I haven't worked for over 20 years. I'm scared and don't know what to do, any advice?

Question

I haven't worked for over 20 years. I'm scared and don't know what to do, any advice?
I did two years of college when I was younger - a secretarial course in England. Then I got a job and got married. Three years later I got pregnant and became a stay at home mother. I'm not really good at anything and don't know what to do with my life now that my children no longer need me. How do I go about changing my life? I need advice please.

Answer 1

Not really good at anything? Well with that attitude will never get you a job.

Lets see what you do have experience at, maintaining a budget, using computers and the Internet, supervising, delegating, meal planning and preparation, conflict resolution, chauffeuring, networking, adolescent behavior.

Looks like you qualify for lots of jobs to me. Lots of companies are looking for someone like you. Don't be afraid, the more interviews you go to the better you get at them. You will be fine.

Answer 2

Only because you havent had a formal job doesnt mean you havent worked. Being a stay at home mom, raising kids and managing a household is work too. Sit down and think abut the individual skills that takes. You managed time, money, chores, told people what and what not to do. You supervised activities, divided chores, motivated kids, planned activities, taught skills. And all that aside from keeping the house clean, feeding the family and caring about everyone. Now, sit down and think about what you would really like to do. Do you think that requires some additional training? Find out where. Or maybe a part time job would be enough. And to get back in the swing of things you can always volunteer somewhere till you feel a bit more secure with your skills. Good Luck.

Answer 3

Well, I recommend to an extent picking up where you left off. There are ALOT more resources than you had back in the day when it was 20 years ago.

I recommend 3 things.

1. Buy the book - what color is your parachute, it's a very helpful guide for figuring out what you want to do , based on the skills you have - even if you don't think you have any - you really do.

2. Go down to your local college or work center and see if they have any skills assessment tests you can take to see if you have any aptitudes that might be the basis of an interesting career.

3. Don't be down on yourself, everyone's got some skill, maybe it's cooking, maybe it's organizational skills, maybe it's being able to handle yourself in tough situations or managing money or something similar.

But remember, you are going to be starting from a pretty basic level, don't get discouraged because of your age, just be persistent and find something you really like.

Answer 4

First,how much more scarier is it to be a mom and wife and raise a family?! You did the hardest job any woman can do! A job is a piece of cake! Second,think about this first, do you need a job to make ends meet ,for extra spending money,or just to be out of the house? Because those things give you options, if its not a must you go to work, you can work only part time, you can volunteer your help or you can go back to school or learn a new hobby you been wanting to do. What do you like to do? Find a job in something you like or are interested in, go to school to help yourself in that field if you want ,or do some research on the internet ,the more information you have the more comfortable you feel. You will succeed when you are well informed. Good Luck ! And Best Wishs!

Answer 5

You took a secretarial course, could you do that again? I imagine the course taught you how to make a resume. You should start by making a resume and sendingthem out to prospective employers. Make sure that you write about your coursework in the resume and about the job you had. When you have the inter view then you can explin to your future employer that you were raising your children and thats why you have such a big gap in your work history. Explain that you learned a lot by caring for your children and about how you used time management skills and organizational skills to get everything done from household chores to getting the children to medical/dental appointments.

Answer 6

Madam, you need a fresh perspective adjustment. If you were a stay-at-home mom you've worked plenty over the last 20 years, moreso than the average person does in their job for a mere 8 to 10 hours per day! (That's pretty much a 24/7 type of occupation which encompasses all sorts of skills which include budgeting, transportation, cooking, schedule management, and many things it wouldn't even occur to me to mention. My bigger point is, give yourself the credit you deserve by looking at what all you've accomplished.) Healthy adult children is a job well done.

Answer 7

If you'd like to go back into the job force, perhaps you can take a course or two at a local college. In addition, you do have a lot of skills that you learned while being a stay at home mom. There's plenty for you to do!! Stay positive and work on your self confidence. You'll find something that you enjoy and excel at! Good Luck in your search! :-)

Answer 8

Have you thought about volunteering your services at a local hospital or hospice house?? These places have people in them that have no one to ever visit them. You could adopt a grandparent at a hospice or you could just be an ear to listen to someone with no one there at a hospital. You could even use your secretarial skills at a front desk there. Or there are violence shelters with younger mothers that could use someone to listen and help, maybe you could volunteer there. You already have computer skills to some degree so anywhere you volunteer you can hone your skills on the computer also. These are just a few ideas and I hope that it helped.

Answer 9

If you think you are not good and anything then start by thinking of what you like doing Usually people are good at those things without realising it.
If you get the choice focus on what you like, gain additional skills if required and or find voluntary work in that are to gain the experience you lack.

Then things will roll from there

Answer 10

try searching for support groups in your area for stay at home moms that have decided to return to the work force.......am sure there might be some