Everyone’s journey in life tends to be different. While some are able to figure out who they are and what they want early on, other’s sometimes take a little longer. In addition to this, having a child can change your plans and the direction that your life goes in. At times, parents tend to need a lot more flexibility or just learn new things about themselves altogether. Whatever the case may be, if you’re thinking about taking a new direction in your career, here are a few that you may want to consider.
1. Virtual Assistant
If you’re someone who would like a lot more flexibility, you should consider a career as a virtual assistant. This is a great idea if you have administrative experience or are someone who enjoys doing admin related tasks. Having said that, below are a few steps that could help you become a virtual assistant.
- Decide on Your Services: If you have specific areas that you’re strong in or enjoy more, perhaps focus on offering those services. It could mean that you’ll be managing diaries and liaising with clients via email, for example.
- Choose the Right Prices: Deciding on your pricing is an important aspect of becoming a virtual assistant. After all, you want to be sure that your prices aren’t too high and also that they aren’t so low that you’re at a loss. You can choose the right prices by checking what market rates are and selecting a price point that’s in the middle.
- Pitch and Network: To become a successful virtual assistant, you’ve got to get good at pitching and networking. It often isn’t likely that people are going to come to look for you in the early stages, so you’ll have to go and look for them.
2. Teaching
Another great career option would be to start a career in teaching. Not everyone is cut out to be a teacher, so be sure it’s something that you would enjoy. Some things that could make you suitable to be a teacher include a passion for learning, transferring knowledge, or working with different people.
You’re also going to need to decide what level you want to teach, as well as the subject matters you want to focus on. Doing so will help you decide on the best education or qualifications to get moving forward. If you don’t particularly want to teach, you could look for other roles within the education sector alternatively.
3. Freelance Writing
For those moms who are good with their words, freelance writing could be a great career path. Although some people don’t believe that freelance writing can pull in money, it certainly can if you do it the right way. However, it means choosing a niche that needs writers so that you’re sure you have enough of a demand. Below, you’ll see a few tips for becoming a freelance writer.
- Choose Your Niche: To begin with, as mentioned above, you have to choose a niche. It could be food, technology, or parenting as long as your knowledgeable and passionate about the subject matter. See what leading writers are covering and how you could add a fresh perspective.
- Market Yourself: As a freelance writer, you’ve got to market yourself and put your services in front of people that need them. There are multiple ways to market yourself, which include building a social media presence, creating a website where prospects can find you, and making your portfolio visible online. The goal should be to ensure you show what you can deliver and demonstrate your skills in the digital world.
- Develop Your Skills: Although you don’t have to be a perfect writer to develop a career as a freelancer, it does help when you’re good at what you do. To improve your writing skills, commit to writing every day, whether via a personal blog or any other platform. Guest blogging is also a fantastic way to develop your skills and get yourself out there.
4. Policing
Another career path you may want to consider is policing. This would be a good job for a mom as you get a chance to give back to and protect members for your community. It is a job that many take pride in, as well as get a sense of fulfillment from.
To get into the policing field, you’re going to need at least a high school diploma. In terms of the minimum requirements, some include being a US citizen, having a valid driver’s license, and being at least 18 years old depending on the department policy. You’ll also need to pass the law enforcement entrance exam and graduate from the police academy.
Once you’ve been working for at least a year, look into getting your bachelor of policing which you can do online. Doing so enables you to continue working while you further your education and hopefully, your career too.
5. Starting a Business
For those who have a thing for business, starting one of your own may be a good idea. However, it’s crucial that you don’t jump in without first knowing that it’s something you’re cut out for. Look for entrepreneurs in your immediate research or connect with a few online to find out what their experiences have been like and if it’s something you see yourself doing. In the event that you do decide to go ahead and start your own business, here are a few ways to increase the chances of running a successful business.
- Choose the Right Niche: Before starting a business, you’ve got to make sure that there’s a demand for the product that you’re aiming to launch. If not, you will struggle to make sales, and it could lead to the eventual failure of your business. Study the market and see what’s in demand as well as where any gaps in the market are. By doing this, you should be able to find a profitable niche.
- Plan Meticulously: If you want to launch a successful business, the planning phase is crucial. Focus on developing a well-researched and detailed business plan that gives an insight into what your company does and how it intends to operate as well as scale. You can look for a business plan template online to help you get started.
- Raise Enough Capital: Depending on the type of business that you’re going to be launching, capital is a must. Having said that, even if it isn’t capital intensive, you’ll still need to invest in marketing and advertising for greater exposure. There is a range of options when it comes to funding a business such as taking out a business loan or looking for investors.
6. Web Developer
Becoming a web developer is another job option for creative moms. This is ideal if you’re tech-savvy and can see yourself coding and designing websites for other people. This job is also one that is flexible as you could do it from home if you choose to. In order to become a web developer, you’re going to need to develop technical skills, which can you do through education or self-teaching. Also, practice your coding skills and launch your portfolio online so that you get the right exposure from people who may need your services.
7. Market Researcher
Research is something that every industry needs. If you enjoy researching and discovering new things, this could be a career path that you should consider. More specifically, you could become a market research analyst, but you’d need to gain knowledge in subjects like statistics, math, or computer science. The median salary for this job role is $62,150, with the potential of learning a lot more. Getting a master’s degree could help increase your earnings as well.
8. Medical Assistant
The medical field is another fantastic sector for moms, especially if you enjoy caretaking. Becoming a medical assistant would consist of supporting the work of physicians or other health professionals. Here are a few practical steps you could take to get there.
- Get a Degree: If you want to become a medical assistant, you should get the right education. To begin, you’ll need anatomy, biology, and chemistry from high school to build a foundation at least. You can then enroll in a certification to undergraduate program and get the right licensure or certification once you finish. In terms of training, you can often get it on the job, so be ready and open to learning.
- Network: Aside from getting an education, networking is also an essential part of becoming a medical assistant. By doing this, you’re more likely to find better job opportunities at a company that you love.
9. Realtor
Successful realtors rake in a good amount of cash. If you want something that pays well and also gives you flexibility around your kids, then this may work well for you. In order to pursue a career as a realtor, here are a few things you’ll need.
- Meet Minimum Requirements: The first thing you need to become a realtor is to make sure you meet the minimum requirements. This means knowing what your state’s age and education requirement are first and foremost.
- Get the Right Qualifications: In addition to making sure you meet the minimum requirements, getting the necessary qualifications is important too. Taking real estate education courses, meeting minimum instruction hours, and passing state exams are a few to consider.
- Study the Market: It’s crucial that you study the real estate market as it’s ever-changing. Understand how it works so that you can perform better and build your reputation from the first stages.
10. Tutoring
For any mom that would prefer to work from home full-time, consider becoming a tutor. This role is best if you specialize in one of the core subjects and feel you have the patience to teach kids or adults at any level. Seeing as you’re going to be self- employed, like many other careers mentioned above, you’re going to need to promote and market yourself.
To become a tutor, focus on building up experience and your portfolio. If you’re good at what you do, the word will spread, and you’ll find your client-base gradually increasing.
11. Mom Blogger
Starting a mom blog is a great step to take despite how saturated the market may seem. If you’ve got a strong voice and are capable of telling compelling stories as well as writing interesting articles, it could work well for you.
There is also the option to vlog about your life as a mom if you don’t mind sharing moments of your life and are comfortable in front of the camera. The good thing about starting a blog or vlog is you don’t need much to get started. As long as you have technology that will give you high-resolution sound, images, or videos, you should be good to go.
In terms of how you’ll generate revenue, YouTube views, affiliate marketing, guest posts, and ads are just a few of many ways to consider.
12. Baker
For those who are talented in the department of baking, don’t underestimate what a good revenue stream this could be. This is especially true if you make delicious treats as this is something everyone with a sweet tooth is looking for! You could start out baking in your home and decide which item would have a better demand. You can then look for ways to distribute your baked goods. Selling them at the right price point is also crucial. Research to find out how much they’re being sold for on average, so you aren’t too expensive and also not at a loss.
Using social media to create brand awareness should also help alongside word of mouth about your baked goods. Eventually, you could decide to open your own shop if that’s the direction you want to go in.
As a mom, it isn’t easy finding a work-life balance between growing kids and a growing career. You want to ensure you’re the best mom possible and at the same time, fulfill your dreams or discover your passions. Hopefully, the above careers have given you some inspiration and direction in terms of where to take your career next.