If you had to do it all over? What would job would you pick for a mom(family friendly/part time?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have found being a programmer is family friendly, as long as I'm willing to do the tasks other people aren't interested in. In exchange for handling the mundane, I don't live my life for the code so for the most part I work regular hours and am rarely called in for an emergency.

Some people have difficulty handling the isolation. Some people also have difficulty dealing with the overwhelming maleness of the culture.

How does one get into this field? I'm a librarian considering a career change, and would think some of my background would transfer.

For a librarian, I might suggest looking at something like Information Architect, or database work. You probably wouldn't need to tweak your resume all that hard to make it fit those positions. In the mean time, I'd learn or brush up on my SQL and database admin. A local community college probably offers classes. Learning a programming language and some project management skills can also be helpful. Consider certificates vs degree programs. Build a portfolio so you can easily show employers what you know. If possible, I'd jump on any remotely tech work available at my current job, or find volunteer opportunities to help flesh out that resume. One of the benefits of wanting to do tech work is you can search for an open source project that you can benefit. Spend some time on github, find something interesting. That should help you identify what sort of work you think you might like to do as well as start getting you real world experience.

I think this is great advice. I don't have an official background in IT, but have moved into IT project development in my job, and it has been a great fit for me. And I'm now in a half time / 100% telework position, which is perfect for me in terms of family fit and flexibility, though I do realize I have also been very lucky to wind up in this position.

And to speak to a PPs comment about job fit - I think part of why this current job works so well for me is that I am a science major who always enjoyed math, puzzles, etc. Many times my work feels like getting to work on a logic problem all day and that is a perfect fit for me, though I know for some other folks that would be miserable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have found being a programmer is family friendly, as long as I'm willing to do the tasks other people aren't interested in. In exchange for handling the mundane, I don't live my life for the code so for the most part I work regular hours and am rarely called in for an emergency.

Some people have difficulty handling the isolation. Some people also have difficulty dealing with the overwhelming maleness of the culture.

How does one get into this field? I'm a librarian considering a career change, and would think some of my background would transfer.

For a librarian, I might suggest looking at something like Information Architect, or database work. You probably wouldn't need to tweak your resume all that hard to make it fit those positions. In the mean time, I'd learn or brush up on my SQL and database admin. A local community college probably offers classes. Learning a programming language and some project management skills can also be helpful. Consider certificates vs degree programs. Build a portfolio so you can easily show employers what you know. If possible, I'd jump on any remotely tech work available at my current job, or find volunteer opportunities to help flesh out that resume. One of the benefits of wanting to do tech work is you can search for an open source project that you can benefit. Spend some time on github, find something interesting. That should help you identify what sort of work you think you might like to do as well as start getting you real world experience.

I think this is great advice. I don't have an official background in IT, but have moved into IT project development in my job, and it has been a great fit for me. And I'm now in a half time / 100% telework position, which is perfect for me in terms of family fit and flexibility, though I do realize I have also been very lucky to wind up in this position.

And to speak to a PPs comment about job fit - I think part of why this current job works so well for me is that I am a science major who always enjoyed math, puzzles, etc. Many times my work feels like getting to work on a logic problem all day and that is a perfect fit for me, though I know for some other folks that would be miserable.

Quoting myself here - IT can also be a good area to explore (for folks who are interested) because there are a of of free/cheap sites online that teach the fundamentals, so you can explore the idea with just an investment of time. I've personally looked at some of the courses at Udacity, and if you want a real basic introduction to see if you find coding fun, the links provided through the 'Hour of Code' initiative are a great start: http://csedweek.org/learn

[Anonymous]

I work at a private school, but I'm in communications so I don't bring home quite as much work but I do get a lot of vacation. The job is family friendly in many ways. But I could never have chosen a field just because it's family friendly. I had to be good at it and love it. Within the field of communications there are options that are family friendly and others that are not, which is probably true of a lot of fields.

[Anonymous]

School psych here...I work 35-40 hours a week and never bring work home. Pay is good IMO...will be at 110 after 13 years. I work 12 months so I have annual leave but not the same holidays as the teachers. Great health and retirement benefits. Work is interesting although my position is nontraditional... If: I had a more typical position (testing) I wouldn't enjoy it as much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have found being a programmer is family friendly, as long as I'm willing to do the tasks other people aren't interested in. In exchange for handling the mundane, I don't live my life for the code so for the most part I work regular hours and am rarely called in for an emergency.

Some people have difficulty handling the isolation. Some people also have difficulty dealing with the overwhelming maleness of the culture.

What kind of programming do you do and can you give approx. idea of pay?

I do scientific programming, working primarily in python. There are lots of "learn python" websites out there, some even specifically geared to kids if you think you might want a gentle introduction. My pay is low 6 figures, I'm mid career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another vote for school psychologist. You do not need a PhD but you do need an EdS or CAGS. It's a 3 year grad program, but WORTH the time. There are tons of positions, both PT and FT, you are on the school schedule and pay is about 60-90K depending on where you work (can get over $100k in some districts). I have been a school psych for 10 years and I love my job. Get to work with kids, families and teachers and am a leader in my building.

Can you tell me more about your job? What you do on a daily basis? Is it direct counseling to kids (what age)? Mediation/counseling to families in crisis? Conflicts between students? Between students and teachers? What do you like about it? I'm not OP but have been following this thread for ideas and this is very intriguing. Also, do you work in the summers? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:School psych here...I work 35-40 hours a week and never bring work home. Pay is good IMO...will be at 110 after 13 years. I work 12 months so I have annual leave but not the same holidays as the teachers. Great health and retirement benefits. Work is interesting although my position is nontraditional... If: I had a more typical position (testing) I wouldn't enjoy it as much.

Oh, I am 10:12 with the questions. I hadn't seen this when I posted. Still interested in other school pych's experiences, though.

My husband just got a job teaching college far away from here. I want a job that will allow us to travel back to the east coast for big chunks of time (to visit family), especially in the summer. Right now I'm a laywer, have done a good bit of family law and guardian ad litem work in the past, and found the most enjoyable parts to be mostly counseling/mediation/conflict resolution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School psych here...I work 35-40 hours a week and never bring work home. Pay is good IMO...will be at 110 after 13 years. I work 12 months so I have annual leave but not the same holidays as the teachers. Great health and retirement benefits. Work is interesting although my position is nontraditional... If: I had a more typical position (testing) I wouldn't enjoy it as much.

Oh, I am 10:12 with the questions. I hadn't seen this when I posted. Still interested in other school pych's experiences, though.

My husband just got a job teaching college far away from here. I want a job that will allow us to travel back to the east coast for big chunks of time (to visit family), especially in the summer. Right now I'm a laywer, have done a good bit of family law and guardian ad litem work in the past, and found the most enjoyable parts to be mostly counseling/mediation/conflict resolution.

One more question -- how easy/hard would it be to do this grad program with young kids (one school age, one toddler)?

[Anonymous]

2nd school psych poster here. If you are a decent student than grad school is very doable with young kids for the ED.S. degree (masters plus 30). Would not recommend the PhD route with young kids. Most school psych jobs are 10 or 11 months. Being a good writer and oral communicator are key. Do lots of counseling, student medistion, family work, consultation with teachers/mental health professionals, and assessment. The key is getting a nontraditional position....otherwise you will spend much of your time in meetings and assessing students for special ed. A PhD is nice to have as it means you can do private practice outside the schools...and its nice to have that flexibility...but again, wouldn't recommend this if you have small kids and its a huge time/financial commitment.

[Anonymous]

Has pharmacist been mentioned? What do you think? $100-120,000 to start. A few extra years of school required.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I could make $60k + full benefits at my current job (programming) 20 hrs a week. For the first three months after mat leave I worked 30hrs/wk at 70k +. I was going to be a lawyer but decided to get a grad degree in usability instead to both avoid debt and more flexibility.

Good girl! (man? woman?) Law isn't the be all and end all. So many other options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Librarianship - it's usually a 2 year Master's program. There are many part time positions with benefits, particularly in county government. Many staff are part time because they have young kids, and they get full time positions once the children are grown.

Yeah. True. I'm a full-time librarian. Yes, you can find numerous part-time jobs. It helps to have a spouse/partner who pays the mortgage though. These jobs pay about $20.00 to $30.00 per hour. When I worked for Montgomery County, employees who worked 20 hours a week got benefits but I think health insurance was prorated.

[Anonymous]

I'm 41 and going back to work. In 10 years it will be much harder for me to land a job (see other thread on this) and so I am looking at something that isn't family friendly, but is retirement friendly. Writers, designers, and business owners can manage their career post-50, so that is the type of work I'm going to focus on.

My mom had to be hired, my MIL set her hours. I can see how this makes the world of difference.

Just putting this out there OP.

[Anonymous]

10:12 -- look into law school administration. Full of recovering lawyers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has pharmacist been mentioned? What do you think? $100-120,000 to start. A few extra years of school required.

Definitely a good option... but pharmacists now have doctorate degrees in the field and most schools are 4 year programs (a few are year-round 3 year programs). So if you do this right out of undergrad, it is a great field. But I would imagine it would be pretty hard to go back to school full time for 4 years while having kids. A few people in my program did it successfully though, so it is definitely possible.