# I want to be a single, work at home mom. How? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 22, 2013, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-a-single-work-at-home-mom-how/661604 "2013-06-22T01:06:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-a-single-work-at-home-mom-how/661604/21 "2013-06-24T04:05:19Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Are you sure that your anxieties about the crappiness of your hours are realistic fears? > > I’m not saying that it’s going to be easy and that they won’t be crappy. But it could be that they won’t nearly as crappy as you’re anticipating. > > It will be hard adjusting to work life after being a stay-at-home mother for so long, but you and your daughter will eventually. Seems to me that instead of adding more stress to your life by going to school in hopes that it leads to something better (lots of people are ruing the moment they decided to chase this particular dream), you can just as easily work to save up for a down payment on a place closer to your work location (and possibly other job opportunities). Having an unfulfilling career is not small potatoes…please don’t misunderstand. But you’ve had five years to get another skill set. It is really difficult to find another skill set, raise a small child, and work unless you are really willing to sacrifice. Sorry, **AngelSoft** , but it doesn’t sound like you’re willing to do this. People who want to change their lives don’t let excuses block them. So it seems to me that your goal should be less lofty and more concrete. Your parents, as much as they love having you, would probably also appreciate you keeping your feet on the ground with your future plans. > > Cutting your commute time down to something less stressful may make your crappy job much more tolerable. To be honest monstro, when I first read your post it made me angry. Because I felt you were being ‘mean’ and basing your opinion on things you didn’t understand about me. But there was a part of me saying you were right. And you are. I did have those five years to do something with my life, educationally speaking (and otherwise) but I didn’t do it. It’s the story of my life. All these hopes and aspirations but a will that’s too weak to follow through. I admit it. I take the easy road whenever given the opportunity. It’s something I hate about myself but a combination of depression, anxiety, horrible self esteem and of course, a degree of laziness seems to make it impossible to overcome. I realize these are excuses but to me, they seem to be insurmountable parts of who I am. I don’t have the willpower or motivation to change things in my life. I never have. But that’s probably more information than you were really looking to get. Sorry if it comes off as whiny and fishing for pity. I don’t want that. Another thing you’re right about is I do tend to overreact about things. The long wait before the job starts (3 more weeks) isn’t helping the situation. Sometimes I wish I could drink alcohol without getting sick. It sure would help to settle my nerves when I start freaking out over little things. But before I ramble anymore, you’re right in that I need to just stop looking up at the sky and thinking about ‘maybe I could…’ and start just looking straight ahead and dealing with what’s directly ahead of me. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-a-single-work-at-home-mom-how/661604/22 "2013-06-24T05:20:55Z")
Home child care is not a bad business. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-a-single-work-at-home-mom-how/661604/23 "2013-06-24T10:17:06Z")
I’m relieved, **AngelSoft**. There are some posters I don’t mean being a bitch to, but you aren’t one of them. 🙂 I suspect you are right about the long wait. That would make anyone anxious. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-a-single-work-at-home-mom-how/661604/24 "2013-06-24T10:29:45Z")
How about [Indexing](http://www.indexers.org.uk/index.php?id=1)? ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-a-single-work-at-home-mom-how/661604/25 "2013-06-24T11:10:16Z")
If you can write there’s a thriving industry in blogging and freelance writing. > **[Jobs - ProBlogger Jobs](https://problogger.com/jobs/)** ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-a-single-work-at-home-mom-how/661604/26 "2013-06-24T16:03:36Z")
**Angelsoft** , I tried to send you a PM, but your listed e-mail adress isn’t current. ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-a-single-work-at-home-mom-how/661604/27 "2013-06-24T16:39:49Z")
omg Indexing would drive me nuts XD I can’t focus on stuff like that for long. But thanks for the idea! And blogging…well I can give it a shot. I might need to think of something to like…have a blog about but it’s definitely something to give some thought. > [@Maastricht](#): > > **Angelsoft** , I tried to send you a PM, but your listed e-mail adress isn’t current. I didn’t know it was. Wow that was an old email address! Thanks for the heads up. All fixed now 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2013, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-a-single-work-at-home-mom-how/661604/29 "2013-07-08T01:25:55Z")
Reported. ---
**Author:** ![danielwilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@danielwilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danielwilson)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-a-single-work-at-home-mom-how/661604/30 "2013-07-11T06:25:54Z")
You mentioned you like to write! Why don’t you try your hand at freelance writing? There are several websites that need freelance writers. I’m not sure about the pay, but it can be a start, the biggest benefit being you can work from home! I’d also suggest you look into medical transcription as a career option. You’ll need to undergo training of course. There are a number of institutes that offer training, with CareerStep in Canada being one of them. The course is online and very career-focused which increases your chances of finding a good job. It’s one of the most sought-after work-from-home career paths, so look up their website if you’re really interested and would like to give it a shot! All the best! ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-a-single-work-at-home-mom-how/661604/31 "2013-07-11T09:21:18Z")
Just curious… how have you been able to support yourself over the last five years? ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-a-single-work-at-home-mom-how/661604/32 "2013-07-11T09:35:40Z")
> [@danielwilson](#): > > You mentioned you like to write! Why don’t you try your hand at freelance writing? There are several websites that need freelance writers. I’m not sure about the pay, but it can be a start, the biggest benefit being you can work from home! I’d also suggest you look into medical transcription as a career option. You’ll need to undergo training of course. There are a number of institutes that offer training, with CareerStep in Canada being one of them. The course is online and very career-focused which increases your chances of finding a good job. It’s one of the most sought-after work-from-home career paths, so look up their website if you’re really interested and would like to give it a shot! All the best! A friend of mine was a medical transcriptionist–until the work was outsourced. She was able to find a real job. Someone ought to think twice before investing money they may not have in a career that may not have a future. Writing is not, I think, always immediately awarded with large amounts of money. Certainly worth studying & working at it on the side… ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-a-single-work-at-home-mom-how/661604/33 "2013-07-11T12:14:06Z")
I am not a single parent, but I work from home. Something to keep in mind is that it is **not** usually true that you can do _anything_ else at the same time as you are working. This includes taking care of your child. It depends on the job, of course, but I would not expect to have time to interact with your child, drive her to play dates, etc., because you will have to spend that time working. My experience is that working from home saves time (and money) on the commute. But one of the things I have had to struggle against is the tendency to assume that because I am at home, I am available to do something other than work. I **can’t** do laundry or make dinner or run errands during the day (usually) because I have to be at a phone meeting or actually churn out code (I am a computer programmer). And I didn’t do this fresh into the work force - it took a number of years before I could establish myself in a position where I can work from home and still get stuff done and stay employed. IME, many “work from home” offers are scams, like multi-level marketing or pyramid schemes. YMMV. You might be able to offer daycare, as long as you don’t take in enough children to run into licensing issues. But that is a lot of hours and hassle for not a lot of money, and like most self-employment, it is hard to establish yourself. Good luck, and I don’t mean to sound discouraging. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-a-single-work-at-home-mom-how/661604/34 "2013-07-11T13:13:05Z")
[A listing of legit work-from-home opportunities](http://www.clarkhoward.com/topics/workathome_help/) ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-a-single-work-at-home-mom-how/661604/35 "2013-07-11T15:29:41Z")
my uncle’s brother’s girlfriend’s nephew’s cockapoo makes $7268/week working from home - find out how: [thislinkis.bs](http://told.you.it.was.fake) ---
**Author:** ![LMarie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@LMarie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LMarie)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-a-single-work-at-home-mom-how/661604/36 "2013-07-11T18:17:06Z")
Not knowing what your skills and interests are, it’s hard to make a specific suggestion. However, here are a list of places where you might find some good ideas: [Smart Passive Income Blog](http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/) (lots of hot air out there, but Pat’s one of the good guys) [Work At Home Mom Forum](http://www.wahm.com/forum/) [Work At Home Mom Center](http://www.workathomemomcenter.com/) [Warrior Forum](http://www.warriorforum.com/) [How to Make Money On eBooks](http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2010/07/how-to-make-money-on-ebooks.html) [Building WordPress Sites](http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvG9V9e1s2lN-hoWeHsDCJQ) (You’ll need this whether building for yourself or other people) [Building Sites For Local Businesses](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G9vWVrJ6yY) [Mystery Shopping and Merchandising Forum](http://forum.volition.com/default.asp) [Freelance Writing Jobs](http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/category/writing-gigs/?doing_wp_cron=1373566278.2040810585021972656250) [Blogger Jobs](http://jobs.problogger.net/) Hope this helps! ---
**Author:** ![LMarie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@LMarie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LMarie)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-a-single-work-at-home-mom-how/661604/37 "2013-07-18T22:21:18Z")
Back to add [elance.com](http://elance.com) and [oDesk.com](http://oDesk.com) to the conversation. Also, have you considered running a RelyLocal franchise? From what I can tell, you don’t need a brick and mortar location, and you can create your own schedule. Not sure if this is available in your area, but you may want to check it out. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2013, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-a-single-work-at-home-mom-how/661604/38 "2013-07-19T23:15:28Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > I have a friend who works from home doing medical insurance reimbursement claims. If you think you’ll be able to attend your kids while you’re working, I think you’re mistaken. She was also required to have a room set aside strictly for a workspace - no bedroom furniture, etc. She’s paid an hourly wage and is required to work set hours and has production goals that have to be met or she’ll be required to work from the office. However there may be other situations that are more flexible. > > StG My niece has a similar job. She had to set aside a room purely as an office, with a locked door, that _nobody_ else (not even her live-in boyfriend, or her landlord) is allowed to set foot in. She can’t even have a cellphone or personal land phone in the same room. She has scheduled breaks and a lunch (& can take “biobreaks” which are tracked), but it’s pretty much exactly like working onsite (which she had to do for over 6 months before being allowed work-at-home). She can’t even her daughter home in another room unless there’s a 2nd adult home too. Oh, and she also has to allow inspectors from the company access with no notice at any time during whatever her shift is. Hell it wouldn’t surprise me if they stuck a webcam in the room. She only just started working at home and is have serious 2nd thoughts over whether all this crap is worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Whitney\_Harper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@Whitney\_Harper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whitney_Harper)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2013, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-a-single-work-at-home-mom-how/661604/39 "2013-07-20T12:31:37Z")
I think I had read somewhere that JetBlue hires reservation agents to work from their home, but this was several years ago, I don’t know if they still do now or not. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-be-a-single-work-at-home-mom-how/661604.md?page=1)