| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| ShepherdessSarah |
Posted - Mar 05 2007 : 06:45:04 AM
I'm not sure this is the right place to ask this, but I am trying to find a way to work from hjome and make enough to live on while I finish school. I'm 41 and have 3 kids still at home (5 altogether) and have returned to finish my undergrad degree and go on to medical school. In the end, I would like to be a natural health practitioner, but also want to be able to do other medicine as well.
Anyway, I have direct sales experience and am a fiber person (sewing, spinning, knitting, etc). I work full time in a totally dysfunctional office and cannot keep focused on school to do what I need to do.
I'm not sure what is out there, if anything, to help pay bills while I go back to school without panicking everyone in the household.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated and welcomed.
Thanks!
Sarah
Black Bridge Farm
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| 11 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Loosebuttons |
Posted - Aug 31 2007 : 11:48:52 AM
Hi Sarah!
Something I started doing after many requests. And I work in an office. Sew, mend etc. It still amazes me how many people don't sew. I also teach sewing at the local community centers. I have to split my money with the city but I still do pretty good. I also sell some of the Raggedy Ann/Andies I make. You name it I will sew it. I average about 180.00 bucks per month. I plan to continue my sewing business and grow it as time goes by.
Good luck,
Gabrielle in Rancho Cucamonga California
Ciao Bella |
| Norskema |
Posted - Mar 12 2007 : 7:27:47 PM
I second the notion of starting with the nursing approach. Anything you learn will help you if you still want to go into a more natural health approach. I work for an educational foundation. Unfortuntely we don't award grants to individuals but a lot of people write and ask. The process is time consuming and you must be patient. One possible source of help is your network of local civic groups. You should write a letter stating your goals, what you have been doing and what your situation is. Tell them you would like to be considered for any educational grant programs they may offer and ask for more information or application materials. The reference section of your library has a huge catalog of sources. I'll also send you an email with some ideas. None of it is easy but I sure hope you try and hang in there! I admire a woman who puts her head down and charges forward. You are very brave and maybe just a little weary right now but you can do it!!!
Every way of a man seems right to himself but the Lord is the tester of hearts. Proverbs 21:2 |
| Bluewrenn |
Posted - Mar 05 2007 : 4:18:53 PM
You have to promote your ETSY Shop now. It used to be easier to get traffic as long as you added new stuff each week. Now, with so many shops, it's a lot harder, but the fees are way cheaper than Ebay. And you can promote your shop any way you want - most folks use a blog or join email groups.
My Homesteading Journal http://toomyvara.livejournal.com
My craft journal http://bluewrenn.livejournal.com
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| kitchensqueen |
Posted - Mar 05 2007 : 2:57:31 PM
I would second the Etsy shop, but if you want to get it up to supplemental income level, you are going to have to do some advertising of your own to increase traffic. Etsy has tons of sellers now, so it's up to you to get yourself noticed and bring people to your site. But I might have more insight in the next couple of months since my own site has only been officially open for a day!
http://apartmentfarm.wordpress.com
Now Open!: http://shadetreestudios.etsy.com |
| shelle |
Posted - Mar 05 2007 : 1:41:21 PM
Well my idea wouldnt give you enough to live on but might be some supplemental income to whatever you wind up doing. Have you tried selling on line on etsy.com? If you arent aware of it it is a site where you can sell your homemade craft items. You could sell your spun yard there, knitted or sewn items also. Take a look around and see what you think of the site.
Like I said it might not give you enough income on its own but might be a good supplemental income. I havent started my etsy site yet but plan on it pretty soon. It doesnt seem to be very costly but I am sure you can ask others here and they would know more about it than me anyway.
Shelle
http://janzenfamilyjournal.blogspot.com/ |
| Aunt George |
Posted - Mar 05 2007 : 10:23:10 AM
Sarah, I too am a nurse. Twenty-four years med-surg. Nurses are in demand...you could eventually branch out into the natural health practitioner field. You will learn far more about natural health as a nurse than as an MD. MD's learn to treat symptoms with medications. Many are now getting on the holistic bandwagon and looking at the patient as a whole being, not as a list of symptoms! YEAH......
You will be able to write your own ticket as a nurse too. Nursing school is tough, but if you can handle it, you can get through and be immediately employed. Also many hospitals will pay for your education if you sign a work contract with them. (those usually only last about 2 years worth of committment.) Something to consider. The health care world is in a crisis with the current and worsening nursing shortage. The average age of the practicing hospital nurse across the nation is up to 48 years old. With nursing school enrollment down drastically. Our state of Virginia is even thinking of granting full RN rights to practice to licensed Paramedics (I'm totally against this. No offense to paramedics, but I wouldn't want your job, I don't think you would want mine, unless their area of practice is limited to the ER setting...)
Anyway, good luck,
Have you considered teaching fiber arts?
G
http://auntgeorgeshouse.blogspot.com/index.html
Thanks for checking out my apron and sewing musings! |
| Bluewrenn |
Posted - Mar 05 2007 : 10:03:41 AM
Sarah - I have worked for a university and can sympathize. They are notorious for paying only minimal salaries and paying you only ONCE A MONTH, so I totally understand what you are going through.
Are you the single wage earner for your family? If so, keep in mind that working from home means you don't have access (in most cases) to medical insurance. You might be able to get some while you are enrolled at school but it might only cover you and not all the kids. And working from home is usually not enough in itself to support a family as big as yours. I've been doing VA work since 1998 but it's not enough for me to live on - it's more like egg money.
Also I recommend trying to find something within your field. Are you located in a relatively big city or is it a small town? There are usually jobs available in the bigger areas in medical labs (as lab techs, etc., esp. in the medical school labs.)
You might try medical transcription but unless you can manage some type of internship or work study thing first, you'll have a hard time getting your foot in the door - medical transcription jobs usually require experience, but you can't get the experience until you can get a job. See the dilemma? Usually the school that trains you will place you in a job (often unpaid as part of the requirement for graduation) but at least you have the experience needed to get in to a job interview. Also while some places will let you take work home, it is usually not until after a couple years of working for them under close supervision.
If you type, you might try doing VA work - but you'd need to find a couple of big clients to earn any serious money. And often that type of work requires enough of a committment that you can't just walk away from it when it's time to go fulltime in medical school.
Have you considered looking for grants for returning mothers? There are a lot of companies that offer grants and scholarships to moms who want to go back to college. Esp. for retraining. Sometimes you can find grants with enough for living expenses too. At least partial expenses.
Good luck.
My Homesteading Journal http://toomyvara.livejournal.com
My craft journal http://bluewrenn.livejournal.com
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| lamamama |
Posted - Mar 05 2007 : 09:41:03 AM
Hi, Sarah
I'm going to throw out a slightly different idea here......I hope it isn't too much of a curve ball!
First off, I agree with a couple of the Farmgirls who have suggested you focus in on your major: medical/biological. Have you taken a look @ the local hospital? Working in a lab can help you, even something as simple as a medical unit clerk. You'd be amazed @ what you could learn. Additionally, as your studies progress & become more time consuming & difficult, you will find it easier to adjust those kinds of hours, as opposed to being the boss of your own company, which takes a HUGE committment. If you call in sick @ the hospital, you'll still get paid. You can't really do that with a home business.
Now here comes the curvy part.  I would like to suggest that you consider Nursing (BSN). I was originally a pre-med student, & for reasons too long to go into right now, ended up in Nursing instead. In hindsight, it was the best thing that could have happened. I was also an "older" student, being 33 when I switched into Nursing.
Trust me, it ain't easy, Farmgirl - & if I may say so, I was one smart cookie. You just have no idea about the amount of time you will spend in study & research.
And I didn't have any kids @ that time, either! Right now there is a nationwide shortage of Nurses, & the job market for BSNs is great. One of the best things about Nursing is the flexibility of working hours. Great for a single Mom - which, like you, I also am. Also, you can specialize in any area of Nursing - the field is completely wide open.
And last, but definitely not least, is the cost of going for a BSN, vs. 4 years of pre-med, then 4 of med, + your residency. And don't forget about books & suplies. Most M.D.s leave for private practive around $85,000+ in debt. I left college (BSN) $11,000 in debt.
I hope I have provided something worthwhile for you to consider. And no matter what you decide to pursue, I wish you the absolute BEST luck!!!
Melanie |
| Forrester Farm |
Posted - Mar 05 2007 : 07:55:20 AM
Sarah,
Have you looked into Taste of Home Entertaining? It is a new direct sales company as of May of '06. Readers Digest is our parent company, and we work with Mario Batali from the food network. Great products for cooking, entertaining, and decorating.
I was new to direct sales when I joined, and it has been a perfect way to add to our family income while still being available for our children. If you go to http://annforrester.tohe.com, you can link to the corporate info. Check out the newsletter on the bottom right hand side of my site too. We have an extra kit add on available just for this month. I just got off the phone with the president of the company (team call) - they are rolling out a car program in just a couple of weeks. No direct sales company in history has done that in the first year of business.
Feel free to e-mail or call me. We can talk about what you need and if this is a good opportunity for you.
Ann
http://annforrester.tohe.com
(P.S. I have a team mate in Morehead, KY. - I've not looked at the map yet to see how far from you she is).
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| ShepherdessSarah |
Posted - Mar 05 2007 : 07:41:09 AM
Thanks, Rebecca. I could look at transcription...just need to know that the money will be there. Work study doesn't come close to what we will need. I do get loans from Financial Aid, but there again...not enough to support kids and things. I would do a private education loan, but my ex left me in a credit mess and I don't have anyone who could co-sign....so we'll see what we can do.
Right now I am working on campus at the university. I have been looking for jobs posted there so that I could keep my benefits and maybe find a job with some flexibility in it. It isn't easy to do. Our university likes to keep things understaffed and those working totally overworked. I'm sure it is probably true in a lot of places. I like working on campus because it doesn't make it hard to get to class, as far as location wise. Getting another office job is probably out of the question (off campus) because the time it would take to get to class, park, etc....most offices won't go for.
Thanks!!
Black Bridge Farm
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| _Rebecca_ |
Posted - Mar 05 2007 : 06:54:09 AM
maybe medical transcription?
Where will you go to medical school? Is it nearby? Maybe you can apply for work-study.
Where can I find a natural health practitioner near me?
.·:*¨¨* :·.Rebecca.·:*¨¨* :·. |
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