while everyone else seems to be thriving?
But maybe, just maybe, there’s truth hidden in the struggle. Maybe being here, in this uncertain space at the start of a new year, is teaching me something I couldn’t learn in the comfort of a steady paycheck or in the highlight reels of social media.
To every mother reading this who’s also in “job hunt mode” as we begin this new year – you are not alone in this journey. I see you applying to countless positions at 2 AM while your family sleeps. I see you scrolling through everyone’s achievements wondering when it will be your turn. I see you questioning your worth after another “we’ve decided to move forward with other candidates” email. I see you fighting the whisper that says you made the wrong choice by prioritizing motherhood.
Here’s what I’m learning to tell myself on the hardest days: Start each morning by writing down three things you’re grateful for, even if it’s simply having coffee while it’s still hot. Celebrate the small wins – that interview callback, that networking connection, that moment when you helped your child with homework without rushing. Remember that your previous experience didn’t disappear when you chose family; it evolved into something richer. Most importantly, give yourself the same grace you’d offer your dearest friend.
Your timeline doesn’t need to match anyone else’s highlight reel. Your journey is yours alone.
Tools That Can Help Your Job Hunt Journey
As we navigate this challenging season, I’ve discovered a few tools that have genuinely made a difference in my search. If you’re considering building your own professional presence online, Hostinger offers reliable web hosting that won’t break the budget – perfect for creating that portfolio website or personal brand you’ve been putting off. For those of us who need to track our job application progress and social media efforts, Metricool has been invaluable for organizing and scheduling content across platforms.
These aren’t magic solutions, but they’ve helped streamline some of the overwhelming aspects of job hunting in today’s digital world.
Maybe we’re exactly where we’re supposed to be – not because it’s easy, but because it’s shaping us into the mothers and women we’re meant to become. Maybe our “2025 wrapped” will tell a different story. Or maybe the story we’re living right now, in the messy middle, is just as valuable as any highlight reel.
I’d love to hear your story too. Are you navigating the job search while mothering as we start this new year? What keeps you going when everyone else’s posts seem to highlight your struggles? Share your experience in the comments below or send us an email – let’s be each other’s encouragement and reminder that we’re stronger together than we ever are alone.
