I took a 10-year career break to care for my daughter who has disabilities. Here's how I broke back into my industry.

Nicki Schroeder Hanna-Katrina Jedrosz for BI This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Nicki Schroeder, 57, who lives in London. The following has been edited for length and clarity. After I had my daughter in 2001, it gradually became clear that she had autism. At the time, I was a media lawyer at a firm where I had worked since 1994. I worked on libel cases, which I loved, but there weren't enough hours in the day to juggle the demands of my job with my daughter's needs, so something had to give. In 2004, when my daughter was 3, I left my job and was prepared to step back from work for as long as needed. Thankfully, my husband, who worked in banking, could financially support us and our two children. A decade would pass before I jumped back into my career.