From my research so far, the course of study that fits me best seems to be Medical Transcription. I was hoping to get some other suggestions of what to consider for my situation. I am mostly looking for a 'backup' career, basically in case I can't rely on income from spouse and if my other 'difficult' pursuits don't get off the ground. Because it will only be 'backup', I am not looking to invest much time or money into it. And it doesn't have to be something I am extra interested in. I definitely prefer to do fast paced independent study and then exams; I don't like assignments, but am willing to do them. Up to a year would be acceptable for me, preferrably less. I am looking for this 'backup' to be something that's not like a minimum wage sales job obviously, or something that needs experience or to be built up or maintained. Ideally the career would be a flexible one where I could do it for a day or week now and then to make supplemental income. It's important -- I would generally go for a $13/hr flexible at home job versus a $25/hr real world job. I am the type of person who likes to dabble in everything, so a part of me would love to just build up a dozen different little options for careers as backups. I like to learn about unusual things and have strange qualifications - such as, I was considering studying and taking the postal worker exam. But I want one or two to be half respectable so that I would be 'in demand' enough to get work when I wanted. Oh by the way, I only have some college credits so far, but already plan to get my BA soon... still feel like a BA is not good enough to fall back on if needed. (At some point I may pursue an advanced degree because I want to and/or pursue a career that I'd actually love doing.) I already know about a lot of opportunities out there -- programming, web design, tutoring, medical billing/coding, other transcription, etc and I guess I am just hoping for something I haven't considered yet. Just in case I like it better than MT or if I decide to go for it in addition to MT... MT does seem like a decent fit for me... Although it does seem like I may only make $9-13/hr unless kept in good practice, memorized a lot more than the regular coursework would require, etc. If I really wanted to, I know I could do $20-$25+ an hour. Thanks!
This is random and might not work for you but what about a Notary Public? It's not full time by any means but you might be able to make some side income. I don't think it takes that long to pass the class and exams.
There was no class or exam when I became a notary in Virginia. All I had to do was read the requirements to be a notary (lengthy), have two people who are eligible to vote in VA sign off on me, and then be sworn in.
You can always take some accounting classes and do bookkeeping services out of your home. After you get two years of experience doing this you are eligible to take the Certified Bookkeeper exam... http://www.aipb.org/certification_program.htm
How about insurance - my wife did really well in commercial insurance even without a degree. Excelsior offers a degree in insurance so you could be studying up on it. And many insurance agengies require temps from time to time.
Ian, What exactly do you mean by commercial insurance? Do you mean business/corporate insurance? Sideman JD
Commercial insurance covers lots of areas: Trucking Event insurance (including rain) Roofing Small company coverage Shipping Worker's Comp Liability Property The kind of insurance offered by Lloyd's of London or Marsh & McLellan. (My wife and I got a personal tour of Lloyd's of London - we saw the bell that was rung when the Exxon Valdez went aground and talked about insuring space satellites)
Medical records coding....you can work from home. Pharmacy tech, work at VA Medical Centers, part-time with benefits.
I recommend trying out medical transcription first, with this (Option 2): http://www.meditec.com/free-training.html It can be really hard to tell the difference between trypophobia, tryptophan, trypanosoma (etc) when you're listening to it. So it's definitely worth it to get your feet wet for free before diving in. For backup, I'd recommend Virtual Assisting. You can generally do it from home, and the pay is comparable to callcenter work (sometimes better). There seems to be an increase in demand, but this could be a false impression. Places like WAHM.com give lots of good info (boards especially) -- very well laid out IMO by type and business-specific feedback. A lot of emphasis on sales opps, but a huge Services section as well (Virtual Asst, webmaster etc).
Limited Scope Radiology Here is a link to a home study course to get your License as a limited scope radiology technician. Check with State licensing requirements! http://www.radedbyroc.com/page/page/2356259.htm
State lic boards RPT http://www.glaciermedicaled.com/index.php?page=State+Licensing+Boards&parentPageId=5
