Fashion Frenzy and Fuzzy

Illustration by The New York Times; Photograph by Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

We’re looking for questions from people looking to rejoin the work force after taking a family-related break, and stories from women and men who have successfully returned to the game. Ask and share here, in the comments, and we’ll come back with expert answers later in the week.

When women with careers in finance and law opt out for parenthood or other family responsibilities, many find it difficult to opt back in. Consider Jennifer Romaniuk, who wrote “I Want to Go Back to Work” here in 2012, and the recent follow-up to Lisa Belkin’s “The Opt-Out Revolution”: “The Opt-Out Generation Wants Back In.” For women with the education and drive that lead to a job in big law or finance, choosing to leave isn’t easy. But coming back, many have found, can be even more difficult.

Schools and businesses are beginning to see that challenge as an opportunity. As Jennifer Preston writes in “Helping Women Get Back in the Game,” programs at institutions like Harvard Business School and Pace Law School and businesses like Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse offer women (or, in some cases, anyone who has taken a career break) a path back in that is more clearly defined. The programs, and conferences offered by organizations like iRelaunch, are helping more people return to the workplace, whether their “résumé gap” came from time taken to raise children, to help aging parents or to manage their own health issues.

Those programs, though, are limited, both in number and in application. There is good fortune (and, often, good planning) involved in being financially able to take time off to care for your family, and there is similar fortune involved in having access to programs or additional education to help get “back in the game” in any industry.

Some people find help. Others make their own luck. In both cases, we’re looking for your stories, and for your questions. If you have returned to work after a gap, how did you make your way back? What helped, and what didn’t?

And if you are out of the work force and looking to return, what kinds of help and programs are you finding, and what’s missing? What do you need to know?

Zacker Images Vivian Steir Rabin, left, and Carol Fishman Cohen are co-founders of iRelaunch.

We’ve asked Carol Fishman Cohen and Vivian Steir Rabin, co-founders of iRelaunch.com, to answer questions and provide advice for women and men looking to go back to work after taking a family timeout. Both Ms. Cohen and Ms. Rabin are graduates of Harvard Business School. They wrote “Back on the Career Track: A Guide for Stay-at-Home Moms Who Want to Return to Work,” after they faced the challenge of returning to work following a career break. Since then, they have helped both women and men relaunch their careers after taking time off for many different reasons.

Ask your questions and share your stories here, or on Twitter (@NYTMotherlode, @JenniferPreston or @KJDellAntonia) or Facebook, and we’ll bring you the best answers and advice in a post later in the week.

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