Stay At Home Parents in the Computer Age
Since the pandemic lockdown in March 2020, the landscape of the job market has changed drastically. Many companies were forced to make a shift from brick and mortar office space to a more remote, online approach while we all stayed indoors.
Although the world has largely re-opened thanks to vaccines, masks, and ongoing social distancing when necessary, a great number of companies are still practicing full or hybrid remote work schedules for their employees.
What does this mean for stay at home parents who are looking to bring in some extra income, give back to their community, or learn something new? It could mean there are many more options than were previously available to them!
Let's be clear - being a parent is one of, if not the hardest job out there. A stay at home parent doesn’t need to work in order to be validated or valuable within society. However, if it makes financial sense for someone in your family to stay home with your baby instead of paying for child care, sometimes that parent feels like they wish they could contribute to the family in a different way. If you’re one of those stay at home parents wishing there was a way to contribute financially, communally, or intellectually to your family, this list is for you!
Remote Work Options
Upwork - Freelancers rejoice! If you’ve got a skill, Upwork needs you! This freelance hub seeks talented folks to help with all sorts of creative endeavors - editing, writing, content creation, legal reviews, web design - among many other things. Spend tokens to bid on the projects that speak to you, get chosen by employers, and get started!
Fiverr - This company encourages a reverse-work model where instead of bidding on jobs, the jobs bid on YOU! You create a profile and list the services you’re willing to provide, give your price anywhere from $5.00 (hence the name) to $10,000.00, and let the bidding begin! Perfect for a SAHP who’s only got a few hours a week to complete a quick project for a quick buck!
Skip the Drive - Perhaps you have a very specific set of skills that are typical of an in-person career? Skip the Drive offers remote opportunities for careers such as nursing, accounting, software development, and even bi-lingual opportunities in translation and editing.
Remote Community Options
One of the things that stay at home parents cite as an issue for their well being and mental health while parenting at home is isolation. It can feel like you’re on an island where no one else speaks your language, and although you may not need the extra income, you crave having an adult conversation with anyone else at the end of the day. The following resources are not necessarily income driven, but more of a community approach to parenting.
Front Porch Forum - FPF is a collective hive mind of folks who are all based within your immediate community (you have to provide your zip code to join), and are there and willing to help you however they can if you only ask! This online community has been around for years, however there was a booming uptick in its use during COVID-19 for more than just a virtual garage sale or neighborhood watch. Families asking for assistance and advice with remote learning, medical professionals offering virtual consults for families in lock down, and virtual “movie nights” or “play dates” are among some of the offerings we saw in the height of COVID-19, and have continued beyond the lockdown days.
Meetup - Meetup is an app utilized for those with like interests to - you guessed it! - meet up and share their interests together. As a stay at home parent, it’s important to keep your own interests intact. Did you used to hike every weekend before kids? Join an existing hiking group in your area for some alone time, or better yet create a kid-friendly hiking group for others who are probably missing the summits as much as you! From knitting groups to weekend getaway trips to daily dog walks, Meetup has something for everyone!
Nextdoor.com - Similar to FPF, Nextdoor.com is a community based forum to help those in the community keep up to date on what’s going on in their neighborhood. The bonus to Nextdoor is that there are options for Agencies (fire departments, local food shelves, community centers, etc.) and Businesses (both to engage with local business and to promote your own business) in addition to your own neighborhood chat boards.
Remote Education Opportunities
A stint of stay at home parenting may give you the clarity to realize what it is you want to do when you’re no longer at home. Thanks to COVID-19, many post-secondary institutions have been forced to beef up their online offerings, making getting your college degree easier than ever.
SNHU.com - Perhaps one of the largest and most well-known universities with fully online degree options, Southern New Hampshire University based in Hooksett, New Hampshire is a popular destination for those looking to further their education. With over 200 degree options, affordable online courses that fit your schedule, and an accreditation that spans back to 1932, SNHU is a viable option to further your education while you’re a stay at home parent.
Local Colleges and Universities - As a result of COVID-19, many of the local community colleges and universities you may be familiar with in your own town are offering online courses and degrees at a much higher rate and wider breadth of their pre-pandemic offerings. See who’s offering courses near you with a simple Google search, or visit your local college or university’s website! You can also use this StudyMatch search engine to find a mix of online universities as well as online programs from local universities and colleges near you!
If you’re a stay at home parent who yearns for something more than the most important job of raising your kids, let us know if you try any of these options!
