If you had one year (more or less) to prepare for a career, what would you do?

[milovany]

a relative was going to night school to be a court reporter, and I was really impressed with the earning potential with it. You might check into that. I have tried to interest my kids in it, it is well paid and I think she said they have a union.

 

 

Just for information's sake: There is some work in the field I just described above for those who are CART transcribers, too, and you're right, it does pay well. The CART transcribers one of the companies I work for hires earn $90/hour!! But -- in this field anyway -- the work is much more limited. CART is verbatim transcription, where speech-to-text transcription is more like sign language (meaning for meaning). For the average high school and college level class, meaning for meaning works well (even better) than word for word. Word-for-word is necessary in some highly technical classes.

[Chris in VA]

I am so not an entreprenuer, so I'd hesitate to suggest doing something that isn't steady income, BUT...

 

My mil's sil offers cooking classes in her home. People bring their own food, and she teaches by theme; one class mil told me about was all sauces. She advertises in the community papers for free and gets people from all walks and stages of life. I think she offered a series for young adults who were cooking for one, as well as a series on simple desserts. I don't know how much she charged, but her kitchen was big enough to hold about 6 people and they had a blast. You could see if the local charities/food banks would partner with you to hold some classes for people of low income who need help making appealing meals with food bank choices--we hold one of those at our church from time to time.

 

Doing something like that at night a couple of times a week could bolster your income significantly. It would provide you an outlet for your creativity and talents, even if you have to do something you aren't as keen on during the day for a while until you find something wonderful.

 

I would, tho, start with a career assesment, like others have said.

 

Tons of hugs to you during this tough time.

[gaillardia]

Phlebotomist...I have a friend who has been doing it off and on for years and she said it just doesn't pay well since younger people are coming in and will take much lower pay than what she has been making..

I would suggest computer courses through continuing education and as others have suggested, check for Displaced Homemakers program in your area.

Also, what are your options for grants and scholarships for college classes and a degree? I know someone who in her 40's went to college while working full time and became a paralegal and is now making very good money.

Accounting is another good one. Our area has a lot of nursing programs in the universities and community colleges which means our area is flooded with a lot of nurses. I've checked career employment websites to see what's in demand which also helps.

[Jayne J]

Julie--if the cottage industry law helps you out, excellent. I really hope that will remove a hurdle for you! If it does not, I wanted to recommend that you look into asking local churches about their facilities, if you haven't already. Many churches have approved commercial kitchens because they serve community meals, etc. You may be able to rent the kitchen for certain hours weekly, and at least get a foot in the door so to speak. I know a woman who runs a cupcake catering business and does all the baking in a church kitchen.

 

Good luck!

[Harriet Vane]

Just chiming in to let you know we are ALL rooting for you here, and we pray that God makes the path clear before you. :grouphug:

[MedicMom]

I know a lot of people mentioned EMT/paramedic. I would not become an EMT, sadly they are a dime a dozen and pay is low. Paramedic is a rough class. I make $57,000 a year working two 24 hour and one 9 hour shift a week. I absolutely could not do it as a single mom. I am able to work mostly opposite my DH and that is how we make it work. My sister is a single mom and has struggled for two years as a paramedic. Granted she didn't work at the most accomadating place, but she wound up moving in with my parents for childcare reasons.

 

If you are interested in health care, do your LPN and then an LPN to RN program. Better hours, better pay, and mote flexibility.

[Seasider]

Holy cow, I love that idea. That's something I could do!

 

 

How 'bout cooking classes for homeschool teens? Home ec, bachelor survival, etc? So many homeschool parents in our area are supplementing income with classes that are not only academic (ie, a professionally trained English teacher doing many IEW classes), but also life-skills based; in our area there are 6-week/semester classes for art, knitting, wood working, auto repair, all designed and offered by skilled parents. We love finding classes like this because they are usually more fun and more reasonably priced than the organized co-ops that have become so popular in recent years. This might be something you could do in the interim, to help meet expenses for your studies in a new field.

[Giraffe]

I've seen it posted a couple of times but wanted to put my two cents in for Accounting. People always need accountants and bookkeepers, in good times and bad. Becoming a CPA takes several years, but becoming a bookkeeper isn't that complicated. Your local CC should be able to help you, and you can work for yourself, for a company as their bookkeeper, or for a firm doing "write up work". Steady hours, steady pay.

[luvnlattes]

Julie, I just saw this info on my home page and thought of you. I don't know if it's reasonable or not but thought I'd throw it out there.

 

Copied and pasted from the web site:

 

1. Executive Pastry Chef (90th Percentile Pay: $102,000; Median Pay: $45,100)

 

Talk about the sweet life. Executive pastry chefs work at exotic resorts, on cruise ships and for luxury hotels. They're also found in fine restaurants, specialty patisseries, and the homes of the famous and powerful (including the White House) -- anyplace where there's a need to create delicious, beautiful baked goods on a large scale.

 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), formal training for chefs can take place at a community college, technical school or culinary school, and two-year degrees are common. Pastry chefs with little formal education can still advance through the ranks to lead a staff. A growing number of chefs participate in training and/or certification programs sponsored by independent cooking schools and organizations; many large hotel and restaurant chains operate their own training programs as well.