Women’s Work: Susan McLintock and Jeanette Palmer
What happens when two strangers in different career fields interview each other about the work they do? Let’s find out.
Susan McLintock is a former lab technician and current substitute teacher living in Swansea, Massachusetts. Jeanette Palmer is a Head of Client Services in Providence, Rhode Island.
Jeanette Interviews Susan
Jeanette Palmer: What were your childhood career dreams?
Susan McLintock: My first career dream as a child was to be a veterinarian. Then as I grew and learned that it wasn’t just playing with puppies all day and that animals do in fact die, that dream was quickly abandoned. I started leaning toward the sciences in my teens, although it took me a while to settle on lab work. Before that, I entertained becoming a pharmacist or a physical therapist.
JP: How did you get into pharma, wastewater and then substitute teaching?
SM: This is a long story! I majored in Biology, planning get my BS in that and then transfer to an out of state (re: more expensive) school later to get my Masters in physical therapy. I discovered that I really liked lab work and decided not to continue on for PT. I worked for a large international pharmaceutical company. I loved the work, but hated the environment. It was very impersonal and cut-throat, which was not for me.
I left to work for a municipal waste-water treatment plant. It was a bit of transition going from a clean-room to a sewer plant, but I liked the work and the environment was more personal and friendly. I only left there when I had my son because I wanted to be a stay at home mom. I did that for 8 years, volunteering a lot at my son’s school. I loved it. Then, my husband was laid off in 2009, so I started looking for work. My field was hit hard by the economy at that time as well and I couldn’t find anything. A friend suggested I become a substitute teacher at my son’s school since, as she said, “You’re there all the time, you might as well get paid for it.” I had no idea I was qualified, as I do not have a teaching degree. In Massachusetts you only need an Associate’s Degree or higher or to pass a test to sub.
It was perfect because I had the same days off and vacations that my son had and I love working with kids. I’ve been doing that ever since. I had planned to go back to working full time in the sciences by now, but the biotechnology boom that was projected to come to my area never really happened. About 2 years ago, my son developed a chronic illness. Subbing gives me the flexibility I need to meet his needs with numerous doctors’ appointments and frequent absences from school.
JP: Of all these careers, which are you most passionate about and why?
SM: This is a tough question. The first two jobs are very similar in terms of the actual work, despite the vastly different settings. I really enjoy lab work. I’m a very analytical thinker, and hands-on, so it suits me. I see myself going back to it someday as my needs at home change. But I do also enjoy what I do now.
JP: What is/was the biggest challenge and the biggest reward of your favorite job?
SM: I’ll answer this one and my current job. I substitute teach at four different schools, ranging from grades K-8. The biggest challenge is that every classroom is different, both in the teacher’s expectations and especially in the kids. You need to be able to read the children and adapt quickly. You don’t have the time with them that their regular teacher has to build a relationship, so it’s more challenging to engage them. It’s nice when I’m in the same class often so that I can build relationships (they try to place the same subs in the same classes for this reason). The most rewarding part. . . well, the kids! They can always make you smile or laugh or brighten your day with a picture they made for you. I’ve been doing this for about 6 years and I work a lot in special needs rooms. It’s amazing to see what these kids have accomplished. I recently had second grader in class who I first met in special needs preschool 5 years ago, when she was non-verbal. I’ve had her several times over the years. One day last month she greeted me with a beautiful smile, a big hug, and a cheerful “Hi Mrs. M, how is your day?” It blew my mind both that she remembered me and how she’s blossomed beyond expectations.
JP: If you could start all over and do anything you wanted now, what would it be?
SM: If I could go back, I probably would have stuck to my original plans of becoming a pharmacist or physical therapist. There was no way to know then, but the anticipated jobs in the lab sciences did not materialize in my area. Both of those fields would have more options for me locally and would probably offer me the flexibility I currently need.
Susan Interviews Jeanette
Susan McLintock: What attracted you to advertising?
Jeanette Palmer: Whoa! I thought I wanted to be a vet when I was a kid, too! Also because I thought it meant get paid to take care of animals. But I quickly moved on to drawing, acting, and writing. I wrote way, way too much poetry as a kid. At one point I thought I would be a novelist, but it turns out I’m too extroverted to spend my days alone in a room. My best friend from high school majored in Graphic Design in college, and I was always inspired by her studies (but not good at it myself). And then I stumbled into a sociolinguistics class in college at NYU and decided to major in that: the art of how we talk, how we learn language, etc. When I was looking for my first full-time job, advertising seemed like a great way to work with presenting words, images, and cultures.
SM: If you didn’t do this, what would you do?
JP: I guess part of me does still want to be alone in a room, playing with words. When I turned 30, I got a guitar for my birthday and it turned into a big hobby and some paying gigs. Though sometimes, I also think that if money and time were no objects, I’d love to be on some kind of global humanitarian mission.
SM: How do you juggle advertising, music and being a single mom?
JP: I haven’t been able to keep the music going so much. And I share custody 50% with my son’s dad, so it’s not like I have 100% of the work. But, trying to keep in some exercise and manage a relationship on top of work and parenting makes for busy days.
SM: Have you ever had to do an ad campaign for a product or idea that you don’t believe in?
JP: Well, there are things I wasn’t passionate about but they were fun creatively or the people at work and on the client side were smart and professional. I’ve never had to do cigarettes, which would be a big one for me. When I was first starting out, I really feared having to work on feminine hygiene products because I thought the whole thing was so embarrassing. And sure enough, I had to go to a few meetings at Tampax when I was 24 with men in their 50s. I was horrified to be greeted with a conference room full of tampons and pads and listen to them ask questions like “If a woman bleeds more, would she buy more product?” And one point someone was explaining how the different things work and they men were taking them out of boxes, pulling them apart, checking them out, passing them around. I could not get out of there fast enough!
SM: If you could change one thing about your job, what would it be?
JP: I have to say, I’m not really sure. I like the diversity of the client base, but I’m particularly excited to help non-profits. It feels great to work with a children’s hospital, a food bank, etc.
Jeanette Palmer is the Head of Client Services at NAIL Communications, based in Providence, RI. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NailCommunica
Susan McLintock is a former lab technician and current substitute teacher. She lives Swansea, Massachusetts with her husband and son.
Photo courtesy of: Joshua Ness