My kids are now 9, almost 5 and almost 3. Although I will be home at least 3 more years, I am thinking about what I might want to do when they are all in school. I know many of you already work out of home and I would love to hear about your careers and I also realize many of you plan to home school all the way through or have such large families that you may never work out of home and many also work in home as a WAHM etc. But my main question is for those who do now or plan to, what do you do out of home and do you like your job? Did you have a career pre-kiddos that you went back to or did you change tracks and do something totally new?

As far as my credentials, right now I have a 4 yr college degree in history and had planned to work in the National Park Service managing cultural resources. I wanted to go back and get a Masters in Historic Preservation. But then dh changed career tracks and got into teaching so now I am considerding substitute teaching for a couple years to see how I like it and then possibly getting a Masters in School Counseling so I can be a counselor or getting the credentials to be an Art Teacher or I could just get certified and teach High School History.

Other things I am considering are going to Law School but I worry about how and when I would fit this in without taking a huge toll on my family. I am 30 now and wouldnt want to wait too late to go to school but then I think it would be too hard on the whole family if my kids are still young.

I have also recently considered nursing. But I have an issue with being a bit squeemish. Do you think a person can get over this? LIke concerns with blood and needles? I am very nuturing though and pretty good under pressure. And I have an interest in medical info. I dont know, anyone with experience in these careers or any others that you enjoy please let me know. I also though of massage therapy but dh wasnt into me rubbing on other people. And I love to write but does anyone really make a living as a writer???

My dh is a teacher and we scrape by on his salary so I feel as thekids get older and we need a bigger home and would like to travel with them etc we will need more $$$ to finance it. The benefit of staying in the education field is I would have summers off with dh so we could travel then. But I hadnt originally thought of teaching as something I wanted to do. UUUGH! I am floundering through life as usual. SOrry so long and thanks in advance for any advice!

going to be a substitute teacher (elementary school)

I have done it before kids and been a SAHM for 13 yrs and a WAHM for 2 yrs.

I am going to sub since it is day to day contracting (very versatile), the hours are good (school hours), no weekends, no holidays.

You might set yourself up to try that first to see what or if you like to teach. (It is a good toe in the water to gauge your true feelings)

Hi :)

I taught school before we adopted our special needs children....then I came home full time.

I am going back to teaching again when all our children are in school.....but I will sub teach before then.

When I don't have a little one at home during the day (when they are all in school), I'd be bored to tears......that is my main motivation.

I'll be getting my MS in Religion this coming year.....I also have a B.S. in Elementary Education and Special Education and Early Childhood Education/Development.

Hugs,

Michelle

Originally posted by MamaJosie

My dh is a teacher and we scrape by on his salary so I feel as thekids get older and we need a bigger home and would like to travel with them etc we will need more $$$ to finance it. The benefit of staying in the education field is I would have summers off with dh so we could travel then. But I hadnt originally thought of teaching as something I wanted to do. UUUGH! I am floundering through life as usual. SOrry so long and thanks in advance for any advice!

I forgot to respond to the rest of your post. :D


My dh supported us on his teaching salary for years and it was really tight. (He's an administrator now, which is a bit better but the pay is still low compared to his level of schooling) We went from two teachers salaries to just his, and he was only making $19,000 a year as a teacher back then.

Many people go into teaching because of the hours/summers off and oftentimes this is the worst reason for becoming a teacher. I second the mamas advice above to sub teach first to make sure you have a true love and calling to teach. I think it is a huge mistake and error to both children and the profession when someone goes into teaching for any other reason than truly loving it and feeling it is their calling. (ok, yes I have strong opinions on this one *lol*)

You sound like such a well rounded mama and I know you'll find your perfect career. Thanks for starting this thread.

Hugs,

Michelle

I too, am a SAHM who wants to go back to work when the kiddos are in school. I'm going to college now, but I admit that I'm not sure what I should be going to school for. Around our area, nursing is a big paying job, I could work fewer hours and make a good wage, but I'm not really sure it's my "calling". This is the way I am heading. I just don't look forward to long hours away from my family. At one time I wanted to be a teacher - for all the right reasons, but that doesn't even remotely appeal to me now - I've been too disheartened by Devin's school history.

I wish there was a job that I could do that would involve my dh. If I could only come up with that dream wahbusiness that dh and I could do together my life would be wonderful! We have acreage, we could farm, but honestly, you have to have a lot of $ to make any $ farming. All that equipment is expensive, and then if the weather doesn't cooperate.... Right now we lease out the land to another farmer.

I just wish I could come up with just the right career path for me. I'm trying to prepare for the future by going to college now, but I just don't know what direction I should be heading towards. I know that dh and I work extremely well as a team, we do things together we could have never done on our own.