Best Careers for Stay-At-Home Moms

Lunches are packed and the kids are off to school.  The house is comfortably tidy and the errands are done.  If you’re a stay-at-home mom you’ve probably got a system down that frees up a good bit of time in your day.  So what will you do with that time?  Many stay-at-home moms are discovering ways that they can remain at home to manage the affairs of the house and family without compromising the ability to also make a contribution to the household financial situation.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports a significant decrease in stay-at-home mother numbers from 2008-2012.  A strained economy forced many stay-at-home mothers to make a tough decision, pitting financial security against full time-mothering and household management.  But some women refuse to make that choice and instead opt for another option that entails a careful balance between family, house and finances.  How did they do this?  Simple.  Work from home.

There are many jobs that can be done from home while the kids are in school.

Computer Programming

In a technology driven world, it’s no secret that computer programmers are in high demand. While one would need to invest in some computer classes to be able to program computers, it is a time and money investment that is sure to offer great returns financially while offering flexibility to match.  How great is that?  US News Money reports that the average computer programmer in the U.S. is paid an annual salary of $78,260.00.  What a great contribution to the family budget—sans the daycare bill!

Photography

If you’re more of an artistic person photography could be an avenue of extra income while your little ones are in school.   You may have an eye for photographing things and with some basic equipment these days a person can produce a pretty impressive result.  Remember that photography doesn’t stop at taking photos of weddings and portraits.  There is also landscape photography, food photography and other small jobs working for real estate, appraisal and insurance companies taking photos of properties for listings, valuation and insurance inspections or claims.   If being a photographer isn’t necessarily up your ally, you could also consider other jobs related to photography, such as editing digital images for busy photographers.  These jobs do not require a degree, and little experience, much of which can be gained through on-the-job training.

Web Design

Web Design is a great choice for those who are interested in getting into the technology field, but still want an element of artistic creativity.  Most businesses these days have or need a website.  Even small operations should really have one—it’s almost an expectation in today’s technology dependent society.  There are a couple of ways a person can do web design as a job.  The first is to go to school and learn web design.  Another more simple way may be to offer design using hosting sites that have pre-made websites that are customizable.  As long as you can familiarize yourself with how each hosts site setup works, you can then use this knowledge to create a website for someone else’s business.

Daycare

The idea of having kids in the house after you’ve sent yours to school may not appeal to everyone, but if having little tikes around is something that you love, doing daycare for just a couple of children might be a great solution for you.  Most states require licensing only after a certain number of children are being cared for, and aside of the pay that comes from the parents, many states also have nutritional programs that offer supplement income to providers for tracking and feeding healthy meals to children.  This can be a very rewarding job, with some in home daycare providers being the first step toward learning, much the same as pre-school.

Direct Sales

Yes, I said it!  Direct sales.  These kinds of opportunities aren’t for everyone.  They require a high level of motivation and discipline.  There are a myriad of reputable direct sales companies that nurture and mentor women to success—most of them focusing on empowering women to be successful in career without compromising family and home.   With everything from candles to weight loss programs, it’s easy to find a company that offers a product that is in line with your values to help you make a few extra bucks each month.