Life as a mom is often a race between school drop-offs, endless laundry, and making sure everyone eats something that vaguely resembles a vegetable. At home, you’re the all-knowledgeable master who solves everyone’s problems, and you feel lucky if you manage to catch a 5-minute breather here and there.
So, how do other mothers manage to do this and grow their careers?
It’s not easy, but with the right strategies, it’s absolutely possible to have a happy family and a professional life. In this post, we’ll explore several practical methods you can start using right away to grow your career without losing sight of what matters most at home.
How Moms Can Grow Their Careers While Staying Focused on Family
Look for Flexible Work Options
Kids always come first, whether it’s a recital or a cold. Sadly, this means that your work opportunities are limited, but hey, that’s life!
The good news is that, due to more people asking for remote work and flexible schedules, there are more options nowadays than in the past. You just have to be open to the idea, even if that involves learning a trade or changing your career path.
Here are a few flexible work ideas that don’t require you to turn your life upside down:
Freelance Writing or Content Creation
If you love words (or have a knack for social media), freelance writing, blogging, or content creation can be a flexible option. Choose a niche you’re comfortable with (it can be parenting, why not?), decide on the platform you want to use, and start writing.
Virtual Assistant (VA)
Many small businesses and entrepreneurs hire VAs to handle email, scheduling, research, or social media tasks. It’s remote, often part-time, and easy to scale up or down. To start, build a simple website or LinkedIn profile describing your services and join groups or platforms like Belay or Fancy Hands to find clients.
E-Commerce or Etsy Shop
If you like crafts or have a special talent that can be monetized via an e-commerce store, now’s the perfect time to set up a digital shop. Nowadays, you can sell almost anything from handmade crafts to template designs or sewing patterns.
Build Up Your Skills
Most of us think about going back to school when it comes to acquiring new skills or polishing existing ones. Now, this is something not many mothers can do, because traditional education is quite rigid and requires you to be physically present in class.
However, due to the increased popularity of online learning, things are different. Nowadays, you have access to a wide range of online education platforms that award you a well-recognized diploma once you graduate.
For instance, you can apply for an online masters degree and trust that you will be able to add the diploma to your resume as proof of your newly acquired skills. Online degrees are no longer something everyone can get by simply participating. If real estate appeals to you, programs like NYREI virtual property courses let you complete pre-licensing and continuing education fully online, on your schedule, helping you pivot into a flexible, family-friendly career. You must read and understand the material and demonstrate your understanding by passing the final exam. But you’re not tied down by a strict schedule.
If you’re not interested in formal education, there are other ways to upgrade your skills. Listen to a podcast or an audiobook during school runs or watch a YouTube video while folding laundry. In the evening, after the kiddos go to bed, spend 20 minutes on a platform like Coursera, Udemy, or LinkedIn Learning, deepening your knowledge.
Set Clear Boundaries
Yes, you can have it all, but within reason. You can’t grow a career (or keep your sanity) if your work life and family life constantly spill into each other. You need to set and enforce boundaries.
This doesn’t mean you are selfish or that you’re leaving the kids to fend for themselves. It simply means working with your partner and support network to establish a clear boundary between work and family hours.
Start by defining clear work hours, even if you’re working from home. Maybe it’s mornings while the kids are at school, or evenings after bedtime. The important part is consistency. When you’re “on,” give your work your full focus. When you’re “off,” shut the laptop, silence the notifications, and be present with your family.
Wrap Up: You Got This!
Yes, you can (and should) chase your dreams even if you’re in the process of growing and nurturing your family. Start small, stay consistent, and show the small ones what it means to be truly tough. They may not understand now, but by the time they grow up, you’ll be one of the life models they’d love to follow!