Notes

Demographic information

• Originally from Utah; currently lives in Woodridge, Illinois (near Chicago)
• Age: 51 years old
• Currently has 3 children: ages 18, 15, 12
• Moved to Chicago 16 years ago
• Was a stay-at-home parent for 12 years
• Working as a pharmacist now

Interviewer Observations

• Amy is easygoing and open about her experience. She was happy to help and understood the premise of the interview.
• Background: Worked as a pharmacist before becoming a stay-at-home parent
• Throughout the interview was very open about her struggles, challenges, and experiences
• Became more serious while talking about her journey to becoming a stay-at-home parent
• Major factor behind becoming a stay-at-home mom was moving to a different city because her support system (her mother) wasn’t there; also she needed a new license for the state of Illinois, so it was easier to focus on being a stay-at-home parent
• Major factors behind decision to return to work was that her youngest was old enough to go to school and does not need to be home all the time; she also cited boredom kind of as a joke and extra income more seriously.
• Other factors she considered when thinking about her career: time commitments and flexibility in relation to her family
• Started with substitute teaching, but was initially unsure if she wanted to take the time to study and take the test for a pharmaceutical license in Illinois.
• Was very open, honest, and straightforward about her reason for ultimately going back into pharmaceutical field - because it’s a higher paying job and she already had the degree
• Brightened up whenever she talked about her family, friends and support system
  • Husband encouraging her to return to pharmacy because of her educational background
• Part-time work - Was given the option of full-time but chose part time for flexibility