Jobs

Here's a random blog for you, it's completely about my indecisiveness / obsessiveness in the employment category.  If this blog doesn't frustrate you by the end of it you are a special person... it means you can handle my indecisiveness. 
Let's see.  As I write this it is June of 2010.  I have surpassed the 2 year mark from graduation with a Bachelor's degree.  It seems, while growing up, I heard over and over by family and teachers and mentors that education was very important.  To live well (financially) and to be successful (in whatever sense that means) you needed to have at least a bachelor's degree. 
So there you go.  According to the bulk of my advice, I should be financially well and somehow successful.  And maybe we are.  I mean, financially we get around okay.  Things are tight, for sure, and there's not a lot in the way of "splurges", but we are making it.  Success, well, getting through a week as a stay at home mom is success in and of itself.  All of that being said, I wonder why I wasted my parent's money (thanks mom and dad) on college.  I need no degree for what I'm doing now. 
And don't get me wrong.  It's not that I have no desire to be doing anything, no, it's that what I want to be doing seems impossible and 43 worlds away.  AND, what I want to be doing, well, doesn't necessarily change, but rather is about 10 different things.  You think this would make my predicament easier... I have several things I would be happy doing, unfortunately, I have no idea how to get started with any of them... or, they aren't feasible in some way shape or form.  Here's my life ambitions in the career world, check them out with me:
1.  Stay at Home Mom
           -  If you say this isn't a job then come do what I do for a week.  It's by far the hardest job (but the most rewarding) I've ever had.  All in all, though, I love it.  Even if just while my kid(s) are out of school, I would love to get to be the mom to take my kids places and grow them and teach them up until they are in kindergarten.  The downside with this one... money.  Unfortunately there is no pay for being and home and enjoying your kids ;)

2.  Ministry Somewhere
          -  This is, afterall, what my degree is in, but this one seems the most impossible.  What in the ministry world would I like to do?  You name it.  Ideally, I'd love to do youth ministry, particularly girls (but I'd even serve in a secretarial position) or educational ministry.   The hard part with working in a church as far as ministry is concerned, I'm obviously never going to work at any other church besides the one I attend with my husband, and that makes this goal seem impossible and unattainable, which is a HUGE bummer. 
            Aside from this kind of ministry, I'd also be willing to serve on other non-profit ministries.  The downfall with this is that there are not many in our area, especially those with the financial capabilities to hire. 

3.  Teach
            -  Well this one is ix-nayed from the very get go mainly because I don't even have a teaching degree.  My degree is in religion (Biblical Studies).  So teaching in a public school (aside from substitute teaching), will never happen.  My only chance at this would be a christian or private school that would take me, or a jr college looking for a teacher in my field (which will virtually never happen).  I, at this point, have no intentions of doing anymore school, and honestly, with education in Illinois being what it is right now, who can blame me. 
             I am good at teaching, so maybe I can make some extra income teaching some couponing classes or something someday... who knows. 

4.  Entrepreneurship
            - Okay, if we are dreaming, here, let's dream.  Coffeeshop.  I don't have to talk much about this, because, come on, it's been mentioned in blogs past.  I would LOVE to open / run / manage a coffee shop / book store.  Not like a Barnes and Noble kind, but a small, intimate, hometown kind.  I love just thinking about it...

5.  Writer / Author / Blogger
            -  This one is very difficult for me.  I love writing.  Love it.  It doesn't matter what the avenue or assignment (okay, I wasn't that big of a fan of term papers and stuff, but anything else is fair game), I just love writing.  I know there are ways and that it's possible, but in the writing world you take huge risks in investing a great deal of time into a project that never 'makes' it.  I may be a stay at home mom, but I don't know that I have the time for such a risk.  Maybe that sounds lazy, but I'd rather be playing with my son than writing a book that only I will ever read.  If I knew there was publishing down the road, it'd be worth the investment.

6.  Work from Home
            -  Okay, not those cheesy work from home phone jobs or stuffing envelopes things.  I'm talking having some kind of hobby I could invest time in to sell product, or having a ministry I could do secretarial work from home, or blogging (see number 5) for a living from home, or even doing home based parties in a business (that actually made it worth your while).  That would allow me to be a.) a stay at home mom, and b.) a financial contributor to our household.  Jackpot! 

All in all, eventually in a career field I'd be looking for, a job I love most of the time, with reasonable / flexible hours, that is satisfying in regards to my mental nature and also is financially worth it, that stretches my comfort level to some degree, but proves to me that I can do more than I thought capable. 
I need an employer who recognizes my devotion to my family and to my ministry alongside my husband but also one who knows that if those commitments are honored, then I can offer similar devotion to my job. 
Now, just to find one of those.... hmmmm.