Unsure which direction to take..

[Arimeh]

Ok so I'm tossing a few things around in my head at the moment, and I'm not sure which direction I should be taking.

My previous employment has been anything and everything!!! Checkout chick, petrol station attendant, make up artist, about 7 years in retail (5 at KMart, 2 at a bookstore).

Then in 2001 I did 2 years at VU in legal studies, graduated as a paralegal in Victoria, moved to Queensland, found out the qualification meant absolutely freakin nothing up there, so started as a receptionist, moved up to secretary, then conveyancer.

Even though I loved studying law, I hated working in it. Absolutely hated it - mostly because it was so boring, especially when I was a secretary (too much typing, not enough independent type work)

So now - I'm not returning to the work force until the kids are all in school. So basically, I have about 5 years to actually DO something with my life.

So these are my choices:

1. Study law and become a solicitor - might be more exciting than a secretary, and I could specialise in criminal law, which is something I had always found very exciting. OR - I could study law, get into the police force and become a police prosecutor, something I have thought about for AGES.

2. Become a doula and work in that field. I'd love to do this, would probably be a little bit of work down here, but how doable is that with young kids, and would it bring in enough income to help support my family once everyone is at school?

3. Study nursing and become a child health nurse. I'm sick of hearing stories about people that hate their child health nurse because they get judged for their parenting. I would like to be a small voice out there in the community saying whatever your way of parenting is - its right for you and your family. The local ones here don't seem to be very ... uh.. on the ball (the one I've been seeing is a bit.. uh.... out there.... or not all there... IYKWIM? lol) and there are currently 5 positions for child health nurses in this area - all paying reasonable wages.

I would like a career that pays well, so if DH ever wanted to go to uni and become an architect, I could support the family on my wage, just as he is supporting the family now on his -returning the favour to him I suppose?

Arghhh so confused... don't know what to do...

Any ideas/suggestions?

[~MummaBear~]

i dont have much advice for you because i really dont know you all that well but from your posts i can tell that you would be a great doula but i have no idea if that would be able to suppport your family. Would there be someone at home to watch the kids if a lady decided to have her bub at night ( cause you know ladies have so much say in it lol)
I think a Child health nurse is great but are you sure there would be a position. It would be horrible to study nursing for that and then have to do general nursing because there were no positions.

as for the other ones im not sure... are you sure that criminal law would not get boring after a while? I have no idea just throwing it out there!!
anyway idont think any of that helped but good luck!!!!!

[ezymay]

Mel I think you would be awesome at anything but so awesome as a doula or a child health nurse. I don't know much about how to become either. And it isn't always about the money.

[Pandora]

I think you have to be a midwife to be a CHN dont you?
At least that way you could still do midwifery if there was no chn job.

Law would be interesting though, but heaps of work and reading etc all the time, would you get time to do all the reading and coursework with three kids? Its something I have considered a few times myself but I worry about whether I could fit it in around the kids

[Arimeh]

Mel I think you would be awesome at anything but so awesome as a doula or a child health nurse. I don't know much about how to become either. And it isn't always about the money.

You're right - it isn't always about the money - and I wouldn't care what it paid if there wasn't a chance that DH wants to go to uni and study architecture. Its at least 6 years to become an graduate architect - then another 2 years in the field, then sitting an exam.

So no - if he definitely wasn't interested in doing this, then I probably wouldn't have a concern of supporting the family on my wage at some point in time.

Ray - I'm not sure - I'd probably study to be a midwife anyway to be honest, just that I'm not sure how I would go sticking my fingers up another woman.. freaks me out a bit.. LOL.. and about the Law. I dunno.. I might get some credit cos of the previous course I have done? I know that took 18 months off a law degree in Victoria...

Mummyof4 - thank you for your kind words, definitely things that I am thinking about.

[Inanna]

Well I think its wonderful that you are looking at options my love!
Doulas don't make lots of money! Certainly if you wanted to replace a full time wage - that would be a big ask as a Doula.. Child wrangling for a birth etc etc...

Child Health Nurse - you would need to study nursing which is a 3 year full time degree & then you would need to do a diploma of child health or the equivalent in Tassie... So you're looking at about 4 years. Nurses wages are not wonderful - but being a nurse I can say it's a rewarding career... The system is hard to buck so if you are going against it - it can be a hard job... But again I am biased and think it's a great career. The course entails shift work & I think you would (at least you used to have to) have to have some general nursing experience before you can apply to do your diploma - but that could have changed...

Solicitor - you know the ropes - it's something that you are familiar with... It will pull a decent wage & if criminal law is something you're interested in then I think it would be a fascinating job also...
How many years study is law? Is it 4?

It's a hard one my love...

[thepixie]

Melski my love, I can only really comment on the one of these that I've done

1. Study law and become a solicitor - might be more exciting than a secretary

Like you I really enjoyed studying law, but working in it made my skin crawl. I've been a secretary and a solicitor, and I have to say that TBH, money aside, I would actually prefer to be a secretary (and I don't know about now but when I started most 1-2 year out lawyers were paid less than their secretaries). The main reasons being:
1. the timesheets - oh the torture of reducing your life to six minute increments!
2. the overtime - it's such a boys club and there is so much d*ck measuring about who stayed back the latest and who did the most billable hours - never about who did the best job for the client.
3. it's unbelievably sexist.... really it's a boys club and the more parochial the jurisdiction I'm guessing the more of a boys club it is.
4. the politics. the witch-hunts. It's oh-so-b*tchy. it makes a year 10 at a girls' school look like a teddy bears' picnic. And that's just the people you work with.
5. It's all about costs, costs, costs.
Anyway, that's just my experience. Personally I think if it was in an inhouse or possibly government role it could be OK (eg. police prosecutor, DPP etc), but private practice.... not for me. As for criminal I also have an interest in that, but I've never worked in it so maybe someone else can help you out there.
just my but it's a big investment of time and money to find that it was a great thing to study but not a great environment to work in.
Sorry to be a negative nancy but that's my take on it. Hope you can find something that lights your fire. I've been lucky enough to find a job that I'm really enjoying after ten years of being bored out of my skull so it can be done!

[Inanna]

You don't have to be a midwife any longer in Qld to do child health - not sure on other states tho...

[Inanna]

So what sort of law do you practise now Pixie?

[Arimeh]

Inanna - last time I checked it was 4 years study for law... I *think* in Queensland you could do 3 years, and then do prac for 2 years and become one that way, or you do 4 years at uni, and then more study straight away to get past the prac - or something like that. Not sure what the requirements are in Tassie.

Whereas with nursing - I could do nursing at uni down here, fast track it through UTAS and get my degree in 2 years instead of 3 (as explained to me by the lovely Freya (think thats what your username is now.. lol))

I'm not against studying to be a midwife if I have to, to get into child health - but I'm sure I saw something the other day on the UTAS site that its a separate course to do child health so maybe I wouldn't have to study mid?

pixie -thats exactly what I'm afraid of too. Its just pretty fascinating to study, and I absolutely adored it (probably helped that I got the top scores all the time out of everyone so I actually had some confidence and felt intelligent - not anymore) And yes, time costing sucked - sucked doing it as a secretary.. ROFL and yeah, i would HATE to devote all that study and not do anything with it, its how i felt when I did 2 years and went to queensland and it was worth nothing - so I started off at 25 grand a year as a receptionist, and all my friends who I had studied with (who did worse than me) were getting paid at least 60 grand in their first job out of VU... very disheartening..

[Emma1979]

okay this is going to sound like total waffle, but i was watching oprah the other day, and she was interviewing young (like 25 year old) self made uber millionaires... it was quite interesting, some were high school dropouts, teased in school, and went on to be ultra successful and run their own companies... anyways getting to my point, the recurrent theme was most definitely, to put the money issue asside, and do something that you are passionate and enthusiastic about and LOVE doing... not that you want to set out to be an uber millionaire, BUT, they all said when they started out in their careers, they did not set out to make a heap of money, they set out in doing/starting something in a field they loved, that made them happy, that gave them job satisfaction etc etc, and from there grew the money...

i suppose it just made a bit of sense to me... if you are doing something you love and are truely passionate about, you will do it well, it won't feel so much like 'work' and with your enthusiasm you will also probably reap success.

good luck....

[Inanna]

Arimeh you don't have to study mid any more to be a CHN...

[thepixie]

So what sort of law do you practise now Pixie?

Deb I'm now an underwriter for a medical defence organisation if that means anything to you!

[Arimeh]

Arimeh you don't have to study mid any more to be a CHN...

Ahh thanks

I don't want everyone to get the wrong impression and think I'm going to only go in a direction that I can make money - cos its not all about the money, I think I'm just writing it wrong.

I guess I just want DH to follow his dreams too, and not give them up because we can't afford for him to do it ya know? I want him to have his dreams come true in life as well.

I'm passionate about all the things that I've mentioned, and I like them all (which is why its so confusing!)

[Emma1979]

nah i didn't think at all you were about the money.... just sometimes when you take money out of the equation, then it can sometimes help reveal what really and truely floats your boat... but if you are equally passionate about all three choices then i see where lies your dilemma!!!!

[Fleur]

I know exactly what you mean about the money...it's not everything, but with a DH & 3 kids, it's a bit of it ...and of course you want to be fair to your DH & give him a chance to follow his dreams... if you can be in a jopb you love that also pays well , woo-hoo!

From what I am reading... I would say skip the law, do child health - there are positions vacant, you have a goal already set out (to be a supportive voice, and maybe sing a different tune? ) AND you could maybe in a few years when the kids are older study MW as well & combine them? That way you would get to dip a toe in both waters....

Just my 2c

[widdly]

I agree with all Jasp said

[ezymay]

If you are going to be the one supporting the family then yep your right it does have to be a bit about the money. Law or nursing then will give you a better financial standing. Exciting to have options tho!!