Most people tell you that having children is the best thing that could happen to you. While there is some truth in it, what nobody warns you about is that working will never be the same. It can be difficult to consider your professional career once there’s a baby in the picture. As a mother, you want to spend your entire time with your new baby and watch it grow and turn into a wonderful person. But being a mother is not a full-time job, at least while there’s a lot of work to do, you don’t get paid for it. However, now is the best time to think of the future of your child and consider new opportunities to secure a regular income. What are the best career moves for a mom, and more importantly which career respects your new interests, lifestyle and values?
Motherhood doesn’t mean the end of your career
Become a blogger
If you’ve got a way with words and you enjoy sharing new stories, you might want to consider a blogging career. As a mom blogger, you could not only work from home to make sure that you’ve got plenty of time with your child, but at the same time, you’re still connected to the eternal world. In fact, bloggers are more likely to work as a reviewer of products and services, which in other words means that you get a lot of freebies in exchange for a fair and honest opinion. That isn’t a bad thing, especially if you can help your readers in the process. To answer a question that a lot of people ask – aka, what do you need to become a blogger –, you need:
- A blog (WordPress is a good platform to start with, and it’s completely intuitive to use)
- A love for writing
- A proofreading tool (Grammarly is a good one, if you’re looking and they have a free version)
- A content schedule (you need to post regularly)
- A camera or smartphone to take photos
Embrace your caring nature
For a lot of mothers, holding a baby is a revelation that awakes their caring nature. If you suddenly realise how fragile human life is and how much you’d like to protect it, you might love the idea of a nursing career via an online MSN – Master of Science in Nursing. This enables you to learn at your pace, while being there for your child, or pursuing your career until you can switch to the healthcare sector. It’s not uncommon to want to work with young children and mothers-to-be, especially if you feel that you could have done with a lot more help and follow-ups. Naturally, you want to provide others with the care you needed.
I nurse therefore I care
Stay with kids and help them grow
You may not realize it now, but as your child starts growing and begins to speak and interact with the world, you might discover a new passion. If you enjoy answering “mommy why” types of questions and introducing your child to the mysteries of the world, a teaching career is the right career for you. As a teacher, you are responsible for the education of children. The age of your pupils will depend on your degree, from a Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Development to English as a Second Language degree. Teaching is ideal, especially if you want to keep plenty of spare time in the evenings and during the holidays for your child. Additionally, you can also find online studies to get you started to earn your educator’s bachelor’s degree. In other words, it’s an accessible career for those who want to learn and enjoy spending time with children.
Go back to your career with the bonus of flexibility
You may not be tempted by a new career. After all, for a lot of new mothers, it can be devastating to abandon their chances in a career that they carefully constructed. But what you could do is discuss flexible working options with your employer. As more and more companies are open to the prospect of flexible workers, they offer to Millennial moms the best of a professional career while allowing them to spend time with their child. Werk is a company that is dedicated to helping mothers excel both at home and in their professional career, by helping them to find the best flexible work opportunity. Why does it matter? Because you don’t have to choose between your career and your family: You deserve to have both.
Tap into your creative side
Science suggests that mothers become more creative. The brain undergoes neurological transformations as you have children, making you more efficient in many ways than women who don’t have children. How is it possible? It’s simple; maternal instincts induce new sharpened sensory and motor systems. A mother’s brain has developed a new range of flexible skills in terms of cognitive, emotional and behavioral approaches. In short, you can adapt more easily to new environments, and consequently, you can think outside the box. Now, this sounds very much like an enhanced creative mind. Don’t let the misconception that mothers can’t dedicate time to their art stop you. Your brain has infinite abilities that you only begin to experience once you’ve had a child.
Get yourself back into your old clothes
Do you know what most new mothers dream of? Losing all the pregnancy weight and fitting back into their previous clothes. If this has become your new resolution to be a fit mommy, you could turn your energy and your fitness passion into a career by becoming a fitness coach. After all, as most become who need a personal trainer are struggling with weight loss, you can be sure that they will be more likely to listen to someone who has already done all the hard work to regain control over her body. Someone who has lost weight can be taken seriously by their clients, as your results act as a testimonial of your methods.
Work towards giving your kids a healthier future
What if having children has made you realize that you need to change your lifestyle and protect the planet to make it a better place for the future generations? The organic industry is booming, and while you may not want to become a full-time organic farmer, you can certainly find a way to use your set of skills to support this sector. From marketing specialists to accountants, there are plenty of options for you to join the organic battle. Promoting good and healthy foods is a way of helping your kids to grow up healthy, strong and aware of environmental causes. You could if you feel strong enough to manage a business even launch an organic baby food company, for example.
Train to become a digital consultant
Digital consultants and experts are always in demand as the result of fast moving digital evolutions in the business world. But more importantly, it’s a sector where you work essentially remotely and spend more time with your family. At the moment, experts who can work with big data and who can help to analyze data knowledge to make informed decisions are precious. Consequently looking for a big data certification is a good move to ensure your future independent career. Data analyst and data management skills can get you a variety of profitable and exciting projects. In some cases, you might need to have programming knowledge too, in others it’s about reading data and using the right tool. You can find the certificate that is suited to your needs.
Become an entrepreneur
Can you be a mother and a successful boss? The answer is yes, and no less than 21 successful mom entrepreneurs can prove it. Maia Haag created with her husband I See Me!, a multi-million dollar company that personalizes books for each kid, so that they can become the star of the story. Jessica Kettle is a successful wedding photographer who captures the essence of happiness for each lucky couple. Lisa Greenwald has dedicated her time creating jewelry that is designed for babies to play with, Chewbeads, along with teething rings, bath toys and rattles. And there are many more moms who have shown the world that you can combine motherhood and entrepreneurship successfully and gracefully, without damaging your family life.
Stay-at-home mommy
What if nothing inspires you and you just want to spend as much time as possible with your child? A stay-at-home mommy is not just a woman who chose not to go back to work. It’s a positive force that benefits everyone in the family. Indeed, research has revealed that children with a stay-at-home mom perform better at school all the way to high school, as you are available to help with homework and explain subjects that they might not have understood at the time. Additionally, children who don’t need to spend long days at a daycare facility experience less stress and are less likely to throw a tantrum.
In conclusion, career and motherhood are not, and should not be, irreconcilable topics. With a little bit of care and imagination, you can easily coordinate your professional life around your family life and enjoy the best of both worlds.
