It was during a time of rehab in my own life that I wondered, “How do I reenter the job market after an 18-year lapse?” 

I stayed home to raise my children and contributed many volunteer hours to my community but it was time to rebuild a career. My eldest daughter was starting Loyola University Chicago, my twin sons born second and third were entering their sophomore year at two different high schools and on their way to becoming licensed drivers, and my fourth and youngest child was running a successful summer lemonade stand and hadn’t really needed me for a good two years now. 

I started to ferociously network and ask my friends what they appreciated about their daily work. Reflecting on my strengths and the ways I wanted to spend my days started to paint a clear picture:

• I wanted to make sure I was embarking on a career that would be as fulfilling and rewarding as staying home to raise my children had been (in hindsight of course, in the moments it was certainly less than).
• The proverbial saying “idle hands are the devil’s playground” resonated with me. I really did not like to sit down during the day and wanted to stay busy.
• I enjoyed absolutes and math, my educational background was in finance, and my first outcome out of college was a financial consultant with Merrill Lynch. 
• Creative projects have always made my life more interesting. This lured me to pivot my early career from finance to fashion as a project manager for Levi Strauss’ Dockers brand. Additionally, the sense of accomplishment from the arduous work of gardening and less strenuous work of interior design were two of my favorite creative projects.

I channeled my DIY weekend warrior self and arrived on the scary but exciting prospect of house flipping. I fancied my husband and I as the Midwestern version of Chip and Joanna Gaines of HGTV’s Fixer Upper. 

Flipping houses would be a financially risky and brave undertaking since I had little to no experience in construction. I had never shied away from a challenge before, and I knew that, at the very least, anything I learned would be useful in the long term as a homeowner. I was also blessed with twin sons and a youngest daughter who would be very cheap labor. Maybe I could even entice the best grandmother in the entire world to return to the terrible climate she fled for more than her usual three-week visit since she would potentially have her own space nearby! 

My husband was on board for weekend help and a budgeting strategy. He intuitively knew that without his support (and the lifesaver of Youtube) I would eventually become too discouraged, and hire out the work, substantially minimizing any profits. 

An addiction to Zillow revealed our first reno-house victim. We named it “Wilson” after the street (not the volleyball). Wilson was a charming brick cape cod built in the 40s, and boy, did Wilson need a rehab. We tore down walls (the only part my cheap labor crew enjoyed), refinished wood floors, removed layers of linoleum, tiled kitchens, replaced appliances and cupboards, constructed floating shelves, installed new bathrooms (after they had been rough plumbed by an actual plumber), updated old bathrooms, changed out lighting fixtures and outlets, painted walls, hung wallpaper, SHIPLAPPED. 

SO. MUCH. FUN. SO! MUCH! MATH! So very rewarding to see a long day's work covered in blood, sweat, tears, plaster, wood shavings and dust produce something so aesthetically pleasing. 

Although I begged and pleaded, the best grandmother in the world “would love to stay for the summer, but would prefer a ranch.” Wilson sold pre-pandemic and I longed for a second project. I now had a temporary job here on campus in Human Resources, teenagers to hawk and a husband who wasn’t necessarily welcoming the idea of another big undertaking that consumed him every weekend. 

Although it took some convincing, we didn’t get a COVID puppy, we got a COVID kitchen. Expansive big-box hardware stores seemed safe enough to venture into for inspiration even in the frightening virus-covered world. This time, we did the designing and subcontracted the labor (not our children). House flipping took a backseat and renovation became more of a hobby than a career as I stayed on campus to grow a career in “Careers” at Meruelo Family Center for Career Development.

Last year, when I suggested to my eldest daughter that she could buy a house in South Bend for what she was paying for rent in San Francisco, she bit and I got my second whole house project “Emerson.” With Emerson complete, I am going to need to lure another child home for post-grad work. My middle children are staring down college graduation and are in living quarters that would make your eyes water and hair curl. They are going to be a much harder sell, though. My youngest daughter is on her way to college in 2025, making my husband and me empty nesters. At least I can help with her dorm, IF she will let me. She did build her own lemonade stand.

I just bought ranunculus corms (like a bulb with legs) from Holland. I know they are hard to grow and don’t really like our quick changing weather. Returning to gardening will have to hold me over. Luckily, nature perpetually has its own seasonal rehab projects.

Mindy Evans

Associate Director of Career Services, MS Programs