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.
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You should teach. . .something, anything. Or work on a college campus (library, perhaps?) b/c I think people who are employed at colleges get discounted tuition. School would be good b/c you could be home for the girls most days. And, I’m not sure where you are in W. Mass, but I grew up out there and there were a gazillion colleges.
I found a few on Craigslist….I recommend creative jobs like advertising and marketing – OR working at a school/college. They have great benefits, like free/reduced tuition….
http://westernmass.craigslist.org/mar/864830477.html
Avoid non-protfits (sorry guys, but the benefits and job security are iffy)
Oh, and don’t take THIS job:
http://westernmass.craigslist.org/etc/866105358.html
How about nursing? You will have to pay for part of it yourself. But I got a nursing diploma (2 years and my school had night and weekend programs) but the place I work will pay for you to go back foryour degree(s). There is alot of specialties so you can move around in the field. Some are more flexible that others. Some ARE 9-5 Monday through Friday but you can find shifts any time of day which is helpful with children. There will always be demand. The pay is decent. You can work anywhere. In fact, it’s my understanding that you can get free summer camp if you work there in some places. When the girls are grown, you can be a travel nurse and work in Hawaii! Or you could work at your pediatrican’s office, a hospital, hospice, office building, home care in your own area. Obviously there is the satisfaction of helping people, of working with mostly women, of meeting all walks of life. Of course there are downsides, as you can imagine, but for a mom, for me, its a perfect job.
Phone sex! I hear that’s lucrative!
Or, sure, nursing, whatevs. They have 6-week programs for CNAs (certified nursing assistants) and a lot of employers will pay you to to take the class if CNAs are in short supply.
I work with kids with autism. I don’t know about Mass., but here the county provides paid training through MRDD. I work with one kid at a time, usually in a 3-hour session. I set my own hours and days. Here it pays 12-25 dollars per hour. No benefits, but you may be able to work something out on an individual basis.
two ideas (both that I want to do)
1 – open a doggie day care… around here (North Shore MA) they are extremely lucrative, you can always take your kids to work if you need to, high school kids are ALWAYS looking to work there… I am taking a course about it now and I am very into it.
2 – sign language interpreter… I am taking sign language and there are tons of directions to go in this filed. I started because I was an early childhood educator and there are so many non-verbal children, I thought that ASL would be a great skill to have. But there are ton of interesting career choices once one is fluent in ASL, and it’s fascinating.
Just a few ideas!
Be a teacher. Pay isn’t great, but you’re used to living on less! Actually, in your part of the country, pay may be above poverty level for single moms (not in Tulsa). The great part: when your kids are not at school, neither are you. You still have summer and holidays off with the kids – no scrambling to figure out what to do with them. If you can get really lucky (like I did), you could get a job at your children’s school (don’t they go through middle or upper school there?) At a good Independent school, you’ll find the upper school to be almost collegiate. You could teach anything – English, Humanities, Art (we have a teacher for painting, another for drawing, another for sculpture/ceramics, another for photography), or Theater! You could sponsor (or teach, depending on how it is done at any given school) the yearbook or the school paper.
I love teaching. I love being at the same school my kids are – I feel like the “it takes a village” atmosphere means that the love and energy I put into caring for my students is returned to me by the love the teachers put into my own children. And, while it may not guarantee a scholarship, it should give you financial assistance with your children’s private education. AND there are lots of great college scholarships for children of educators. At a private school there are some unofficial perks – like with the parents realize they have tickets to a play or a ballet or a concert and they cannot use them, they give them to teachers!
Well, just a thought. It has worked beautifully for me. I KNOW you would be really good at it.
With a masters degree, you’ll find that independent schools generally do not require any teaching certification. Their philosophy is to hire experts in the field instead.
I will break my self-imposed silence for this one, its so easy.
A teacher.
You would be perfect in any grade.
There is an excellent college for a teaching degrees just down the road from you and it offers night courses.
This area is crying out for qualified teachers.
You would have the same vacation schedule as your children so no baby-sitters or day care needed.
In the unlikely event that I win, you can give the prize to the Louison House in North Adams.
May I suggest librarian? Librarians rock (seriously), and Simmons (in Boston) has a joint program that has classes at Mount Holyoke, which is in your neck of the woods. I am pretty sure you can do the whole degree at Mount Holyoke. Their web site is http://www.simmons.edu/gslis/about/
With all the schools in your area, there must be librarian positions open. The school librarian program is great (and good for a mother with kids in school). You can have a teacher’s hours without having to, you know, be a teacher. Pros: summers off, teaching kids to love books, MA state employee retirement benefits, chance to be like Nancy Pearl. Cons: will require tuition/student loans and about 2 years of school. I started the program a couple of years ago, but had to stop for various reasons mostly related to childbirth. Good luck! I started reading you blog because I loved the title, but you felt familiar. Well, once I noticed the other work section I realized that You wrote the story about the day they put sand in the road, one of my favorite articles in Brain, Child. I seem to remember so little of what I manage to read, but that story really stuck with me and I think about it fairly often.
Cheers,
Zoe
Receptionist. Silversmith. Art therapist. Masseuse. Standup comic. Impersonator (you can do both Tina Fey and Sarah Palin). I always thought you looked like Tina Fey. I’ll buy you new glasses. Radio talk-show host or deejay – you have a lovely speaking voice.
Anon, giving a bear to Louison House is a beautiful idea! I can’t enter the contest ’cause I’m related.
I’ll just mention that if the library idea floats yer boat, you can do a degree 100% online, which is better than diriving over to Mt Holyoke all the time. (Because I just started doing an MLIS online – and it’s been good so far!)
Teaching – I’m a 5th grade teacher in the Metro Boston area and I love it. When my children are school aged, I’ll have the same schedule as them and right now I love having my summer off to craft, play and enjoy. In public schools, you can get your foot in the door by being a substitute, but you probably could be a classroom teacher right away with your master’s degree and no teacher’s degree.
Nursing or a CNA – Took my sister about 6 weeks to get certified and she works in a nursing home and loves it. It probably is less expensive to go through that program and you probably could get some of it funded (many places are short CNA’s). Then you could eventually go back and get your nursing degree.
Do some sort of work for one of the local colleges. Most colleges offer parents a discount for their children if they go to that college. Granted your daughters aren’t of the college age yet, but thinking that they could go to college free is a huge deal. A friend of my mom’s worked at Bentley and all of her children went to Bentley only paying room and board. She wasn’t a teacher, she just worked in the registrar’s office.
Good luck!
I’m not so sure that nursing wouldn’t include that personal shaving job.
Nothing writing-related. Hmmmm. Way to make it tough.
See, the thing is, I know that it sucks to be a writer. Not firsthand, by any means, but just because everybody’s always talking about it, so I believe them all.
Career should be about something you love. Job puts food in the mouths. We all need to eat. But we also need to be happy.
I say work at the Home Depot for food, and write to live.
what about surrogacy? though that might be the not-so-good kind of confusing for the girls.
or the craigslist “gigs” section? you can make good money offering your body as a cast for ceramists/painters/etc. and sometimes people just want someone to go on a date with them to make their ex-girlfriend jealous. a potentially interesting night out and $250 in your pocket!
Jenn, do NOT try to be a masseuse right now. I think The Mater rocks, but voice of experience here. I did it full time for a year, and I think you want more money, faster. If you hear somebody say they got their practice “up and running in no time” be sure to find out how long it REALLY took, what their standard was for saying “mission accomplished,” and exactly how they were getting by financially in the meantime. If you want the gory details…
I would also be happy to share my thoughts on the CNA and teaching ideas if you decide to explore those. You know where to find me!
I’m with Poster #1. I love working at colleges and there are a bunch in western MA. (Pesky overeducated liberals.) There are a bunch of things you can do, with a variety of student contact. Search academic support positions. You may end up with some writing (few people in academe have *no* writing at all) but unless you decide on a whim to be a speechwriter or something, it should be part of your job only, rather than the focus.
Phenomenal benefits (usually) and often some really good, solid, predictable hours.
Good luck.
I’m in your boat…but here’s what I’ve heard are good jobs: nursing (yup, but the whole BLOOD thing…); teaching (I know I know…it doesn’t pay much…but community college???); and here’s MY LATEST DREAM JOB:
Speech Therapist
They are in HUGE demand and you can work with any age and a variety of needs. Make good money…Big con though: back to school for longer than nursing.
I think you should be a teacher though…
I think i mentioned it once ages ago.. you shoudl be a doula.
I agree with Swistle. You would rock as a phone sex operator, plus you could work in your jammies. Or possibly voice-over, maybe in a non-naughty profession?
How are you with detaily, webby things? Lots o’ companies seem to be looking for someone who can do html formatting for their e-newsletters and running their corporate blogs (telecommuting). It can sometimes involve writing, but business writing, which does not so much feel like writing as much as umm, shuffling words.
Best advice I was ever given: Get a job doing something you love. If you can’t find a job doing what you love, do something related to what you love. If you can’t find something related to what you love, find a job that gives you the time or resources to do what you love.
Court reporter. (the stenographer that records the proceedings of trials and depositions, not a news reporter.) I have a friend who took the training and could never get fast enough to get a job, but I know another woman who found it easy and can work as much or little as she wants and loves the job. There is, apparently ALWAYS a shortage of qualified court reporters. Are you a fast typer? Think of all the wierd and wacky things you’d get to hear about! Then, if you ever did want to write, you’d have plenty of material to draw from.
I’m jumping in the boat with all of the librarians. It’s my profession and I love it. There are many, many choices – special libraries (medical or business etc.), law libraries, academic, public… It’s a great career.
Take your grill out to the sidewalk and sell hot dogs. I will be first in line!
What worked for me and has worked for others I know is accounting / tax prep. Most small CPA firms are desparate for seasonal help come mid January and if you can fog a mirror two times out of three you can often get work. I took HR BLock’s tax school and worked for them for a season (a job I do NOT recommend but the 60-hour tax prep course gave me the introductory knowledge required). An adult school bookkeeping course would also give you a basic level of knowledge. You can learn the rest on the job. In my experience small CPA firms are very flexible with regard to hours and scheduling and if you make yourself useful they will keep you in the off season. Don’t think you can’t do it if you’re not a numbers person – I’m a die-hard humanities type until age 30 thought literature was the only path to truth. Also tax is fascinating because you see people’s lives spread out in front of you. I’m sure you’ll do what’s right for you; that’s my two cents worth of assvice.
Oh I wish I knew what to tell you – I’m trying to figure this out myself. I’m in the mental health field because I was an earnest idealist in my early/mid-twenties and I wanted to “help people.” I’m soooooo over that. Now I just want to do something I enjoy and where I can make a good living so we don’t have to worry and stress about money. I love the idea of being a sign language interpreter…hmmmmm….
Speech therapists are in high demand.
Could you get a job in nontraditional education? I get to teach science to kids at a non-school venue, and it’s awesome. It’s not easy, exactly, but it’s super rewarding and lots of fun and never dull! And when I worked at the craft store after college, doing craft projects with kids on Saturday mornings was a lot of fun.
Are there any nature centers or museums or zoos or any places like that around you where you could inquire?
If, that is, you like this sort of thing
Or! You could get a job as a book shelver at a library! I did that in college and it was awesome. I loved being around the books and I hardly ever had to help actual people.
xo!
PS Mater, if you’re reading this, drop me an email, woman!!
Medical transcription.
You can usually work from home. My cousin is a single mom with 2 kids (in VA) and has made a very good living at this for 10+ years. I think it’s helpful to have some medical knowledge but you’d probably pick up terminology quickly.
Accountant
Always in high demand, especially as tax season approaches. You could probably begin in an admin role (to a CPA) and have the company pay for training. A good accountant can always find work! You can also do this work in just about any field that interests you, since all kinds of companies have accountants.
http://wiki.williams.edu/display/handbooks/Employment+Opportunities
Maybe to teaching but warning: it does NOT pay a living teaching community college students unless you are full-time. Librarian sounds smarter to me.
But: parenting expert/consultant, of course. Online and via phone, with home visits within a 2 hour radius.
Here’s something to say to yourself, Jenn. It sounds silly, but try it.
“I don’t know what career to pursue, but if I DID know, I would be a _____.”
I was an acting major in college, I love to act, perform, write, knit, scrapbook, garden, cook, do anything creative. I also have 6 figure student loans, and defaulting on them was something I REALLY wanted to avoid. My husband is a graduate student, who makes nothing for five years and counting. We have one baby boy, a blessed surprise. I had to make a compromise, in order to keep us financially solvent. I love doing all that creative stuff, I would love being a stay at home mom, but I was losing my mind and all of my happiness staring at our mounting debt.
I’m now a Human Resources Manager. I got the training to do this paid for by my company. I was hired because I have 2 degrees (MA, BA), even though they are completely unrelated to business or HR (acting, Shakespeare.) Three years ago I was hired at 32k per year. I now make 50. I’m only telling you this to give you some idea of how much $$ we’re talking, and also how quickly I have been able to advance. The average for my area of the country (South east) for this job is $62k (I am underpaid, and I quote, because “you make enough for a girl your age.” Nice, huh?)
So, you have to put up with the bull I listed above. Being a female in business can be extremely frustrating and soul sucking at times. But, as an HR Manager, I get to do some wonderfully creative stuff too. I created our benefits package and our wellness plan. I plan and execute our yearly parties. I run our corporate sponsored charities, which is very meaningful to me. I make up all kinds of fun things to keep our employees engaged and happy. I like doing this part.
From your writing, I get the idea that perhaps you aren’t so much an extrovert? I’m not by nature, either, but I got into acting to help overcome that, and I use my acting training all the time to motivate my employees. And I do feel like they are “my” employees. I like taking care of them, making sure they have what they need. It’s not my dream life, but it’s a happy one. And my baby is fed, my mortgage is paid, my student loans are paid, my cars are reliable and well cared for, we can afford a dog, a cat, and the occasional pizza delivery. As a single income family with the aforementioned loan debt, we aren’t doing great, but we’re doing ok.
Have you thought about any kind of counseling profession? I’m finishing my masters in School Counseling so I can have the same hours as my kids and attempt to “make a difference.” Just from checking out your blog a bit it seems like a) you are emotionally intelligent and in touch and b) a person that kids like! It pays around $40,000 first year with benefits and retirement, plus the great hours and you can pick elementary, middle or high, whatever floats your boat. It’s taken me 3 years to get the degree but you could do it much quicker. Univ. of Phoenix has a program too that’s very quick-I think a year. Don’t know about Mass, this is all info that relates to California and Nevada . . . but I assume it’s similar. Good luck! PS You don’t have to have a background in education, I have the ever useful bachelor’s in English.
I agree with others that colleges offer great job opportunities, good benefits, and can open your world to other possibilities that you are not yet aware of (ie having your foot in the door and moving to other departments that suit your interest, taking courses, finding some like-minded people or organizations that you can’t help becoming involved in). I have done that and ended up in a field that I never would have expected and LOVE it. I also really enjoy where people’s priorities are in the academic environment – there’s more of an acceptance of personal growth as opposed to your presence only being about the bottom line. … I also agree with others that nursing is a good field – I’ve seen others do very well. You may have a few years of paying your dues with weird hours, but nursing can become very lucrative and flexible.
I’m not sure if the contest is open still, but here is my 2 cents anyway.
Tutor-whatever you are good at- music, math, english, etc. You could make a substantial amount of CASH! Around here tutors are going for 15-20 bucks an hour. It’s quick, easy and you could get a client base pretty fast by word of mouth. Besides who wouldn’t jump at the chance to have your funny self helping out ?
Doula-I second that. I am currently in the process of becoming a certified doula, which takes a little bit of time and money. But you don’t need certification to attend births. You can do pretty much all your reading/learning online and the library, both free. All you need is a gentle but strong spirit and sometimes a great sense of humor (check, check).
Dog walker/ sitter-doggie day care- I think this is a good idea, too. You can start out small and go bigger as you have more time and resources available to you!
Good Luck, Miss Jenn!
Ok, well, I have to say that you probably won’t be able to to nursing or cna because of the whole needle/IV thing, right? So, we need to think of something not medical.
Of course you’d be great at teaching. And, anything animal releated. But, there’s not much money in rescuing animals (most are non profit)
I wonder if you could put an add in craigslist or something to offer art classes? You are a wonderful artist.
The idea about a court stenographer sounds great! I think it pays well and it’s quick training. But, how to get you free training is the question….
I guess I’m no help. If you could get a teaching job with the degree you already have and not have to do more school, that sounds plausible. Sorry I’m not more help. I’ll keep thinking.
Mater, despite the lemmings inability to recognize my compassion, I have been supporting the Louison House (and other local charities like it) for many years.
For you, I say you need to teach, write, etc. Can you draw very well? You could do illustrations for book covers or any thing that needs an illustration. Just remember to go with your heart. You’ll know if you find something that pleases you. Don’t do something you’re not sure you are going to love because you’ll be miserable later.
Just de-lurking to say that actors apparently make excellent sign-language interpreters since so much of nuance in signing is body language and physicalizing the idea. My mother quit acting when I was in middle school and went back to school for interpreting and has had no shortage of jobs since, wherever she has decided to move in the country. She has the choice usually of working in a school with one or more particular children (which is less stressful and more financially rewarding than teaching) or freelancing, which pays much more per hour but doesn’t guarantee hours.
BTW I love the idea of asking for suggestions about your new career! I’m watching this entry to see if anyone comes up with something I want to do: )
And a last note- did you get my email about how I’m interested in producing new women-centric plays in Boston, and wanted to see if you have any scripts I could read?
I’m so glad that you posted this, Jenn, because I’ve been wanting to give you this advice for a while but hate giving unsolicited advice. So, now that it’s solicited, I say: grantwriter. It’s what I do for a large non-profit, and my job is about 75% writing. It’s a great way to use research and writing skills, feel like you’re helping a cause, and do mostly solitary, quiet work. I know many grantwriters work at least partly from home. And it pays relatively well for a nonprofit, and it’s amazing job security – if you know how to raise money, you will always be wanted by some non-profit. I knew nothing about grantwriting 2 years ago when I took this job, but like you I’m a good writer and researcher and two years in I have mastered the skill, been promoted, and make in the 40k’s, which is pretty good (I think/hope) for a 25 year old. It’s easy to feel like there’s something icky about asking for money, but you’re mostly asking in writing through structured proposals to foundations (whose job it is to parcel out money), and it’s for a good cause. I would think there are lots of museums and colleges in your area that would be interested in taking you on as a volunteer and then hiring you once you got your first grant. Please email me and I can send you some resources about grantwriting. Also, I’d rather not be entered in the Build-A-Bear contest – I don’t have any kids. Thanks though! Sorry for the long comment.
Oops, sorry, I only saw the first two paragraphs of your post and broke rule #1! Nonetheless, I do think it is a good way for someone with our personalities to write and earn money for it – because you are truly an amazing writer, it is your gift, and you deserve to find someway to use it lucratively.
I think you would be goo din advertising or running a human resources office. You’re quirky and you have a really fun, insightful view on people and life. You could have fun with those jobs.
What about skilled trades like plumbing, carpentry, or becoming an electrician? They start with an apprenticeship, pay good money, and you can be a plumber/carpenter/electrician/handy woman anywhere.
Bonus: you’ll be able to fix your own exploding toilets, cantankerous wiring, and leaky roof.
Extra feminist bonus: you’ll be paving the way for more women in lucrative, male-dominated fields.
Good luck, Jen! I hope you find something that you like that *pays you money at the same time.*
Oh, and I would second Jane’s post about grantwriting. If you can get grants and raise money, you will always have a job in the nonprofit world. Nonprofits are always looking for development directors/help in the development department because they need people to raise money so they can pay their staff and accomplish their mission.
How about becoming a Slumber Parties hostess? Work out of your home, flexible hours, fun parties, and lots of repeat business. You’ll just want to keep the inventory locked safely away from the girls… although if they found it, I bet it would be fantastic blog fodder. Yesterday I was on an airplane with some of the regional managers, who were coming from some big convention in Houston. They looked like fun folks!
Jenn, I would check out alternative teacher certification in Massachusetts — here’s the link.
http://www.teach-now.org/dispstateform.cfm?statepageid=515&state=MA
In Texas, you can teach while you are in the program, at a regular teacher salary. You take the certification requirements in a summer program and at night/in weekend classes, and tuition is free.
You should be a psychotherapist.
Too bad the economy just tanked, because you really missed your calling as a personal shopper.
We don’t have any strip clubs in like a 50 mile radius, seems there could be a need there – not that you’d have to dance, but just get a 5% cut from the girls who work for you.
Also, foster care parents seem to be a growth industry in the region.
In a more serious light, substitute teaching at the middle school in town may pay enough to keep the lights on until you find your true calling, and will let you also test out whether or not teaching could be your next career.