Need lots of advice! School, job, car, divorce, kids, ack!

[micah_mae_]

I'm getting divorced. I'm going to be a single mom with 3 kids 4 and under. Full custody. STBX will give me $2000/mo while I'm in school and $500/mo afterwards. I need ideas for majors that I can use to work from home. Flexible jobs.
My parents and inlaws will help with childcare so I can just focus on school. Take lots of classes, graduate soon as possible so the boys and I can start our new life.
I owe $8725 on our van. We were upside down on our last vehicle but needed something bigger for our growing family. It's only worths $6000. It's not in good condition and we would be fine getting a smaller vehicle but I have no savings. Any ideas?

[bogart]

Good luck with the many changes you are facing. I hope they'll help you and your kids (and ex, even) get to a better place.

I'm no expert, but I work at a (big) university and many of the more flexible jobs where I am seem to be programming jobs -- tech support and web design.  A number of the people I know with these skills work shorter schedules (by choice), from home, and/or flex-time or on a project-by-project basis (again, their choice).  So those might be fields to look into and/or skills to acquire; education (including higher education) budgets are under pressure, but the need for tech support and online communications isn't going to go away.

[MsSindy]

You didn't state what your interests are, or your skill set (artistic or a numbers person).  If you're a numbers person, consider being a tax accountant and open your own practice.  You don't have to be a CPA.  Look at being an "Enrolled Agent", someone who specializes in tax preparation.  You can start this work from home by doing simple returns and bookkeeping, them as you gain more knowledge through education you can take on more complex situations.

My suggestion is to go on-line and search for telecommuting jobs, or others that advertise for flexibility.  This will start to tell you what the market is and you can match your interests and skill set accordingly.

[Rebecca Stapler]

Why are you specifically searching for a career where you can work from home? Even if you're working at home, you still need childcare so you can get your work done. I wouldn't pigeonhole yourself specifically into a WFH situation, but look instead at careers that will be compatible with your children's school schedule. That's my struggle, is that I would like someone to be home with our kid after school, but we both work FT.

Here are the careers that come to mind (mostly because I am jealous of these work schedules!):
* Programming (as someone mentioned) can be very flexible, and done from home and is well compensated.
* Teaching will be compatible with your children's school schedules (they will be in school longer than they will be under 5 and needing daycare). Not so well compensated, but many states still have pensions for their teachers and really take care of them in retirement.
* Nursing can have per diem schedules or 3-(long)day workweeks, where maybe it would work to have your kids stay overnight at grandma's twice a week so you can get in the long hours. Nurses are well compensated too.

[gooki]

You didn't state what your interests are, or your skill set (artistic or a numbers person). 

This. If you are not passionate about what you are studying, or do for a profession, it'll be a struggle to do well.

[boy_bye]

You didn't state what your interests are, or your skill set (artistic or a numbers person). 

This. If you are not passionate about what you are studying, or do for a profession, it'll be a struggle to do well.

Eh, I'm not really passionate about software development, but I'm still very good at it. I think the important thing is to find something that (A) you at least have a moderate interest in and aptitude for and (B) someone will pay you to do.

Last thing the OP needs now is to worry about "chasing her dream" or whatever. She needs to find a way to support her family -- that's a requirement. Passion is a "nice to have."

[Irishmam]

Medical coding is something you could look into as a potential work from home. I would also suggest an Associate's Degree in Nursing which is about 2 years at a community college. Then you could look for something in a school (school nurse) or a doctor's office with regular hours. It's a great profession that pays well.

[jrhampt]

You didn't state what your interests are, or your skill set (artistic or a numbers person). 

This. If you are not passionate about what you are studying, or do for a profession, it'll be a struggle to do well.

Eh, I'm not really passionate about software development, but I'm still very good at it. I think the important thing is to find something that (A) you at least have a moderate interest in and aptitude for and (B) someone will pay you to do.

Last thing the OP needs now is to worry about "chasing her dream" or whatever. She needs to find a way to support her family -- that's a requirement. Passion is a "nice to have."

Totally agreed.  I'm not passionate about my programming job, but I'm good at it, it pays well, and I can work from home.

[aaronpct]

Like others have said, it depends on your interest, it might also depend on what programs your local university has to offer.  Some universities also have child day care so parents can go to school.  Do you have 4 years to do this or less?  Would some kind of career college be better for you?

I would personally look at different types of careers that interest you, even more so what types of careers seem to be hot in your area if that's where you want to stay so you can increase your employment opportunities and scout out what kind of requirements they are looking for.

Good Luck!

[GeneralJinjur]

When my husband left me with 3 kids aged 6, 3 and 8 weeks, I checked one of those "Jobs of the 2000s" books out of the library and went through it.  Based on my interests and skill-sets, I chose nursing.  A 2 year Associates degree will take 12-18 months of prerequisites before you can start the 2 year portion of the program.  Additionally, there are waiting lists at many community colleges as well as bachelor's programs.  (My waitlist was 3 years.  Hubby bailed in 2004, I graduated in 2010.)  The job market stinks horribly for new grads.  In my state (CO), a news station recently showed that out of the 700 available nursing positions, fewer than 10 would accept new graduates.  If you are able to relocate to a rural area (3 hours or more from a major metro), then you have a much better chance of getting hired.  This doesn't work well for moms of young kids who are trying to stay close to supportive family/childcare.  I was incredibly lucky and got a job only 4 months after graduating.  Some of my classmates took up to a year and >400 applications before getting positions. 

I say all this to clarify the commonly held belief that nursing is a great solution for those who need to get a job quickly.  It is nowhere near as quick and in demand as people say.  Also, nursing hours do not sync up well with daycare facilities.  Most doctor's offices use medical assistants, not nurses and school nursing requires a bachelor's degree.  I hope this helps people who are interested in nursing get a clear picture of the current situation.  It is sad to hear people who get through nursing school and then learn how things stand.

[AmyGarfield]

Unless you work in your child's school, you will need before and after care, esp. if you teach high school or middle school. Your hours will not match up.
Good luck with whatever you decide!