Next week, I go back to work after 11 months away on parental leave. Of course this has been the longest time I’ve been away from work, and has been an excellent break to reset and reassess what I want out of work. I’ve given it as good a go as I can of being the primary carer, and I enjoyed it for probably 9 or 10 months, but the last month has very much been turning my attention back to work and getting that mindset going again, hence the recent focus on trying to get AI stuff up and running. That certainly has me excited to be able to apply it at my work, but one thing that’s clear to me is that I’d like to ensure it is working to my advantage, to maximise my own ability to do my work and not in order to maximise the value to my employer.
It feels almost heretical to be saying that, after so much conditioning that says you’ll get the most reward when you do the thing to max out value for the employer, but having looked after the kids, seeing their growth and developmewnt… I’m really wondering how the capitalist system has survived the way it has.
The rhythmn and flow of my kid’s day is far better than mine has ever been, and the way the school system & kids activities and all those things are set up, it still reflects the idea of a single breadwinner at home and a home maker who looks after the kids and cooking and whatnot. How people made this work before Covid, before work-from-home was a normal part of the conversation, I have no idea - and even more so for the companies which require attendance in office, it boggles my mind. Do the management not have kids? or, like, do they rely on nannies and whatnot? After school care? Yeah, you can throw money around to solve the problem, but it really begs the question of who the money’s for in the first place.
So, yeah, anyway, returning to work it is. See ya’ll next week.