OT: Need some advice

I really don't know what to do. I am so depressed these days. Ok, ya'll know I am back at Mcdonald's working. Well do I like it??? It is ok, but I want a job where I can home every evening and home on the weekends. I know those jobs are hard to come by. I would even do plant work to get the hours. Problem is I have to make a certain amount to be able to pay our bills. I need at least $11.00 an hour. I want to go to school to get a degree. Even if it is an associate's degree. But with the way my schedule is at work I can't do that. Has anyone ever taken any classes online? I thought about that, but I am the kind of person that would rather have someone telling me about everything. I thought about being an LPN or taking some office administration classes. Any ideas or thoughts on this. I use to sell Mary Kay and that is just for me. I don't know about those kinds of things anyway. I am so depressed about this. Everytime Frank and I start to talk about it we just end up fighting. I could easily work at Mcdonald's Monday thru Friday, but for much less pay. If there was even work I could do from home to make up the difference I would do that. I just don't know what to do. I trust all of you and know you gals give good advice. I also thought about being a social worker. I love to work with kids and would do anything to help them. What kind of schooling do you have to do to be a social worker? Well I guess I am going to quit whinning now. There are other problems that I have, but that is enough for now. Thank ya'll so much for listening. I love you all!!!! Linda maintaining at 127

((((((((((((((Big Hug Linda))))))))))))))))) I know it must be frustrating to have to go to a job when you want (and need) to be home with your family. Have you thought about telemarketing? There are several big corporations here in Bham that hire people at 12 bucks an hour to do phone surveys....it's not selling but more like political surveys, product reviews, etc. I did it for a while when I was in college and they pretty much let me set my own hours. I also waited tables and bartended and made GREAT money and even though I worked mostly nights and weekends, there were a lot of moms that worked only days while their kids were in school. That would also give you time to go take classes at night. My half sister goes to Virginia College and from what I understand they have excellerated programs that allow you to get your degree (associates or bachelors) quicker than traditional colleges......man, where was that when I was killing myself through 5 years of college ???? Social Work IS very rewarding. My Mom was a social worker and director of a daycare for mentally retarded adults and she loved her job......but let me tell you.....You dont get rich doing it. After being with the state for many many years, she never even made 25k a year. Strictly from dealing with all different kinds of people in the Real Estate industry, I can tell you that the biggest money making jobs right now are in IT and software developement and of course, nursing. Maybe when you decide where you want to go to take classes, you should go in with an undeclared major and see what the 'hot spots' are. Just a thought! Hope you get out of your 'funk' and have a great weekend. Love you girl kim

I can feel you Linda. I went to LPN school when my kids were in elementry school. I had to quit Bryce, to do it. They wouldnt work with me so I quit and lived off my retirement for the year I was in school. Unfortuntately you can not get a LPN degree or RN degree taking online classes. I know they offer it for the RN degree but the Alabama Board of Nursing will only liscense you if you have graduated from an accredited nursing program. Online companies sucker people in, to go for a higher nursing degree. I know they tried it with me, and I wrote the board of nursing about it. They told me I must attened an accredited school of nursing for to be liscensed in the state of Alabama. I think social workers require a college degree. Google Lawson State. I did the other day and found they do have a virtual classroom. I dont know what kind of degree you can get online with them or if you have to register at Lawson State and attend anything. The website was undergoing maintenance so I couldnt check it out. You can check online for the nearest community college near you and see what kinds of degrees they offer. Most take one year, they may have a career with only a 9 month class requirement. I dont know, just a wild guess. There is a state facility in North Alabama. You could try to apply there for a secretarial position, that way you would be off all holidays and weekends and at night, with state employees benefits. I cant think of the name of it right off hand, North Alabama Regional Hospital?????? I dont know know how much they would pay to start, sorry Im not much help. Keep looking, it may come to you when you least expect it. Sandy

I always had good luck with Kelly Services. You can tell them what you are looking for and they will do their best to find something for you. They will even train you on computer stuff. They have temp work, but they also have jobs that can turn into permanent. That's how I got my job in Florida. I also got some good positions here in Florence before I moved to Florida with Kelly Services. Have you thought about selling stuff on Ebay? That can bring in some good money too. I wish I was physically able to carry boxes and trot to the post office every day and I would be doing that and telling the disability people to go straight to Hades. Social workers have to have a 4 year degree, I think, but there might be some related occupations that don't require that much. If I ever get well and am able to go back to work, I would probably try to see if I could survive on Ebay, but my second step would be to try Kelly Services. I know what you mean about wanting to do something meaningful, but needing a certain amount of money. My ideal job is working as a front desk clerk at hotels. I have enjoyed those jobs better than anything I ever did and have worked at several of them. But the money is just not there unless you get into management and I never stayed anywhere long enough to work into management due to my medical troubles. My nerves and panic attacks would kick in and I would quit my job before it got out of hand and anyone "noticed" that my nerves were screwy. My job in Florida is the only one I was able to stay at for over a few years without having to stop, although I did eventually have to stop with it too. Luckily, this time I had disability insurance, but that's always an "iffy" thing. I never know when they are going to cut me off and kick me to the curb. My doctors tell me not to worry about it because as long as they are verifying my medical problems, they cannot cut off my disability, but I don't trust anyone at this point. They always make you feel humiliated, no matter what. The best of luck to you. It's awful not being in fulfilling work. Love you, Joni

Thanks so much!!! I knew I could count on my family here. You all have given some great advice. I love you all!! Linda

Linda, I know I'm coming in late on this...but I wanted to do some thinking for a couple of days before I responded. There are a lot of options out there. The thing that I have found with online or distance learning courses is that they end up being independent study courses. You will have a LOT of reading and assignments to do on your own, and then you might occasionally meet with classmates for presentations or tests. That's how it was in education courses anyway. Renee's idea about schools is a good one. Not only do they need help in the office, but most every teacher I know that teaches public school has trouble maintaining a pool of GOOD substitute teachers. I'm not sure what the requirements are to do substitute teaching here in the Madison Co. or Madison City Schools, but it might be something you want to look into. When I did substitute teaching, I had more work than I could do and actually had to turn people away just because I needed some down time. On the flip side, it can be a draining thing to do because each age is different. If you're proactive in the way you approach things or discipline the kids, then you will do fine. Once you sub a few times and do a good job, word spreads fast and you might be able to focus on 1 or 2 schools and be able to work 4 or 5 days a week. You didn't mention what kind of salary that you would need...temp jobs are another great idea...I saw that Joni had already mentioned that. Waiting tables can mean good money, but its hard work...any kind of food service is. Something that you may not have thought about is being a consultant for something like Pampered Chef, or Southern Living at Home. You can set your own hours and even though there is an initial investment, it pays for itself in time. I'm looking into the Southern Living at Home myself right now. If you're interested, I can fill you in what I'm finding out. You can schedule as many parties as you like, but normally no more than 2 a week...from what I understand its really what you make of it. Some people only do 1 or 2 parties a month, some do 6-8. For the time being, you could even look into retail sales. You might enjoy it more than what you're doing now and you always get that employee discount! I'll keep my eyes and ears open and let you know if I hear of anything! Oh, by the way, do you have a resume done? If not, you need to...I'll be happy to help you put one together...just let me know what you need! Love ya! Becky