Girlfriend here needs a CHANGE.
And you guys are SMART. So I’m asking YOU: Which profession is just dying to get its lucrative hands on Jenny of Breed ‘Em and Weep?
I need a fresh take on the matter. I need it bad. I need it so bad, in fact, that in one week, I will award one of this post’s commenters a $25 Bear Bucks Gift Card to Build-A-Bear Workshop. (In keeping with the totally random swag, I will pick a name at random, out of a baseball cap.)
Rules:
1) No writing-related jobs. Can’t. Take. It. Anymore.
2) If you provide proof that the career path offers paid training/full scholarships, your name goes in the baseball cap twice! Yee-hah!
3) Relocating would be a bummer and a snarly mess. I love the Berkshires of western Massachusetts! Free leaf-peeping for foliage voyeurs!
I await your career (and life) guidance. And some fuzzy bear awaits you. Bless you.
{ 4 trackbacks }
{ 90 comments… read them below or add one }
← Previous Comments
How about substitute teaching? Most schools really, really need subs. You would likely be able to start immediately (after a background check), you would only be working school days, and it would tide you over while you look for the “perfect job.” (I also agree with the others about looking for a job at a local college.)
also consider proofreading and copy editing. i work 3 days in an office for one company and the other 2 at home for another. both freelance. no benefits but good hourly rate. one is advertising and the other medical education and other than being an English major, I’d had no experience.
don’t stop at asking your readers. i’ve put “looking for a job” on facebeg. i’ve emailed everyone i know, because my friend might not be a direct link, but HER friend will be. it feels like a minor gesture, but it has helped me time and again.
look on craigslist, and create a free profile on LinkedIn–recruiters troll those.
best of luck. been there too.
oh, and i third the grantwriting. i’ve done that too (a bit), and it’s possible to get up to speed fairly quickly, especially since another reader is offering to help you quite directly.
school librarian- summers off to travel and be with your daughters- lots of material for writing- surrounded by books….
I’ve always liked National Park Rangers.
Preschool teacher would be a good fit for you. The hours are great and totally kid friendly. If you find a preschool in town, you will have the same holidays/vacations as your kids and summers off. Good luck with your search.
I grew up in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. Some ideas:
1. Teach/teacher’s aide or any job at a college. Most offer some type of free/reduced tuition to employees (and their offspring!)
2. Museum aid/tour guide, etc. – There are so many historic sites and museums up there. I don’t know what type of training they offer, but I’m sure you’d gain skills that you could apply elsewhere.
3. Doctor’s office – my mom works at a cataract/laser center. Decent pay, good benefits and the work is pretty straightforward.
I hope that helps and wish you luck.
Life coach. Listening and advising sounds like fun.
Don’t pick social worker – I can give you all the low down on why my “chosen” profession sucks. Wow…can you start another baseball hat for me??
Jenn,
My cousin does teaching online. She is the teacher and the kids either call her or email questions. I think the kids are home schooled. She loves it. She works from home. I only have an Associates degree, so I can’t do it. But, it looks like you have MORE than enough degrees. If you are interested, I can ask her for more info.
Also, ANON, you are quite a miserable person. When you are paid a compliment by the Mater, instead of just saying thanks, you instead decided to insult Jenn’s readers once again. How sad to be you.
If Jenn is going to call us SMART, and then ask for LUCRATIVE career paths, let’s not shake her confidence in us with any more education suggestions, OK?
Teacher / Preschool Teacher / Substitute Teacher: Rewarding, for sure. (although maybe more suited for the Caroline Ingalls of the world than the sprint parents?) But lucrative? Never.
Librarian: by day, Mega Millions player by night.
Work at a college: Might be good. Are college jobs some sort of goldmine that nobody is talking about? But the link to the Williams job openings led to mostly food service and child care jobs. College are still education. Does anything in education pay really well? As for the idea that it might lead to free tuition for the girls, that’s a great bonus, but how is a person supposed to pay huge bills for what, 10-12 years between now and then?
And pardon me, but where is the girls’ father when it comes to paying for college? It won’t be Jenn’s burden alone to plan for college, will it? That sounds like a nice perk, but really, people, let’s give her suggestions of something that can pay, and pay well. A lot of these jobs sound like great careers in a two-income family, or a great job for a single parent without the mountain of debt.
Can we get more suggestions of professions that pay well in the short term, not after a dozen years of paying ones dues?
Nurses are in very high demand. I know I’ve seen ads in doctors’ offices about becoming a nurse. There is a program at BCC, but I don’t know about scholarships.
Court Reporter, Sign Language Interpreter and Grant Writer might all pay well, I imagine. Part of it might depend on the ability to take on freelance work, which may be hit-or-miss. But the flexibility can be a good thing too, as long as the steady work is there.
Human Resources: I don’t know if this involves going back to school or not. But the $62,000 average pay sure makes this look like a winner. Gillian, or others, how does one break into this field?
Nobody has mentioned Dental Hygiene yet. Average pay is around $30/hr and full-time that is about $60k per year. I think they spend less time in school than do nurses because nurses seem to go to school beyond community college. There is a Dental Hygiene program at HVCC. I do have one question though. I’m not sure what happens to dental hygienists, but it seems like they are all so YOUNG. Why is that? Do they not grow old? Is fluoride really nature’s own Botox? I’d ask, but they always have their childlike hands in my 40-something mouth. I bet they just marry dentists and stop working. Anyone know if this is a good career or not? It sounds like it pays well.
Go to work for UPS!
1) They are hiring now for the holiday “peak” season
2) You can work part-time and still receive benefits — Don’t sign on as a driver helper — they don’t get benefits
4) It would be a complete mental break from writing or being creative!
What can Brown do for You?
1. Editing textbooks…wait…does that count as writing?
2. You have an MFA, so you already know you could teach…maybe teach online courses? Develop your own international, web-based writing program, so you can pursue your interests not by writing but by developing other writers?
3. Become a life coach. You do live in the Berkshires– There are a lot of people in Boston and Providence who think you’re living right, sister. Use that to your advantage. They could come to you or you could go to them once a month, other meetings by phone/skype.
4. Your husband is Canadian and you don’t want to relocate? Really?
5. Mentor for Pay: Since you already have a web presence, help others improve their blogs and web presence for pay on a contract basis OR help others get published (read and critique their work, make suggestions, help write queries, etc). Is this still too writing-ish? Sorry.
6. Work for the Boston Symphony, organizing events for their summer program?
7. Organize lovely social networking events planned around the calendar of the Boston Symphony summer events in the Berkshires. (with a target demographic, perhaps professional singles or LGBT…)
8. Become a personal chef
9. Sell a kidney. KIDDING!
10. Become a personal trainer. Or teach yoga/ dance/ painting/ cooking.
11. Personal Organizer. Apparently there are a lot of people with a lot of clutter. Let them pay you to throw it out.
GOOD LUCK!
Our school system here in eastern MA says they can never hire enough Occupational Therapists to work with the kids on everything from handwriting, gross motor skills to sensory issues.
Jenn! Look! Iceland!
On the topic at hand, I go with librarian. I’d much rather work with books than people!
One more from the Man from Montana:
Hurlin Jenny’s Tabouli and Lobster Stand
I would just throw a word of caution in about the librarian idea. I’ve got an MLIS and can’t get a job. Because I wish desperately for things like a “living wage” and “benefits.” All the library jobs around here pay $10/hour and are about 25-30 hours per week.
It’s a fantastic job and when I was able to work as one I was a super great librarian. I miss it. But I like eating more.
Before taking the leap for school, take a really good hard look around your area and see if there are jobs, where they are, and what they are paying. (Don’t assume universities pay. The one where I got my MLIS paid their librarians $18K/year.)
Now I work for a nonprofit. And make more money. Ironic, no?
Given my nonprofit experience, I would recommend grantwriting. I know, I know, but there is a real need and people will pay. Do it on the side while you figure things out.
Teacher.
Absolutely. It won’t help broke too much, but every buck counts, yes?
HUGE love your way.
Some of the best ones have already been suggested: phone s*x operator, UPS driver, forest ranger… Lessee… How about finding a traveling carnival? Seriously, though. When my daughter was about 4, I saw a “Help Wanted” sign at one of those and almost checked it out. But my “responsible” side won out and I dismissed it. Now, looking back, I sometimes wonder what harm a year or two of that could have done? Your girls are older, so that probably wouldn’t work for you, but my point is that maybe the most outlandish idea would be the one that could actually work for a time. Good luck!
Oh, my! I loooooove these comments. I repeat: I LOVE THEM. I love YOU. Keep them coming! I won’t choose a name for the Bear Bucks until Friday, so now’s your time to Influence a Life for the Better and Keep Me Out of Porn.
Dear Other Anon.,
Let’s see. The average teacher salary in Mass. is $58,000+. Jenn has a Master’s Degree, so she probably qualifies for a bonus there.
Her child care costs are minimized by the hours. She has a couple months in the summer to write or visit Iceland.
I don’t know what their specific mortgage runs, but looking at housing costs in the area, that is a salary one can live on, and that does not factor in any child support. No, it is not the living large lifestyle. But is it the kind of lifestyle that gets Jenn to that cabin by the lake in her golden years? Maybe so.
Try medical transcriptionist. They have a 4 or 6 week class at SVC in Bennington. The pay is great and the hours would be ideal for you. You can schedule all the work while the girls are with their dad.
If I had any ideas, I wouldn’t be a stay-at-home dad, so I rummaged around my spam folder and found these for you. Hope they help.
“Dedicate your life to helping others live theirs-get your Nursing
Degree. Accredited online schools will help you achieve your goals at your own pace and around your schedule”
or
“We’re going to show you how to create a 24/7 automatic cash flow machine. We are not going to promise that you will make $200-$500 a day following this system because that is just the beginning.
And there is no ceiling on what you can make.”
This one looked especially promising:
“We are currently seeking people who want
to work part-time or full-time from home.
Get paid while you learn. Training material is provided.
Discover how you can earn money at home doing
something that is fun, and simple to do.”
And there were a few others who thought women weren’t being satisfied by me, but I’m not forwarding those. They were rude.
i know you’ve heard it many times by now, but teaching would be a good one. We seriously need more smart women like yourself teaching around here.
sorry to redundant…
Go to work for Berkshire Life. I hear they offer good benefits and you can move up rather quickly.
Fundraising/Development/Marketing sounds right up your alley.
Event Planner – either for an organization or on your own. MCLA has a part-time job of Community Education Coordinator.
Berkshire AHEC just posted a job for a Tobacco Grant Coordinator – check the paper.
You might get some ideas here – they offer adult ed classes in all sorts of useful things: pharmacy assistant, medical coding/terminology, all sorts of computer applications, accounting, and even have a free workshop for people trying to figure out what they want to do (although there was no upcoming date listed for that one). Might be worth a try, and might give you an idea of things you can do with only a smallish investment in training.
http://www.svcdc.org/adult-education/
Ah, folks are sure thinking outside-the-box but when are you gonna tell them about that “one year in NYC” when a young, naive ingenue took a job to pay the bills and got much more “writing experience” than she bargained for!
I think your readers are ready!
There is the phone sex thing, you know that always draws a crowd, but I am thinking it’s just too… how do you say it, below you. I am thinking maybe a fortune teller. You know, internet style. That is something you can also do in your bathrobe and slippers.
Another vote here for tax prep and accounting services. There’s a market everywhere for tax services. Help your fellow citizens to get their tax refunds; they’ll be grateful and you’ll get paid.
Look for the local H&R Block or Jackson Hewiitt offices (probably in Pittsfield). They offer inexpensive yet comprehensive tax preparation courses. If Pittsfield is too far, I think JH offers them online.
The courses are inexpensive, because they are used as recruiting tools. The good students (and it’s not too hard to be an outstanding student) will be offered jobs for the tax season. Not the greatest jobs perhaps, but a legitimate foot in the door of the financial services industry. Work for them for one season to get some experience.
Then start knocking on the doors of local CPAs. They definitely need help during tax season. And they really want to hire some smart, hardworking, dependable people — people who can interact nicely with clients, are comfortable using computers, and have a modicum of knowledge about taxes.
And guess what? It’s hard to find people like that in rural small towns like yours! But you probably have all of these qualities — except for the tax knowledge. Go to H&R Block and fix that, and then you will be marketable locally as a tax preparer. Take a few more accounting or business courses at the local community college or from online schools, get some nice clothes, and you might wake up one day as a Financial Services Professional.
I am with the counseling/psychotherapy person above.
Either that or a sommelier. When I quit my own psychotherapy gig, that’s what I’m gonna do. It’s TOTALLY practical.
Dawn,
I agree, there are some great things about teaching as a career. The hours mesh really do mesh well with parenting.
But there is no way anyone lands a job teaching here in Western Mass for $58,000. That’s not starting salary in these parts.
I know this article is a few years old, but it shows how statewide averages are meaningless when it comes to living (and paying bills) on the West side of the state:
“Average salaries range widely in the Bay State, from a low of $34,504 in tiny Florida School District in North Adams to Boston’s high of nearly $70,000. In Springfield, the second-largest school system, the teachers earned about $22,000 less on average than Boston teachers last year.
”Nobody ever got rich on a teacher’s salary,” said Glenn Koocher, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees.”
http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/teachers_salaries/
Even with a Masters, which you’re right, would boost salary by a bit, without being certified you’re looking at jobs in private schools, and they generally pay LESS than the public schools. That also means fewer options when it comes to job searching. (Add to the job prospects the fact that it is ESL, Special Ed., Science and Math that are in high demand. Not, I’m afraid, Lit. and the arts.)
This is not meant as a slam on the teaching profession, but a teacher’s salary, starting in one’s middle years and facing a big debt here and now, doesn’t seem like the a good bet for a cabin by a lake during the golden years. There are fantastic things about working in Education. But let’s face it, for those of us, how do I say, of a certain age, the salary scales for teachers are too heavily weighted towards years of service. Starting salary out here is a big negative compared to all those other positives.
Yammy, having done my grad practicum in couples/family counseling, I definitely support wine tasting as an alternative.
BTW, higher-ed adjunct and admin positions are what I come from (almost 20 years at an urban university) but, when I moved up to the Berkshires, I could not get my foot in the door vis a vis the local colleges. What I’ve observed is that, because of the great benefits, many employees like to stay put and there isn’t such a great turnover for hiring. Jenn has been looking into these kinds of positions too.
Overall, I like the idea of jobs that hold some $$ weight behind them for Jenn right now rather than teaching and counseling. These lovely altruistic careers won’t bring in the cash which provides stability for the next several years. Been there, done that, still doing that (school counseling) but the earnings are modest. And now that the economy has tanked, my very humble 401K has been wrecked so I must put off the dream of early retirement. I wonder if there are any mother-daughter jobs that would fit the both of us, eh? I’ll contribute a second Bear to anyone who comes up with a brilliant solution to saving the Mattern women from fiscal failure!
Hey Jenn,
I’m not writing to tell you what career you should choose, but rather to thank you for your FANTASTIC article in Brain, Child (Spring 2008)—A Word of Advice. It was so good that I read it outloud to my husband this morning.
Your career?—I don’t know. But I do know that you’ve found and are developing your talents. Keep writing!
-JJ
(mamasminutia.blogspot.com)
As a parent, I know that sometimes I need time away from all children (including my own.) I’m sure you may agree. That being said, how about a home day care? You can make your own hours, stay at home, not have to worry about H and S when they are home from school, summers and holidays off (if you choose), plus, these additional kids will surely give you fuel for your blog fire. Tons of funny stories about other people’s kids!!!
i really like the show weeds. i think the mom (nancy botwin, a.k.a mary louise parker) is very cool. i think you are very cool. therefore perhaps you should consider making your basement into a huge cannabis factory? nancy botwin has a pretty good life (well, except for that whole thing right now about the mexicans wanting her dead and all) and she gets to dress in expensive clothes. what more could you want?
If I was a high school student and had you for a English or creative writing teacher, I’d think I’d died and gone to heaven! The pay isn’t great, and the hours can be long, but hey, it comes with benefits and the same vacations as your kids. (who will be in school for quite some time).
I love all the thoughful ideas that people have come up with and I agree–work should provide joy as well as a paycheck!
What about a real estate agent? That seems like something with little training that you could make a lot at. But I guess not now so much, with everything collapsing.
I’m another high school teacher. I was going to suggest teaching, but that’s been covered. I second all the good things about it, though; it is rewarding and we aren’t broke and the pay raises are built in so you never have to ask for one. Plus, the state of SC paid for my student loans for my masters degree to teach. And if you add national board certification, in my state that’s an extra 7,000 a year.
Also, those people who work at the eye doctor? Who show you how to put in contacts and put drops in your eyes? Last time I was there the woman mentioned that it was only a few months of training but they start out making over 50,000. That job seems really easy.
I think that any of those kind of peripheral medical jobs would be pretty lucrative without too much time spent training.
Good luck!
Okay, dearies, I am extending the contest to Tuesday am, October 14, because your comments are so fantastic. I can’t get enough. On Tuesday I will pick one of you to win the Bear Bucks. If only they could be used in place of dollars.
Bless you. You all rock, and give me hope of a new start. xo
It has sort of infuriated me how some have jumped on teaching not being a good, lucrative choice. I know you won’t laugh all the way to the bank, and I also know you will work hard… but there are so many wonderful things about it. Furthermore, if you were to get a job in a private school (especially an independent school), there is an excellent chance you don’t have to spend any time going to school for it. I don’t know about you, but when I walk into a classroom as a student in this part of my life, I love to sit back, absorb the information, and leave knowing there are no tests, homework assignments, or other obligations.
Let me point out one other thing that make thankful for my job – working with teenagers. There are so many reasons I love working with them, in general. They make me feel youthful and wise at the same time, their lives are interesting and complex and yet extraordinarily simple. But perhaps the number one most important thing is: I have gained confidence about how I will be as a parent when my little ones are older. I was terrified before. Little kids are hard enough, but usually listening to intuition is enough to get you through. Working with teens in advance of my children being that age allows me to see the effects of parents on their children, both for good and bad. I am filing away little notes about the excellent parents I am fortunate enough to know and how they do it. I have come to understand in just 3.5 short years how important it is to set realistic goals for your children and not expect perfection. It allows me to love and enjoy my kids now more than before. Working with teens does not exhaust me and make me unable to have energy for my kids (though I am sure this would be the case if I worked with little ones.) Instead, it makes my days fulfilled, and my evenings with my kids better.
I would think as a single mom it would take so much stress away to know that Friday was fall break and I was off with them. When they are off for 2.5 weeks for Christmas, I won’t have to find people to watch them in my absence. Heck, I am not a single mom, but one with a spouse that works. Not sure how we could possibly handle any type of employment for me if I did not have days off with the kids. There is so much more to life than money, and I know you totally understand that. But this is real economics. My friends who work full time all year scramble for summer camps, send their kids to places where they don’t know a soul. Pay a fortune in summer tuition… and never get to take a day off “just because”.
Unless your fear of blood pressure and is gone, I am assuming you won’t be training for health care jobs. Besides… you need a job that touches your soul. Nursing could do that (again, if you don’t mind blood pressure!) So many of the other suggestions won’t. I get e-mails, voice mails, notes through snail mail from students in college, telling me what a difference I made. You would get even more.
I am sorry that pay for private schools is less in your area than public. I think you would be the perfect fit in a private school. A small public school could be similar where you are (not here!).
You can take m out of the drawing for Bear Bucks. Winning them would mean I would have to go somewhere near a mall, which to me is akin to your taking your blood pressure!
(BTW, I just got back from camping with the boys. I have poop stories I could add to your blog… You have not had many of those lately. Just imagine. Nearly 9 year old. Intestinal flu. In a tent. Came home minus a sleeping bag and several clothing items. Ugh.)
Jenn,
I sure it doesn’t pay much but how about working at an employment agency – you’d have the inside scoop for all the jobs coming in!
My bot code is zene – maybe instead you should send your “debate” to The New Yorker, although SNL is probably the better venue.
mesue
Create and set up blogs for small businesses. Be a blog consultant.
← Previous Comments