You’re not alone in thinking you should have a fallback plan for financial security. The recent government upset was the perfect example of why military families started putting a new plan in place for savings and rethinking other avenues of income.
Most of the military community was fortunate enough to weather the latest economic storm, but the truth is that most of us are reliant upon our military servicemember’s income for financial welfare. Many of our spouses in the military community have discovered that finding and keeping a job from duty station to duty station is an almost impossible task.
What’s a spouse to do? A viable option for many milspouses are portable careers because of the versatility working most anywhere in the US or world. They are offer a huge advantage, offering flexible work/life balance with young or school aged children, as well as a buffer for your family’s finances.
Maybe you’ve been thinking about going back to school… have you considered a degree in website or graphic design? Many virtual careers and freelance positions are offered in these fields. Several military spouses have chosen to take positions as freelancers so they can dictate their workload as well.
There’s also a large demand for bloggers and people with social media expertise. Maybe you’ve dabbled with writing a blog as a hobby… this could create some real traction to starting a career as a freelance blog consultant. If you develop the skills to design, maintain and create content for your blog, you will not only run an amazing personal blog, you will also have the skills to work as a freelance blog consultant, should that interest you.
Your blog could also give you the writing and networking skills to move toward paid opportunities like writing columns for local newspapers or submitting website content. If you think you have a compelling personal story or have dreamt up the next book craze, you may even be able to land a book or eBook deal.
So what if you’re not technically savvy or prefer to work with your hands? Many of our crafty military spouses find their niche in a craft business by creating popular handmade baby clothes, women’s accessories and pet accessories. Some sell locally to area stores, or some venture to ETSY or eBay to sell internationally.
If you’re looking to hone in on some secondary income, start paying attention to the areas in your life where you find joy and look to see if there are any trends in the community that you could use your skills for. Portable careers take dedication and focus, but they also allow you to make money while factoring in aspects of your life that prevent you from taking on a more traditional full-time position.
Best of luck in your search!
Elizabeth Samet is the managing Editor and community manager at SpouseLink.org where you can find additional supportive, informative and inspirational stories.
