Career reinvention is nothing new to Bettina Chaiken. She reinvented herself several times over two continents – from hairdresser to teacher to IT manager to travel agent – before she had children!
When she was pregnant with her first child in America, all she knew was the German way where moms would be paid to stay home for a year and then their job would be waiting for them when they returned. To stay home in the U.S. meant leaving the workforce entirely, but she also couldn’t imagine paying someone else to watch her child so she embraced her role as a stay-at-home-mom. One child turned into two and a year turned into a decade or two.
Along the way, she volunteered at her children’s school, and even overcame impostor syndrome to serve 6 years on the Board, including her final year as President. Even though she didn’t feel qualified in the beginning, she accepted the fact that the people who had asked her to serve must have seen something in her that she didn’t.
She listened to that instinct again when a friend suggested real estate to her as a new career. After all, she was the one that would scour online listings and attend open houses just for fun! She enrolled in a program and now two years later, she’s building her career with the premier real estate firm in the region.
She loves the strategic nature and ever-changing dynamics of real estate, as well as her daily interaction with both clients and fellow agents.
To know more about Bettina’s services, visit her website.
