Best Jobs for single moms.

[hotmom]

Please share your ideas on the best jobs for single moms~

I cannot seem t o support my family, I had been a SAHM for many years, now I have 3 kids to myself. I dont want to have to rely on anyone - including Ex. I want to learn a trade to be self sufficient. I have the opportunity to take a FEW months to try to get licensed in something that I can get a job in, maybe a CNA or the like. What could I DO? What jobs are out there that require just a little training. I am broke and jobless at the time, I'm getting down.
thanks

[MsChatsAlot]

What do you like to do? What are you passionate about? What skills do you have that you enjoy using?

Getting a *job* is sometimes necessary, but if you can get something that you really love, it will make going to work easier and likely, you'll make more money too.

[StephandOwen]

I agree with MCA- what sort of things do you like? Finding something you like, rather than just something you can do, will make getting up in the morning so much easier!

For me- I love kids. I'm getting my associates in early childhood education right now (sloooooowly working on it. LOL). For 5 years I was a nanny (when I stopped it was on the 5 years olds birthday and I also had a 1 year old I was watching). My ds was born about 14 months after I started that nanny positition. He came with me everyday.

Now I'm working in a daycare part time. DS goes to the big kid room and I work mostly in the infant room. It's a smaller daycare so he can just come down the hall anytime he needs to see mama. Works out great for us! It's not a long term job, but it'll get us through this hump.

ETA- I should add that it's been really important to me to have ds close. He has special needs and I need to be able to keep my eyes on him, more or less at all times. Fortunately the woman who work in his room are very nice and I trust them all with DS, but I don't think I could send him to daycare if I wasn't right there. His specialness is just too much for some people to handle.

[PattyCakes_726]

The healthcare industry is desparate for all kinds of tech people - ultrasound, Xray techs, all tyoes of nursing positions. Lots of the training programs can be completed in under a year. My friend is an ultrasound tech and loves it. Her schedule is flexible and she makes about 50K a year.
Good luck!

[singin'intherain]

I'll second healthcare. Your state may have an at-home caregiver listing that you can get onto, where you work for elderly or disabled people in their homes and are paid through the state. In my state there's no liscense required. I'm planning to go to school for my RN- it's only three years (I know, more than you were looking for), but part time they make $34.00 an hour around here. The LPN degree takes only two years.

Another kind of work that can pay really well is housecleaning. You have to work for yourself, though, and it takes time to get enough jobs. But you can make 12-20 an hour doing that, on your own schedule.

[hotmom]

I really am not looking for something I enjoy. Im on FS and just want to pay the bills, literally. Great ideas so far! keep em coming... !
thanks mommas.

[rootzdawta]

Originally Posted by PattyCakes_726

The healthcare industry is desparate for all kinds of tech people - ultrasound, Xray techs, all tyoes of nursing positions. Lots of the training programs can be completed in under a year. My friend is an ultrasound tech and loves it. Her schedule is flexible and she makes about 50K a year.
Good luck!

I agree. My sister-in-law did a 6 mo. program to become a CNA and then found a good paying job right off the bat.

[pranamama]

If you do CNA, be careful where you work, you don't want an onthejob injury to leave you disabled, esp when you are the sole support of your family.

[RoadWorkAhead]

Paper routes can help supplement another job (and can be kid friendly), welding (theres a mama in DH's class right now) pays well and allows travel - about a year of training for the basics. OUr Technical school offers an LPN class at night thats done in 15 months...Taken during the day it takes even less time.

[3_opihi]

Speaking of healthcare, what about a phlebotomist (person who draws blood for labs)? They usually have training courses ranging from a weekend to 2 weeks and pay starts around here at 15.00 an hour. Plus, since you'd work for a hospital or lab, you'd probably get good benefits too.

[mumkenna&lucas]

Originally Posted by 3_opihi

Speaking of healthcare, what about a phlebotomist (person who draws blood for labs)? They usually have training courses ranging from a weekend to 2 weeks and pay starts around here at 15.00 an hour. Plus, since you'd work for a hospital or lab, you'd probably get good benefits too.

This is what I was going to suggest also. Or an ultrasound tech..You can make $$ in healthcare!

[momazon4]

I'm going to school for Health Care this fall, so I'll just echo everybody else. No, it won't be my permanent dream job but right now supporting my family is my priority. Good luck, mama.

[sheilajolene]

How do I become an U/S Tech?

I think this is a great idea for me! How do I find out a legit way to do this?

[LoveOhm]

Originally Posted by sheilajolene

I think this is a great idea for me! How do I find out a legit way to do this?

I know I am interested too! I have a friend that could really use a job like that!

[JustVanessa]

When ex left me it was about finding something that I could work around ds. If he was sick they would understand if I called in. I ended up working in a grocery store. The pay wasn't great but it was flexible hours with health benifits. I did end up working a second job taking care of a teenager with special needs as well part time.
mama I agree with something in healthcare for the long term though. That is where the jobs and $$ is.

[windorabug]

Originally Posted by PattyCakes_726

The healthcare industry is desparate for all kinds of tech people - ultrasound, Xray techs, all tyoes of nursing positions. Lots of the training programs can be completed in under a year. My friend is an ultrasound tech and loves it. Her schedule is flexible and she makes about 50K a year.
Good luck!

I'm curious, do you need an associates degree to get into a training program?

Ack, I feel like I should have done all of this years ago!!

[mama41]

A word of caution about healthcare-related jobs. I genuinely don't mean to be depressing. However, we have a shortage of healthcare workers and legislation that's opened the door for more guest workers; Congress seems to take it for granted that we will have more. Possibly many more. In other parts of the industrialized world, it's routine to have nurses and other healthcare professionals come in and work for fairly low wages. The same is likely to happen here within the next decade, and the demand for it will grow as the Boomers head towards old age. They'll need a lot more nursing & hospital care, and we won't be able to afford or supply it ourselves at current wages. SEIU will be forced to accommodate or die.

All of this means that healthcare wages are unlikely to stay where they are. You can still do well in the meantime. But I would not take on a lot of debt for it, and I would consider looking for managerial/hospital-MBA-type opportunities after actually working as a healthcare professional for a few years.

Sorry to make things sound tougher. I just see a lot of single mothers heading for healthcare, and while it'll be good in the short run, I can't see it lasting. So plan for a way out as well as a way in.

[PoppyMama]

I've worked in healthcare a long time and people are always saying that and there will be some issue with it but from what I've seen it's not going to bottom out...on the contrary. Healthcare is one of the areas where if English totally and completely fluent there can be fatal consequences. I wouldn't try to raise 3 kids on a CNA and avoid those expensive career schools (medical assistants don't usually make the big bucks) unless you can get welfare to pay a big chunk. In a lot of places if you have no skills (like displaced homemakers) the workforce org will pay for certain in need jobs. The nursing ones are always very difficult to get into because all the women want in. If you aren't against welding or HVAC or one of the "man jobs" I would go for that since you may get in the door easier, the training is usually shorter and the pay better than "women's work". If I went back to school I would do welding or something similar in a heartbeat.

Do try to think of what wouldn't want to make you crawl into an early grave even if you can't pick your life's dream. I would rather pick up trash along a freeway than be in hospital admin.

[eccomama]

i have a 8-5pm job as a marketing coordinator for a small medical device company. i have a lot of admin experience so it wasn't too hard to get in. plus i did project mgmt. i also clean homes on the side in the eves and weekends for cash.

when i worked in the hospital, a lot of single moms worked as MA's while completing the 18 month program. hospitals are most flexible since there are three shift.
another suggestion is day care or teaching. in most cases you can work on your credential while you work.

good luck

[FancyD]

Speech therapist assistant is a two-year program here, and you can take most of it online. You can work in schools, and have pretty much the same vacations as your kids.

HTH