Andrea recently OnRamped to Lehman Brothers after taking 2 years off to spend with her baby.  Here's her story.

What made you decide to go back?
I had invested a lot in my education and career prior to having
children.  As time went by, and as my son developed from a baby to a
toddler, I had increasing anxiety about having stalled out
professionally.  I had several professional licenses that would expire
after 2 years of being out of the industry.  The thought of taking
those tests over again -- or worse, the thought that not having the
licenses would be an even bigger hurdle to getting hired again -- was
the final motivation that made me focus intensely on the job search.
I also wanted the satisfaction of bringing home a paycheck, and having
professional achievements outside the home.

How did your family and kids react to your desire to re-enter the
workforce?
My husband encouraged me to go back to work for a full year before I
did.  He was very happy that my new job gave him the flexibility to
make choices for his own career that he otherwise would not have had.
He promptly quit his job and started his own business.  My son is
still young (2 years old) and is not exactly thrilled to see me wake
up and leave for work every day.  Before I started working, I sat down
and explained to my son that pretty soon, Mommy and Daddy would both
be going to work every day; he looked a little perplexed then very
clearly expressed his desire to go to work too.  It has been a big
transition for my toddler, especially considering how much time he was
used to spending with me every day.

While you were out were you able to stay current on trends in the
market?
Broadly, yes...specifically, no.  Coming from finance, I was able to
keep in touch with general news by reading the financial newspapers.
For the first 3 months that I wasn't working, I considered updating my
own financial models and listening to publicly available conference
calls in case I returned to a similar job.  That aspiration proved to
be unrealistic over the two years; I realized I had more important
things to do with my free time.

And if so what did you do?
I also picked a few stocks to follow as personal investments, which
was related to my prior work as a research analyst, and very rewarding
when the investments worked out.

How has your idea of a successful career changed since you have left the workplace?
This is a difficult question, because I still have a great deal of
respect for the strides that professional people make in their careers
by virtue of the hours, days and years that are spent at work.  But
ultimately, there are accomplishments in life, outside of work, that
are profoundly rewarding too.  After returning to work with a family
at home, I do place a higher value on efficiency.  Life is too short
for face time.

What advise would you give an OnRamper just starting her
job search?
Try to write a focused description of a job you would like to have.
Employers may not see as clearly as you can what skills from your
prior experience can be leveraged in a new role.  Talk to people who
are in the industry you want to work in to get a sense of what jobs
would work for your background and lifestyle.  Then approach employers
with a very specific job in mind.  You might have multiple "ideal"
jobs, but be sure to know how roles are defined and described at the
firms you are targeting.  If you don't know in advance, then set up
informational interviews to ask people in the business about what they
do, what their colleagues do, and what their qualifications are.

How did you find your current job and did you do much networking?
I did a lot of networking, and only a little of it led to anything.
But it was a very important part of the process.  I started by
thinking of what type of firms I wanted to work for.  Then I called
everyone I knew at those firms, and I mined as many contacts as I
could.  I was especially motivated to research the lay of the land at
Lehman Brothers, given the firm's widely reported efforts to embrace
OnRampers, as well as what I knew about the corporate culture.  I was
lucky to have worked at Lehman Brothers earlier in my career, so I had
a few people to start my networking with. Ultimately, someone whom I
had worked for as a summer intern in 1999 was kind enough to walk my
resume in to the office of exactly the right hiring manager at exactly
the right time.

What were the most significant steps you took which enabled you to get back into the work place?
Living in San Francisco, and targeting firms with head quarters in New
York, I found it very useful to spend a week in New York City, meeting
as many people as I could in person.  One of those meetings turned
into a real interview.  I also found it useful to be in a dialog with
multiple prospective employers at the same time, to better calibrate
what the market was paying for someone with my experience.

How did you use your network?
I was not able to use my closest friends or former colleagues; many of
them knew I was looking for a job, and offered encouragement and
references, but not great leads.  Instead, I called everyone I knew at
the firms that I thought would be good employers.

What was your biggest hurtle in getting back to work?
Transitioning to a new schedule with my family at home.

How did you overcome it?
I've put a lot of effort into finding and training our child care
provider(s).  I discussed with my husband the need for him to step up
to the plate and handle our family's morning routine.  But we are
still working on having things run smoothly (e.g. food in the
refrigerator, meals on the table, clean laundry in the closet, 8 hours
of sleep... those are all important details that we are still working
out).

What did you not anticipate?
That my personal relationships/time with friends outside of work
would be as compromised.  I actually used to do a lot of social
networking with moms on the playground, and I miss seeing a lot of
them more regularly.

Was it worth the effort?
Yes.

Do you have words of advice for other women who are trying to balance their life by going back to work?
I heard another working mom say that knowing her neighbors makes a
huge difference in her life, because they do lend a hand when
unexpected things come up.  I think that being engaged in several
communities, not just work, and not just your home, pays huge
dividends.  It is important to be connected to the people around you.

As for balance, I think that is a bit of a misnomer.  I think there
are tradeoffs to how moms decide to spend their time.  But it is
easier to make those choices once you decide what your own priorities
are.