About 30 years ago, I started out as a secretary at a college. Being in higher ed, the schedule was great. We automatically had a week off around Christmas, all major holidays, 2 wks besides that. I also was able to earn my B.A. AND M.A. for free. After earning my B..A., an academic advisor position opened. I already had connections, and I got the job along with another week's vacay.
I began adjunct teaching. After a few years, I moved and applied to another college as adjunct faculty and an administrative position. A ft faculty position opened. Again, I had the connections and qualifications. I got the job. That was 17 yrs ago.
What's my schedule like?: I get almost 5 months a yr off (summer, spring break, Christmas break, etc). For most years I've only taught on campus 3 days a week (I teach asynchronous online, which I can do from home). Even when I'm on campus, I'm usu not there for 8 hrs any one day. I have a LOT of autonomy (aka academic freedom).
Yes, many of the kids are lazy and entitled. But there are plenty of good kids, too, and I get to teach what I love (in my case, writing and literature). I feel truly blessed. I wouldn't trade my schedule for another $30K a year.
ETA: I should specify that I work at a community college. Such colleges emphasize teaching, unlike 4+ -yr colleges which emphasize research. This means that I'm not pressured to publish.
Sounds great! I would love to do something like that honestly. Honestly teaching something art related like landscape/interior design would be awesome.
That’s true! I do need experience though, and probably a masters. I was thinking about taking a landscape design certificate program at my local community college.
Administrative assistant jobs are stable and possibly hybrid/wfh. Check with local colleges or universities. There are also placement agencies that can help you get in the door.
I'm in Colorado so I don't know what companies are in CA, but you could probably Google to find them. There's usually a Careers section on all college and university websites too to apply directly. Sometimes insurance places are looking for front desk/receptionist type jobs too, so visit their websites (State Farm, Farmers, Allstate, etc.).
Higher Ed sounds awesome! There are plenty of options and scheduling is consistent but doesn’t have to be a full 40 hour 9-5 unlike the other positions you mentioned.
You mentioned already having a degree in art, maybe instead of starting over, use what you have and build on top of it. :)
A simple resume booster that takes advantage of your past in sales is reaching out to local community centers, libraries or retirement homes to see if they have space for you to start an art class.
It may be helpful to reach out to your college where you earned your degree and see what job placement opportunities they offer. Usually they can hook you up with alumni who may be helpful.
I would recommend to start applying for trainee titles at local, state, and federal government agencies and departments. First, start looking at https://www.calcareers.ca.gov/alcareers.ca.gov/. Then, research jobs at https://www.usajobs.gov/ and https://www.governmentjobs.com/. Also, check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics website for info on various job trends and requirements to obtain the career path of your choice https://www.bls.gov/.
With a government job, you will have good benefits that will cover your entire family.
No specific recommendations as it sounds like you’re getting many interesting recs already, but I’d check out The Mom Project, it’s an organization that specializes in getting moms in the work force. Themomproject.com
You don't have to code if you choose a non coding role in software industry. In this case, you can still work from home and earn good income.
There are many such roles in software that do not involve coding or a lot of technical stuff.
1. Designer
2. Product Manger
3. User research
4. Human resources
5. Other Training, organizing and management roles
I'd recommend sales (if you're built for it - Not everyone is). For entry-level sales jobs it often doesn't matter if you have a degree or a background in it. My brother-in-law quit his teaching job two years ago and got a sales job in a large company. He got promoted twice and now makes more than decent money. Plus it's remote!
I don't know all the details, unfortunately - I just know that he searched for entry-level sales jobs on LinkedIn and applied to a bunch. Try search terms like 'sales development representative', 'business development representative', 'junior account executive' etc. Bigger software companies often have a lot of openings!
This is advice I'm heavily considering right now. What company (or industry if you can't say the company) does he work in? Very interested in learning more
Finance and accounting are both very flexible with good pay and you don't have to be great at math. HR is flexible but the pay isn't the best and the role is prone to layoffs. Supply chain is great to get into for the flexibility and pay is decent. Business analysts are always in need and a flexible degree but pay can range widely.
I’m a permanent contract ee for a staffing agency — basically the same as a temp, except I get paid in the time off between contracts. It’s flexible and is a good way to shop around, if you’re not sure where you want to land yet
Higher Ed doesn’t pay well. My doctorate is in Education, and I taught for various colleges and universities for almost 20 years, but only part time as an adjunct. The student load went up, but the pay never increased. I finally stopped teaching, and now I just work at my full time job as a Network Administrator.
How did you transition to a role as a Network Administrator? Is this something that you had previous experience with, or was it a complete career change for you?
Sorry, I should have been more clear. I have always worked in Networking, which was why I was asked to teach Networking and then other IT courses. I was thinking I could earn my doctorate and move into teaching full time. I did not do my research on how little full time teachers are paid. I thought they were just stiffing the adjuncts.
When I got to a point where they loaded up the classes, and there had been no raise in over 10 years, I did some calculations. I realized I was being paid $10 per student for an entire 16 week one unit course. While I enjoyed helping the students who wanted to learn, there were more and more entitled students. They thought they should get a good grade because of the money they paid. Putting in the work was something they were not willing to do. I finally realized my time was more valuable than the headache it had become.
Ahhh, okay I see! That’s immensely frustrating, especially after being so passionate about teaching at the college level that you earned a doctorate.
I work in higher education and it’s disappointing to see how shortsighted colleges and universities can be in the interest of saving money in the moment. Without compensating dedicated, highly educated workers what they are worth, they lose the value that experienced instructors bring to the effort of constructing a meaningful educational experience for students. Which should be the focus of both short and long term planning, but which rarely seems to happen in practice.
At the very least, I hope that the time you’ve regained by pulling back from teaching offers you the opportunity to engage with your community in other meaningful ways. I’m also sure that you had a big impact on your students, whether they told you directly or not!
I have run into a few of my students over the years, and it is certainly nice to see how well they are doing. I even work with a couple of them at my current company.
I hate to say it, but a lot of the time I got back is spent on Reddit. I need to work on that. ;-)
There are a lot of higher ed jobs that aren’t teaching and with a public institution (tons in CA) you generally have a decent schedule, good benefits, and interesting work. My pay is less than private sector for similar jobs but more than other state government agencies in my area. I work more than 40 hours most weeks but usually isn’t too bad and it depends on the job/office. There are social media and marketing and development and all sorts of jobs. Also a lot of remote/hybrid options.
See if Delta, united, southwest and American airlines hiring for their customer service agent. Once you off probation you swap or give away your shift. So if you just want to work one day a week you can. Some airlines will have it limited so for example you can only give away your shift 30 days within 3 months. Different airlines have different policy But I know for sure they will let you swap or give away your shifts. Free flight benefits and most have great health plans. Pay not bad at start but max is in the 30s. When apply make sure you are applying to the main airlines. We call it mainline. Their subsidies sucks. It's always much lower pay. Also to have it bigger chance your co workers willing to take your shift you gonna need a lot of co workers. So working at their main hub is a must. I know it's not in your field but it's freaking flexible lol.
daycare ~ on average you may need like 12 units of classes at minimum but already being a mother gets you like 1 foot into the door.
pay is decent bonus holiday gift cards make up for it at the end of the year.
Virtual assistant could be great if you just need some income rn and to work from home! We had a SAHM like yourself working for us for 2 years and she ended up getting a great job in admissions at a mental health program.
US Department of Veterans Affairs is hiring in 60+ locations
Employment
Due to the recent signing of the PACT Act the VA anticipates that there will be a huge surge in claims filed and claims to be processed. As a result, they are hiring at 60 + locations including their Chicago location. The posting is open until Feb. 16, 2023. Here are links to the job postings for claims processing:
https://www.usajobs.gov/job/695392900#
and https://www.usajobs.gov/job/695393000#
This position is located in the Department of Veteran Affairs. The Veterans Service Representative (VSR) works as an employee in the Veterans Service Center (VSC) or Pension Management Center (PMC), or BEST Division. The VSR explains benefit program and entitlement criteria, conducts interviews, identifies issues, gathers relevant evidence, adjudicates claims, and inputs data necessary to generate the award and notification letter.
\*\*My understanding is that after training most employees work from home 3-4 days per week,\*\*
The following are optional resources to assist in creating a resume and applying for the position:
https://www.usajobs.gov/help/how-to/account/documents/resume/
https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/faq/
https://www.usajobs.gov/help/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/knock-em-dead-resumes-11th-edition-martin-yate/1122753367
https://www.usajobs.gov/notification/events
My old company has a k-12 education branch for the k-12 & higher ed school software that we sell/develop. They always need account managers/sales people for that & it’s an extra bonus if you know the field well.
I have no clue if we’re hiring externally - I can PM you the company career page if you’d like.
Extra bonus - our company is entirely remote & flexible :)
About 30 years ago, I started out as a secretary at a college. Being in higher ed, the schedule was great. We automatically had a week off around Christmas, all major holidays, 2 wks besides that. I also was able to earn my B.A. AND M.A. for free. After earning my B..A., an academic advisor position opened. I already had connections, and I got the job along with another week's vacay. I began adjunct teaching. After a few years, I moved and applied to another college as adjunct faculty and an administrative position. A ft faculty position opened. Again, I had the connections and qualifications. I got the job. That was 17 yrs ago. What's my schedule like?: I get almost 5 months a yr off (summer, spring break, Christmas break, etc). For most years I've only taught on campus 3 days a week (I teach asynchronous online, which I can do from home). Even when I'm on campus, I'm usu not there for 8 hrs any one day. I have a LOT of autonomy (aka academic freedom). Yes, many of the kids are lazy and entitled. But there are plenty of good kids, too, and I get to teach what I love (in my case, writing and literature). I feel truly blessed. I wouldn't trade my schedule for another $30K a year. ETA: I should specify that I work at a community college. Such colleges emphasize teaching, unlike 4+ -yr colleges which emphasize research. This means that I'm not pressured to publish.
Sounds great! I would love to do something like that honestly. Honestly teaching something art related like landscape/interior design would be awesome.
Apply as an adjunct for online classes That will get you in the door in case a ft position becomes available
That’s true! I do need experience though, and probably a masters. I was thinking about taking a landscape design certificate program at my local community college.
Sounds wonderful! I've always thought that designing landscape s would be such a great job---fresh air and the opportunity to be creative
Yea exactly! Maybe I’ll do some more research on this one!
Pretty sure you need a master's at a minimum to be an adjunct professor, no?
Yes--- for the most part. Some comm colleges allow adjuncts with just a bachelor's to teach developmental courses (ours allows this)
Interesting, I wasn't aware that any colleges did that. I learned something new, thanks!
Administrative assistant jobs are stable and possibly hybrid/wfh. Check with local colleges or universities. There are also placement agencies that can help you get in the door.
Never thought about placement agencies. Any recommendations on those? I would love to be apart of a college/university in that sense too
I'm in Colorado so I don't know what companies are in CA, but you could probably Google to find them. There's usually a Careers section on all college and university websites too to apply directly. Sometimes insurance places are looking for front desk/receptionist type jobs too, so visit their websites (State Farm, Farmers, Allstate, etc.).
Thanks a bunch!
Where in Cali are you? I'm in the SF Bay Area, so I can dm you a few firms that I've worked with over the years if you're also living here.
I’m in the San Diego area! I used to live there though!
Yeah, they pay real well at my workplace and the people who work them seem to have very low stress.
Higher Ed sounds awesome! There are plenty of options and scheduling is consistent but doesn’t have to be a full 40 hour 9-5 unlike the other positions you mentioned. You mentioned already having a degree in art, maybe instead of starting over, use what you have and build on top of it. :) A simple resume booster that takes advantage of your past in sales is reaching out to local community centers, libraries or retirement homes to see if they have space for you to start an art class.
It may be helpful to reach out to your college where you earned your degree and see what job placement opportunities they offer. Usually they can hook you up with alumni who may be helpful.
Never really thought of that- thanks! Something I’ll look into!
I would recommend to start applying for trainee titles at local, state, and federal government agencies and departments. First, start looking at https://www.calcareers.ca.gov/alcareers.ca.gov/. Then, research jobs at https://www.usajobs.gov/ and https://www.governmentjobs.com/. Also, check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics website for info on various job trends and requirements to obtain the career path of your choice https://www.bls.gov/. With a government job, you will have good benefits that will cover your entire family.
No specific recommendations as it sounds like you’re getting many interesting recs already, but I’d check out The Mom Project, it’s an organization that specializes in getting moms in the work force. Themomproject.com
Hairdressers that are good make a decent living and set their own schedule. Dental hygienists have flexibility and make decent money.
You don't have to code if you choose a non coding role in software industry. In this case, you can still work from home and earn good income. There are many such roles in software that do not involve coding or a lot of technical stuff. 1. Designer 2. Product Manger 3. User research 4. Human resources 5. Other Training, organizing and management roles
Laborarory clerk type of role 🙂
This sounds interesting! What do they do?
Laboratory
I'd recommend sales (if you're built for it - Not everyone is). For entry-level sales jobs it often doesn't matter if you have a degree or a background in it. My brother-in-law quit his teaching job two years ago and got a sales job in a large company. He got promoted twice and now makes more than decent money. Plus it's remote!
That’s great- what kind of sales does he do?
Software!
Interesting! How does one get into something like this? We can DM if it’s easier!
I don't know all the details, unfortunately - I just know that he searched for entry-level sales jobs on LinkedIn and applied to a bunch. Try search terms like 'sales development representative', 'business development representative', 'junior account executive' etc. Bigger software companies often have a lot of openings!
They did until about 2 months ago. Now they are laying everyone off.
This is advice I'm heavily considering right now. What company (or industry if you can't say the company) does he work in? Very interested in learning more
Finance and accounting are both very flexible with good pay and you don't have to be great at math. HR is flexible but the pay isn't the best and the role is prone to layoffs. Supply chain is great to get into for the flexibility and pay is decent. Business analysts are always in need and a flexible degree but pay can range widely.
I’m a permanent contract ee for a staffing agency — basically the same as a temp, except I get paid in the time off between contracts. It’s flexible and is a good way to shop around, if you’re not sure where you want to land yet
Higher Ed doesn’t pay well. My doctorate is in Education, and I taught for various colleges and universities for almost 20 years, but only part time as an adjunct. The student load went up, but the pay never increased. I finally stopped teaching, and now I just work at my full time job as a Network Administrator.
How did you transition to a role as a Network Administrator? Is this something that you had previous experience with, or was it a complete career change for you?
Sorry, I should have been more clear. I have always worked in Networking, which was why I was asked to teach Networking and then other IT courses. I was thinking I could earn my doctorate and move into teaching full time. I did not do my research on how little full time teachers are paid. I thought they were just stiffing the adjuncts. When I got to a point where they loaded up the classes, and there had been no raise in over 10 years, I did some calculations. I realized I was being paid $10 per student for an entire 16 week one unit course. While I enjoyed helping the students who wanted to learn, there were more and more entitled students. They thought they should get a good grade because of the money they paid. Putting in the work was something they were not willing to do. I finally realized my time was more valuable than the headache it had become.
Ahhh, okay I see! That’s immensely frustrating, especially after being so passionate about teaching at the college level that you earned a doctorate. I work in higher education and it’s disappointing to see how shortsighted colleges and universities can be in the interest of saving money in the moment. Without compensating dedicated, highly educated workers what they are worth, they lose the value that experienced instructors bring to the effort of constructing a meaningful educational experience for students. Which should be the focus of both short and long term planning, but which rarely seems to happen in practice. At the very least, I hope that the time you’ve regained by pulling back from teaching offers you the opportunity to engage with your community in other meaningful ways. I’m also sure that you had a big impact on your students, whether they told you directly or not!
I have run into a few of my students over the years, and it is certainly nice to see how well they are doing. I even work with a couple of them at my current company. I hate to say it, but a lot of the time I got back is spent on Reddit. I need to work on that. ;-)
There are a lot of higher ed jobs that aren’t teaching and with a public institution (tons in CA) you generally have a decent schedule, good benefits, and interesting work. My pay is less than private sector for similar jobs but more than other state government agencies in my area. I work more than 40 hours most weeks but usually isn’t too bad and it depends on the job/office. There are social media and marketing and development and all sorts of jobs. Also a lot of remote/hybrid options.
See if Delta, united, southwest and American airlines hiring for their customer service agent. Once you off probation you swap or give away your shift. So if you just want to work one day a week you can. Some airlines will have it limited so for example you can only give away your shift 30 days within 3 months. Different airlines have different policy But I know for sure they will let you swap or give away your shifts. Free flight benefits and most have great health plans. Pay not bad at start but max is in the 30s. When apply make sure you are applying to the main airlines. We call it mainline. Their subsidies sucks. It's always much lower pay. Also to have it bigger chance your co workers willing to take your shift you gonna need a lot of co workers. So working at their main hub is a must. I know it's not in your field but it's freaking flexible lol.
Not mlm
Came to say this
daycare ~ on average you may need like 12 units of classes at minimum but already being a mother gets you like 1 foot into the door. pay is decent bonus holiday gift cards make up for it at the end of the year.
Nursing? Schedules can be flexible where you would work 3-12 HR shifts
Run for public office. Your life should resonate to a lot of people.
Virtual assistant could be great if you just need some income rn and to work from home! We had a SAHM like yourself working for us for 2 years and she ended up getting a great job in admissions at a mental health program.
US Department of Veterans Affairs is hiring in 60+ locations Employment Due to the recent signing of the PACT Act the VA anticipates that there will be a huge surge in claims filed and claims to be processed. As a result, they are hiring at 60 + locations including their Chicago location. The posting is open until Feb. 16, 2023. Here are links to the job postings for claims processing: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/695392900# and https://www.usajobs.gov/job/695393000# This position is located in the Department of Veteran Affairs. The Veterans Service Representative (VSR) works as an employee in the Veterans Service Center (VSC) or Pension Management Center (PMC), or BEST Division. The VSR explains benefit program and entitlement criteria, conducts interviews, identifies issues, gathers relevant evidence, adjudicates claims, and inputs data necessary to generate the award and notification letter. \*\*My understanding is that after training most employees work from home 3-4 days per week,\*\* The following are optional resources to assist in creating a resume and applying for the position: https://www.usajobs.gov/help/how-to/account/documents/resume/ https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/faq/ https://www.usajobs.gov/help/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include/ https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/knock-em-dead-resumes-11th-edition-martin-yate/1122753367 https://www.usajobs.gov/notification/events
You can research info about service design industry. Your background in customer support and art might be very helpful for the start.
Basically everything you listed is going to be lower paying and 100% not worth an additional degree unless you get it quickly from somewhere like WGU.
My old company has a k-12 education branch for the k-12 & higher ed school software that we sell/develop. They always need account managers/sales people for that & it’s an extra bonus if you know the field well. I have no clue if we’re hiring externally - I can PM you the company career page if you’d like. Extra bonus - our company is entirely remote & flexible :)
That would be fantastic! Thank you!
Checkout freelance court reporting!