Mom Interviews

Dawn Perry is a District Sales Representative for Amgen Inc., a pharmaceutical company. She lives in New York City and has two young children, a six month-old and a three year-old. Dawn shares some great and specific ideas about what helps her successfully get through her day, talks frankly about how her relationship with her colleagues changed after she became a mom, and how she deals with the ever-present feeling of guilt.

 

I’m in sales. I visit physicians and talk to them about my products, which are different medicines for treating various illnesses. I’ve been in the industry for 15 years, holding various positions.

My schedule is fairly flexible since I don’t have an office I report to daily; I make my own appointments to visit my clients. In the morning I dress and feed my kids. Our nanny arrives at 8 am. I get my daughter out the door to her preschool at 8:30 am and then leave for work right after that. I’m in the car a lot, driving to different appointments, making phone calls, and setting up other meetings. Between 5 pm and 7 pm I usually spend time with my kids. Sometimes I need to work during those hours, especially when I need to entertain clients. It would be great if I had additional help between 5 – 9 pm. After the kids go to bed I usually do emails and catch up on other domestic duties.

Best thing about your job: Flexibility

Most challenging thing about your job: Not having my own office

My older daughter goes to preschool from 9 am to 12 pm. I also have a babysitter from 8 am to 5 pm. I wish she stayed until 6 pm. I am actually considering getting another sitter from 5 pm to 9 pm.

My husband is in sales. He sells medical devices. We share a lot of our duties. I am the morning person. At night it’s divide and conquer. Our nanny helps me in the evening when my husband is traveling.

The most challenging aspect is living with the motherhood guilt, feeling that you are not doing everything to your fullest capacity or best ability.