Hi all, I am new to Indusladies and currently I am a SAHM for twin kids.I have been at home for the past two years and maybe will be at home for another year.I was working as an admin before kids.I have studied ba economics( basic graduation) and after coming to the usa,I joined community college and studied accountancy a 3 month course,quickbooks and MS office.I want to start working in a year or so.Hence, I am willing to update my skills more.I am not looking for a hi-fi job but a decent one.what kind of jobs can I look for? what can I study more?Kindly give me ideas. Thank you
Hey Kalpana Welcome to IL! It's fantastic that you're taking the initiative to explore work opportunities and ways to update your skills! It often seems like a daunting task but with the right frame of mind and determination, nothing will stop you from achieving it. While gaps in employment history may be tougher to get an office job at a bigger company (at least in the short-term), it's not impossible, even for P/T (you can also work with a staffing agency). But if you're open to other opportunities, here's some to consider in the US: - You can start off by getting a Notary Public certification (often available at local community colleges). This will help you make easy cash in your own time with no hassle at all. You can either go visit people in their offices/public places or have people come to you at home. You can charge $5 to $10 USD for each page you sign and stamp. Easy money. My mom does this and it's a great side job. I plan on getting this, too. - Do you drive? Are you open to helping people get around or helping run errands? If so, then consider looking into services like Uber (you can join UberX), Lyft, SideCar, Task Rabbit and DoorDash. There's a ton of great opportunities for you to work on your own hours at your own discretion. They will run a background check and provide you with insurance, a mobile phone (for GPS and to get clients), and that's it! All you need is a car. Again, easy money once you get set up. - Realtor & Real Estate. This is also a great way to work on your own hours. You do need to complete a certification for this and it's often offered at community colleges. This will require you to do some advertising and figure out how to expand your client network (whether it's by known or placing ads in magazines, on lie), but if you join an established Real Estate Agency (e.g. Century21, Redfin, Re/Max, Keller William, Intero, etc) they provide you with everything (training, workshops, office space, business cards, printed materials, open house boards, website, MLS listings, etc for a fixed price). If you want, you can also complete a broker course to round out your services. Real Estate and Brokerage require some upfront investments of time and money, but if you happen to sell off a home or help rent out a home, the pay offs are very sizable and worth it Do you have a creative flare? If so, you can also help stage open houses (setting it up with nice furniture and interior decorations) so that prospective home buyers get enticed and it makes the property look more desirable and sell quicker. I believe you can freelance for this or join companies that provide these services. - If you want to remain in the Accounting path, consider applying for accounting/office admin positions at nonprofit firms. This will offer you great experience and get you started. You can consider trying to work with agencies like H&R block and learning the ins/outs of helping people organize/do their taxes (especially when April time hits) which you can either opt to freelance on your own or do it via a firm. You can try to also spin off in the Auditing direction to help organizations audit their finances. On the side, try to upgrade your skills and certifications by continuing your accounting courses at the community college. While you're at it, also consider getting a CPA certification. It will take you time to prepare for this but if done, it will set you apart and open you up to more lucrative opportunities in Accounting Hope this helps you get started.
I went back to work after a three year break after my first child. I did find work in a good organization. With gaps in employment, in the US, I've noticed I got a lot of respect for having stayed home with the baby. All hiring managers were very appreciative and sensitive of the fact, so I didn't feel discriminated against. I felt what set me apart was that I enrolled for and completed various certifications when I was staying home with the little one. My manager once told me that he felt I was different because I actually did do stuff even while being home with the kids. With Accounting, since CPA exams are tough, why not look for some small certifications? That way you can explain to hiring managers that you were in fact, bettering your skills while staying home. A friend took the Certified Financial Planner certification and she is now working somewhere in an asset management firm. You can google and look into that option. I studied for all my certs while my LO slept or took naps. I know it's tough with twins but keep your skills upgraded. You will find something. In fact, I'm again home with my second child now and am not planning on going back to work anytime soon. I'm still volunteering my time and skills for any friend who needs it. That way I can keep the skills current in the event that I need to quickly start working again. I'm also thinking about certifying in other allied areas. Good Luck with everything!
You can even learn functional modules of finance in business suite packages like SAP or Oracle, Improve your skillset, You don't have to be good at coding to learn all these , with your basic understanding of your domain you can do learn these functional modules easily.
good advice all.I worked as an HR kalpana.I did not do any certifications but got through and learnt on the job.Other than that,I had similar skill sets as urs..
