Training to be a Mom by Becoming an Engineer

I want to be a stay at home mom.

Yes, believe it or not I am actually working my butt off to obtain a Chemical Engineering degree, and I want to be a mom after graduation. Seem crazy? I stress out about vigorous classes, work in a research lab, learn computer programing, and spend countless hours studying because I want to someday be a mom. Does my aspiration to not work waste my talents and abilities? Not in the least. I may not have much desire to use some of my acquired skills in the work place, BUT I have every intent to use my skills at home.

To those who are now in college, working towards a degree--it is okay to have these aspirations! What I am learning in school now will benefit my kids and spouse in the future, even if I am studying Engineering.

The things I am learning now include:

• Problem Solving
• Time Management
• Formal Emails
• Dealing with Stress
• Never getting a break
• Being Double-Booked
• Setting Priorities
• Balancing Housekeeping with Life
• Finding time for my Husband
• Being apart from my Husband most of the Day
• Cooking Quick, Healthy meals
• Being Creative
• Using Technology
• Applying Logic
• Working as a Team
• etc etc.

See anything that might help me in the future? Ya, me too. I am learning important lessons and skills in college (because of my rigorous program) that will help my future family.

But for some reason I feel like everyone expects the girls in Math-based majors to enter the workforce. Why? Are we any more capable than the girls not pursuing technical fields to perform a job well? Are we any less attractive because we study Quantum Mechanics instead of Shakespeare? No and no. We can fulfill jobs not normally done by girls, sure. We are a minority in our fields, yes. But why the pressure to work?

The underlying point is not that learning how to be a Chemical Engineer helps you be a better mom, it is that I want to be a mom. I want for my kids what I had growing up, someone at home to listen to your school stories and drive you to sports practices. Someone to help you feel better and make you learn responsibility. Someone to take you your lunch when you forget it and help you with school projects. A teacher, an example, and a friend.

This post is not meant to criticize moms who work or girls who want to, but to help those who do not seek to enter the workforce (and yet are fully capable of doing so) to see that that is okay.

Me staying at home does not hurt the economy, it helps the community. I can raise my kids to become responsible and hard-working adults better than a day-care can. Being educated can help me to do that.

I want to be a stay at home mom. It's a hard occupation to fill. But also the most rewarding work I could ever do.

My mom and grandma dropping me off at college.

Me, my mom, and sister freezing in the rain!