单选题 In California on a business trip last month, I met a mom with two kids who"d graduated from business school in the late 1990s. She"d been home with the kids for five years, she explained, but was looking to go back. I assumed she"d return to the field she"d entered after business school. "I want to go into something non-profit," she said instead.
Now, I firmly believe that nonprofit careers are tremendously rewarding, but my heart sank a bit from the expression on my new friend"s face . I suspected I knew what she was thinking. Over the years, I"ve studied working and stay-at-home moms, yet met dozens of successful former lawyers and businesswomen in a range of profitable fields who lose their confidence after staying home for a few years. They assume they can"t return to their original fields, despite their successful track records. They erroneously think going into teaching, social work or nonprofit foundations will be easier. More often than not, these women use "I"m thinking of entering nonprofit" as code for "I"ve lost confidence in my ability to return to my profession so my only choice is find a less competitive field."
The reality is they"d be better off staying in their original field. Teaching and social work require years of education and certification. Due to naivety or arrogance, some former businesspeople don"t realize high-level nonprofit posts are just as competitive and sought after as top business jobs. It"s tougher than many women believe to convince potential employers that private sector achievements are transferable to education and nonprofit arenas, and why, suddenly in mid-life, you heard a different calling that you will take as seriously as your former career.
Many stay-at-homes would be better off if they confronted the biggest obstacle preventing women from returning to their chosen industries: lack of confidence, the most critical ingredient in any job hunt. A recent New York Times article highlighted this reality and business schools" growing success teaching Confidence by helping stay-at-home morns brush up on outdated skills.
"The biggest issue facing them was not whether their skills were rusty; rather, it was the confidence that they had lost while not working," explained the Times article. "You should never apologize for being out of the market."
Does this confidence game ring true for those of you at home contemplating a return to work? Do you feel the need to apologize for or explain why you stayed home? Do you fear your talent and skills have atrophied (萎缩的)? What advice can we share with each other—those of us at work and those of us at home?

单选题 About the morn mentioned in the first paragraph, the following statements are all true EXCEPT that ______.

单选题 " The expression on my new friend"s face " in Paragraph 2 probably means ______.

单选题 It is difficult for former business women to convince non-profit employers that ______.

单选题 The New York Times articles point out that the stay-at-homes ______.

单选题 The passage is most likely to be intended for ______.