Balancing work and family as you press ahead

espite workplace trends such as flexible hours and an increased focus on results rather than hours spent in the office, many professionals still wonder if having children will derail their careers.

"Work/life resources and support have clearly made a difference for working parents, but they haven't always worked in concert with career advancement," says Jane Bermont, a senior consultant at WFD, a human resources consulting company in Boston.

Career experts and those in the trenches offer some tips on putting together the work/family puzzle -- with the caveat that no one solution is right for everyone.

Leaving the workforce when your children are young may present the most career difficulties.

Because of rapid changes, especially in the high-tech world, people who leave the workforce for a few years will have to keep up with technology, and even then, re-entering the workforce at the same level at which they left off may be a formidable challenge.

Gail Ginder, a leadership and career coach in Healdsburg, Calif., says an individual's priorities should determine whether leaving the workforce is a viable option.

"If what you want is to be able to spend a few years with your children, the question is not `Can I get back in?' but `How do I get back in? How do I prepare myself to be employable in four years?' " Ginder says.

Cutting back on work when your children are young can be a good compromise.

Cindy Pogrund left her first employer when her first child was born because working part-time wasn't an option. For five years she took care of her two children, worked on her MBA, and did consulting work.

"My plan was to keep my resume solid," says Pogrund, who today is group principal at Chicago-based Metamor Technologies. "I felt it was important not to have a hole in my resume. I might not be moving as fast during the years when my kids were little, but I would make sure that I was positioned to move once I was ready to get back in."

No matter where you are on your track, there is no single right time to have children.

Catharine Prezzano had her children before she entered the workforce.

"I was extremely concerned about having someone [else] raise my children early on," says Prezzano, who today is an account executive at MicroStrategy, in New York. "I wanted to be the one that impacted who they were and what their values were."

Although Prezzano doesn't regret her choice, she says it was difficult to land her first job. She spent a lot of time searching and started at a company that wasn't popular with job seekers at the time, but provided the opportunity she needed.

Other women have chosen to establish their careers first. But this option, too, requires some trade-offs.

"It's possible, but it's also more complicated to have children later in life," Bermont says.

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