What is a good career/job for a single mom? Real money

Recently widowed. Age 38. Used to be a jeweler. Could go back to it, but takes time, and start up money, plus I need to travel to get work, and have the kids, still very young, age 4 and 6.

I really need to work and make money, but feel unskilled in any fields besides the arts, and really there is little money there esp in a recession. Child care costs nearly as much as I'd make at a "job" at a store or whatever. No profit there.

Part time? Work at home? Go back to school for a short time for a certain skill?

Help!!!

Any concrete REAL ideas?

wow, avaro - i'm really sorry about your husband.  you're way too young to be a widow.

what about costume jewelry?  the overhead is lower, but you'd still be using your skills.  i know people who hand-make glass beads, and they're unique and amazing.  you can string them on leather or stainless to start, silver when you have more cash.  you could definitely do it at home, and you probably already have the tools.  then find an artists' co-op or market to sell your stuff.

I would say nursing - if you can make time for the schooling.  It pays well, it's not affected by the economy, etc.

Even if it means moving in with your parents for a while, it may be worth it.

 

I'm 38 and have been in the job market all this time, and even so, it's still a struggle, esp. without great credentials.

Condolences on your loss and best of luck on your career search.

mmm...sorry for your loss....very sorry

 

real-estate agent....flexable, and not too time consuming.

A lot of women make very good recruiters (such as myself!). It's an 8-5 job and agencies will train you without any prior experience. Look for ones that will pay you a decent base salary; they are out there. Well, unless you're comfortable with 100% commission.

I have been recruiting for a few years. I now do contracting from my home and make pretty good money. I really like it.

:( I'm really sorry about your husband

If you really want something with long-term job stability, good pay from the start, benefits and a choice of where you want to work, I think the best thing to do is something in the medical field. Nursing, sonogram or radiology technician, etc. You'd be looking at a minimum of two years of school, but your options after are tremendous. I've seen the average starting pay of RN's is somewhere between $40-50K in most US cities, even smaller ones.

You also can have your choice of schedules, because nurses are in such shortage.

Real Estate isn't a very good field right now!  I know a lot of realtors here in my little town working at fast food and restaruants and stuff to help make ends meet.

Go to the local DES unemployment place and apply for assistance.  They will help you find a job, usually pay for schooling and stuff especially if you are eligile for public assistance ( medicaid, food stamps etc..)

I would also recommend going to the local community college or other and see what they offer.  OUr community college offers medical transcription classes.  There are always drs looking for transcriptionists and its something that can be done at home in most cases.

Certified Nursing assistants are always in demand and some assisted living places or nursing homes might offer the classes for free too - $ ai't real great usually to start.  Hospitals use Patient care techs -- I don't know what kind of training that takes but basically if you have a strong stomach its just answering the buzzers empting emesis basins, logging food/ water intake output etc

Medical assistants in dr or dds office -- front desk in offices too.

As you can see medical field is wide open!

First, I'm very sorry for your loss. 

You might try to get on at the school district your kiddos will be attending.  The pay is usually not great, BUT you keep the same hours they are in school and some districts pay for the in-school childcare for employees.  If not completely paid, then hefty discounts.  The benefits are usually pretty good too.  I know you have a little one that is not in school right now, but it won't be too much longer!

Good luck to you and your family.

I'm not sure of the time frame you have as far as education or training, but my wife is getting ready to start an apprenticeship to become a hair-dresser at an upscale salon.  The training lasts for one year and a job at the salon is guaranteed upon completion.

The down-payment for the program was king of hefty, but thankfully her grandparents helped us out with it.  Apparently, you can make decent green as long as you're a stylist in an upscale salon and/or day-spa.  I wouldn't expect to make much dough chopping locks at Supercuts though.

am so sorry to hear of your loss.

many good suggestions here. hope you find your path.

I just thought of one not mentioned here. The hair stylist reminded me of it. I had a friend who had her job basically taken away from her. She was able to quit and threaten a lawsuit. The company reached a settlement. She took the money and became one of those fake nail appliers (don't know the term). I don't know what the training costs are, but she was done in less than a year. She makes great money. It didn't take her long to build a regular clientele. She can work whatever hours she chooses.

There are tons of women that spend tons of money on fake nails, no matter what the economy is like. It's kind of shocking to me how much money women will pay to keep their nails done, but they do it and in droves.

I wouldn't recommend this for a real career option, but my MIL recently retired and has started working from home for this company... www.liveops.com...  She just takes phone calls - incoming orders on things on the internet - everything from exercise equipment to pizzas to flowers and more.  It's kinda boring but really easy and she makes $10/hr plus commission on every call she takes. You also get to pick your own hours.  It's not a bad way to make a little extra money from home while you try to figure out what you really want to do, or go back to school or whatever.   Good luck!

STNA.  The third shifters at the nursing home my mom works at make a whole lot of money to sit on their asses.  Yeah, technically they should be working but they'd rather just sit on their ass.  At least until my mom finishes her training, 'cause she's their new boss and she believes in working for your paycheck. :D

But seriously, it's something you could do while your kids are at school/in daycare and depending on where you get in at you can make decent money to cover childcare expenses and live life.

I'm sorry to hear of your loss...

You could do daycare in your home for your friend's children. It's something I'd like to do one day, when I have a family of my own, because I want to be with my children but I still want to make money.

I am so sorry for your loss.  I am also 38 and my husband was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease so I know this is something I will have to face one day as well.

You profile doesn't say where you are living but I know that a lot of states have programs that are designed specifically for these type of situations.  Pull a search on Google for "Displaced Homemaker".  I was able to find several programs run by various states and other agencies (such as YWCA).  These programs typically help with child care and free or low cost training to update your employment skills for today's market.

I hope this helps.

 

also, you are entitled to social security benefits for each of your children until they reach the age of 18. As well as healthcare in many states.

as emk said, your profile doesn't indicate where you live, but if it is in the US, you have resources available that may help.

Avaro, firstly I'd like to say you have my condolences.

It's okay to need help from the state. I hope you aren't too proud to take it. If needed for your childrens sake.It's not an overall solution but may help temporary. At least until you've found a job. You could always look for a job in home healthcare. Some of the places will actually help you to become certified.It may take time but it's worth it. It's very difficult with children, a full time job, and school.However, it's still doable. Set short sighted goals and just continued to keep upping the bar for yourself.


I agree that it would be best for you to go into the medical field. But, scratch that if you simply aren't the type. OR you couldn't hack the environment. Some people honestly can't. It depends on your personality ect. There are a lot of different things in the medical field though. So don't just write it off either. You don't simply have to be a nurse/ or care giver of any kind. I actually heard about a ten month physical therapist certification course that's available. They also have them to become an x-ray medical technician.  

Original Post by enchantingimage:

Avaro, firstly I'd like to say you have my condolences.

It's okay to need help from the state. I hope you aren't too proud to take it. If needed for your childrens sake.It's not an overall solution but may help temporary. 

DEFINITELY.  If you are eligible for WIC and/or Food Stamps, by all means, take advantage of them.  That is what they are there for.  You have a genuine need until you can get established financially!

I definitely agree about nursing. The medical field is a reliable one and nurses make good money. You can find 2 year RN programs as well.
Best of luck and sorry for your loss.

If you have a military installation or a government entity nearby, go to www.usajobs.gov, search for a field of work that is appealing to you because it covers a huge variety of fields, and put in an application. 

There is always room for advancement for those who are ambitious.  Plus many career centered positions offer paid college while you work.  Not to mention all the free training you can receive while in the job. 

And one important factor - it's very family friendly, especially for single parents.

Don't say your skills are limited, perhaps your range of skills have not been challenged, that's all.  Who knows?  You might be an excellent lab technician, or a real whiz at numbers, or possess extraodinary organization skills.   You could land an upward mobility position where you start at the bottom of the totem pole but advance up the payscale annually to achieve full potential status. 

The website is like a huge catalog of jobs - there's something for everyone.  Nursing, computer aided design, engineering, food services, child care etc.  It's just gigantic.  Can't hurt to browse around.

Good luck, and I'm sorry for your loss.

If you want to get into a job fairly soon, and like talking to people, I would say real estate.  I think it is only ~30 hours of training, depending on the state, and then you need to pass a test for license.  Yes, it is not a great market now, but people are always buying houses no matter what.  And you would be all set when the market picks up.

If you have time for several years to take prereqs, I would say nursing.  This is a stable job and there is always a demand for nurses.