Jill Arlinghaus

Navigating the mom-tech balance

I’ve been interested in problem-solving from a young age and even thought I’d be an engineer at one point. I remember being told as a kid that my efforts were “not bad for a girl” and was motivated to excel in male dominated spaces, which led me to high school drafting classes, all the way to my Deloitte client teams. Today, I strive to be a positive role model for young girls, especially in STEM activities.

I left Deloitte for a short time when I had my first child. I thought I wanted to stay at home with my kids, just like my own mom did for me. But quickly realized that I missed the challenges, the connection with my colleagues, and the pride I had in my career in data analytics. So, when a spot on my old team was open, I knew I wanted to come back to Deloitte, and in a way that worked for this new version of me, a career woman and a mom. 

Today, I’m a People Analytics Manager, where I learn new technologies and strategies every day, using complex analytics and identify data driven insights to tell rich stories that help our leaders understand the Talent Experience of our people, and aid them in their decision making. And I do it on a reduced schedule, experiencing the best of both of my worlds.

When I’m not at Deloitte, I spend a lot of time volunteering in my children’s schools. After observing my daughter’s interest in STEM and noting no STEM classes at her school, I spent my days off learning a robotics curriculum and did research for user-friendly kids coding programs. Through our kids’ Parent-Teacher Association, I started a STEM program at their elementary school about eight years ago, bringing robots and coding into their curriculum and developing activities for use in the classroom. And as they’ve grown, I now help with their middle school robotics team –one Deloitte has helped to support. I feel so thankful for the support I get from my colleagues and the opportunity to find a work-life fit that works for me. 

Family dinners, sporting events, robotics mentoring and a challenging career– I’m living my best life and wouldn’t have it any other way.