Latest / The Comeback Career Podcast with Fexingo: Returning After a Gap, Stay-at-Home Re-Entry / How One Parent Returned as a Project Scheduler After a Career Gap
Transcript
- Lucas: So a few weeks back I was talking to a project manager at a commercial construction firm here in Denver — mid-sized outfit, does a lot of tenant build-outs and medical office renovations. Luna: Nice. And what came out of that conversation? Lucas: She mentioned that one of her best hires in the last two years was a woman named Elena Torres, who had been out of the workforce for six years raising her kids. She came in as a project scheduler — no new degree, no fancy certification, just a background as a project coordinator before her gap. Luna: Okay, I love that. Because project scheduling is one of those roles that sounds very technical, but it's actually deeply about organization and communication. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the angle I want to drill into today — how a career gap, especially one spent managing a household and kids, can actually be reframed as a strength for certain roles. Project scheduler is a perfect lens because it's a job that's been formalized in the last decade, and a lot of people don't even know it exists. Luna: So walk me through Elena's story. What was her background before the gap? Lucas: She graduated with a degree in construction management about fifteen years ago. Worked for a general contractor as a project coordinator for about five years. Then she had her first child, then a second, and she and her husband decided she'd step back. She was out from 2015 to 2021. Luna: And when she decided to go back, what did she find? Lucas: She told me she initially looked at project coordinator roles — the same title she'd left. But the descriptions had changed. More software requirements, more emphasis on scheduling-specific tools like Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project. She felt underqualified even though her core skills were solid. Luna: That's a common pain point. The tools move, the titles shift, and returners often don't realize they can slot into a slightly different role. Lucas: Right. So she started looking at 'project scheduler' listings — a title that barely existed when she left. The job is essentially building and maintaining the master schedule for a construction project. Sequencing trades, tracking dependencies, flagging delays before they cascade. Luna: And she realized she'd been doing that exact thing at home for six years. Lucas: That's exactly what she told me. She said — and I'm paraphrasing — 'I've been managing a complex schedule with multiple stakeholders, competing priorities, and limited resources. The stakeholders are a toddler, a kindergartner, a spouse, and a dog. The resources are time and a minivan.' Luna: That's a great reframe. How did she present that in interviews? Lucas: She didn't lead with the analogy, but she used concrete examples. She talked about coordinating school drop-offs, doctor appointments, and after-school activities — each with different locations and times. She talked about building contingency plans for when a kid got sick. She talked about communicating dependencies to her husband so he could adjust his schedule. Luna: And hiring managers bought that? Lucas: The ones at smaller firms did. The larger contractors still wanted someone with recent software experience. But the company she ended up with — that mid-sized Denver firm — they were specifically interested in candidates who could think on their feet and communicate clearly. They told her they could train the software in two weeks. Luna: That's a key lesson for returners. Not every employer requires the exact toolset. Some value the underlying skill set more. Lucas: And Elena's story isn't unique. The Construction Management Association of America has been running a 'return to work' initiative that partners with contractors to place parents who've been out of the workforce. They specifically target scheduler roles because the turnover is high and the demand is growing. Luna: What's driving that demand? Lucas: A few things. First, construction backlogs are at multi-year highs in many markets, so firms need to manage more projects simultaneously. Second, the average age of a construction scheduler is over fifty, and a lot are retiring. Third, owners and lenders are demanding better schedule transparency. It's become a compliance and risk management function. Luna: So the timing is actually favorable for someone looking to re-enter. Lucas: Very favorable. And Elena's salary progression is a good data point. She started at sixty-two thousand as a project scheduler. After two years, she's at seventy-three. That's not six-figure territory, but it's a solid middle-class wage, and she works from home two days a week. Luna: I think a lot of listeners — especially those who left white-collar roles — might not have considered construction as a re-entry path. It's not the first industry that comes to mind. Lucas: Right. But it's a huge sector, and it's hungry for people who can organize information and communicate clearly. You don't need to swing a hammer. The back office is growing fast. Luna: So what concrete steps would you recommend to someone who wants to pursue this? Say they were a project coordinator or admin before their gap. Lucas: Three things. First, look up 'project scheduler' on job boards and read ten descriptions. You'll see a pattern — most ask for two to three years of experience in construction or a related field, plus familiarity with scheduling software. If you have the background but not the software, that's okay. Luna: Second? Lucas: Second, get a baseline certification. The Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering offers a Certified Scheduling Technician credential. It's not expensive — I think around two hundred dollars for the exam — and it signals commitment. Elena did that after she got the job, but it helped her negotiate a higher starting salary. Luna: And third? Lucas: Third, network specifically with mid-sized contractors. The big nationals have rigid HR filters. Smaller firms are more willing to look at the whole person. Elena found her role through a former colleague who had moved to that company. Luna: That's such a classic returner tip — use your old network, even if you think it's stale. Lucas: And she had been out for six years. People remembered her as competent and reliable. That trust doesn't expire. Luna: I want to zoom out for a second. The broader narrative around career gaps is that you have to 'explain' them or 'justify' them. But stories like Elena's challenge that. She didn't apologize for her gap. She treated it as a period where she built skills, and she found an employer who saw it that way too. Lucas: Exactly. And look, not every return story ends with a perfect match. But the data is encouraging. A 2025 study from the Society for Human Resource Management found that return to work programs have a retention rate above 80 percent after two years, compared to about 60 percent for external hires without a gap. Luna: You know, talking about this, it strikes me that if even one listener uses this episode to rethink what they're capable of, that's a win. And honestly, if today was worth a coffee to you, that's the link — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Yeah, listener support is what keeps this show ad-free and focused on stories like Elena's. No pressure, just if it's useful. Luna: Alright, back to the nuts and bolts. One thing Elena mentioned that I thought was smart — she created a 'skills translation' document before her interviews. She listed her old job duties on one side and her home management activities on the other, then mapped both to the scheduler job description. Lucas: That's brilliant. It forces you to articulate the connection. And it helps you speak the employer's language during the interview. Luna: She also said she practiced talking about her gap in under thirty seconds. 'I stepped away to focus on my family, and during that time I developed strong scheduling and coordination skills. I'm now ready to bring those skills back to the workforce.' That's it. No defensiveness. Lucas: That's the right length. Any longer and you risk sounding like you're over-explaining. A gap is a fact, not a flaw. Luna: So for anyone listening who's thinking, 'I could do that' — the most important step is just to start looking at job descriptions with fresh eyes. You might find a title you didn't know existed that fits you perfectly. Lucas: And if you do, let us know. We'd love to feature your story on a future episode. For now, I'm Lucas. Luna: And I'm Luna. Thanks for listening.