“I was moving up the corporate ladder and making an impact as a black female in tech. I am transparent with my employers and they know that I am a caregiver. It’s a double-edged sword because although they know I’m a caregiver, employers do not fully understand the magnitude of what that comes with. I became a single mother as well shortly after learning about my twin's diagnosis. Although I had many accolades in my career, I was at a fork in the road. My last job tried its best to support me as a caregiver, but after almost losing my home from taking unpaid FMLA twice, exhausting all of my savings while paying for deductibles for my daughter's care and losing our in-home nursing care, I put my pride aside and left my 6-figure IT job”Melanie Oates is a nonprofit founder, speaker, and advocate for parent caregivers like herself. She grew up extremely fascinated with technology and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science from Bethune-Cookman University. Melanie has shattered the glass ceiling with over 15 years of experience in the tech space, and has broken many barriers at billion dollar companies as a black female in tech.Despite her accomplishments in the corporate sector, she made the life-changing decision to end her career to focus on her family. While this decision did not come easily, she knew it was best because as an attempted suicide survivor, she knew she could not risk another mental health crisis. From sleepless nights to working on her computer behind the wheel while traveling to appointments, Melanie took the leap of faith in 2020 and has not looked back.To stay connected with Jess, head to www.jessplusthemess.com.  If you are interested in being a guest please reach out at [email protected]. I'd love to hear what you think, so please rate and review!