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Queen of Sheba, Personal Advisor™

Work and Careers Advice Page

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Work and Careers Advice:

See featured Q & A here or go to my forum where you can SEARCH all the Q & A.

New Career or New Job or My Own Business?

Dear Queen,

i am from andhra pradesh, my age is 33, i have qualified mba, working at private bank, what i feel i done distance mode education, good work exp even though could not get good opportunity to sometime i feel why i am wasting my age, choose business is better, but some time i want develop job career as good position, i could not take any decision, i am very strictly working nature so that some problem with boss, additionally i never spend with boss other than company work, i spent only timely only, my face is very serious, no joking, but i like ever one, friendly nature , daily i note some work but i loose every day, i does not stand on my rules. loosing, bounding family relations is my weakness, now i want go another studies for better career but age is 33, i feel i am not focus on income earnings then what i became good position as healthy and wealthy, i confused give me good options. very imp my career.

Signed, S.N.

Dear S.N.,

As far as I can make out, you have some education as well as a job but you are not happy with what you are doing. Your choices are to get schooling in a different field, continue in this job or similar job with your current schooling, or start a business.

If this is the case, then you really have 2 decisions to make. First is to decide if you are in the right field. Please follow the suggestions I gave other people in the Work and Careers section, to try to determine that. But even if you want to change fields, you need to make money in the meanwhile, right? So you probably also have to try to make out good with this job or switch to another one. If you can, it would be good to start a business of your own, if this is your desire. But make sure you plan it carefully so you have a good chance of success.

Don't let the fact that you are 33 stop you from going to school or starting a business or anything else you want to do. 33 isn't that old, considering the rest of your working life ahead of you. Many people start new careers late, at least they do here in U.S. I don't know about the economy and customs where you are but probably it's not so different that it should make you stay in a career or job that you don't like.

Another thing to consider, though, is that maybe you need to develop better job skills so you can succeed at whatever you do. You don't want to change a career or start a business, just to find out your problems followed with you.

Hope this helps straighten out your thinking, or ask me further. Code: Q101.

The Queen, 10/28/11

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Am facing to much money problems.

Dear Queen,

My name is mohd shafi mohiudin am indian hyderabad A.P last 3Years am jobless to much moneys barrow from friends and others people 6 lks Rupees how i explain to you every month am paying 25000 please help me i tried to face this problems plz plz plz godbless you.

Signed, shafi

Dear shafi,

If you can't get a job then start your own business. The only thing I can tell you is the follow the advice I gave 'Career & Personal' and 'Brilliant Ideas', and also read the others in the 'Work and Careers' section. Code: Q97.

The Queen, 10/20/11

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Career Advice

Dear Queen,

I have a problem. You see my family always wanted me to be a lawyer since I can ever remember but know that I'm going into college and just finished my exams I don't think I'm going to get the grades I need to go into University to do law. But I don't want to do Law I want to be a fashion design and I know I can make it because I believe in my design. You see my family thinks fashion design is not professional and also I'll be moving away from home to do the course which would give them a more excuse to not let me not go. I really want to make my mum proud I want to do what I want and what I'm good at. She knows law has a lot of money involved but I don't want to do it because of money I just want to be successful now I only have few weeks left to prove to them that this is what I want to do I want to be happy with my course not just my because I have to make my mum happy in the course Law. What can I do I'm never been so frustrated and unhappy in my life. Please help me.

Signed, S.

Dear S.,

My answer for you is very similar to another which you should read I Can't Decide Which Career. and also Acting or Teaching?. The difference being that person is unsure what to do and you know what you want to do. But the interference of your parents is the same.

One thing to be careful of is your parents have your best interest in mind--they just want what's best for you. And they have a different perspective and they may be right.

On the one hand, being a lawyer would be a very rewarding career. On the other hand, if it's not what you really want to do you will be unhappy in that career. I will emphasize that I don't think you should undertake any advanced schooling until you are sure what you want to do. The only exception would be if one is doing it for the specific purpose to find out what they want and expect to make changes. The thing is, the cost of the schooling is so high and also it is so devastating emotionally to fail, that you are better off to wait until you are sure.

In your case, you should have made this decision before it is just a few weeks away. But I suppose you tried and it was too difficult.

At this point, there are two things you could do, and I think you should do both, in addition to the suggestions from my other q&a.

First, you should get some career counseling from your high school or other community resource. Ideally, some type of test you can take to determine if you even have the capability to learn law, because that is not an easy undertaking. But when you take the tests you must be honest--don't try to score low so you get out of law school. But if you do score low, and that is a real score, then your parents will have a hard time pushing you to do this.

Second, you should start with some training and/or work in the design field that is not full-blown college. Perhaps a course at your local technical college. Be creative and search out what you could do. Maybe a job as assistant or even Admin, just to get around other designers. If not in fashion design, then how about advertising. The people who come up with the advertising ideas, are creative in the same way as a fashion designer. It would be like designing but just on paper, not for real. This will give you a chance to get some experience before making your decision. This will help you greatly but also will show your parents that you are good at design and they might change their mind about all this. Also try to interview some people in the field--how hard was it to get their start--what does it really take to succeed--etc.

All this might mean that you will have to wait a year before you undertake college. But probably it's the best thing so you don't risk failure.

It would be a shame if you were capable of designing, and maybe making lots of money because of your talent, and then you didn't get that chance. But studying law would also open doors for you such as understanding design patents. There's more to success than just the design part. There's marketing and intellectual property rights and accounting and such like that. Code: Q84.

The Queen, 6/25/11

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Work in ship

Dear Queen,

I need to work on big ship. What shall I do?

Signed, M

Dear M,

You are really not telling me enough information, but to answer your question just as you ask it, I suggest you get a job on a cruise ship. It will be hard work probably. But on the cruise ship your living conditions should be very good and you should be paid very well. You should be able to do a stretch such as 6-9 months and then after that time you can decide what you want to do next.

You should be able to search on the internet for all the cruise companies and probably even on their website is listed employment with different types of opportunities available.

Another idea you could research is the Merchant Marines. Even fishing boats if that is more what you would like to do.

The Queen, 5/13/11

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Career & Personal.

Dear Queen,

I am a 42-year-old guy who is in deep trouble. I am a B Com graduate who has 20 years of experience in various fields like sales, marketing, customer service, etc., and who has worked with well-known companies. But the problem is that I have abruptly resigned from my last assignment with a major telecom company as an Assistant General Manager. I did this as I wanted to start out on my own.

I had a small office of 300 sq. ft. in a commercial building near my residence and I started out with Spoken English Institute. But this enterprise of mine is not taking off, and still I am waiting for students.

Now the situation is that the financial resources have dried up. Even though my wife is working, she has lost patience with me as it is since July 2010, that I have stopped earning. Although there is no such trouble in my marriage since I have been happily married for 16 years, but even I agree that 9 months is too long a time without any income. Thankfully, I do not have any major financial commitments such as house or car loans: I stay in my father's house, which is pretty big enough, and both my cars are fully paid for. My last annual salary package was 5 lacs and my wife brings home around 3.5 lacs.

The problem that I now am facing is that if I continue with the business of Spoken English, it will be a very slow process and it will be some time till the money starts to roll in. In case I have to look for another job, the problem is that I do not have an MBA degree to my credit, age is not on my side, there are too many job hops and gaps on my resume and I am too experienced for lots of vacancies.

The positive side of the story is that I have a very good personality and fantastic communications skills. My only objective is to start getting an income immediately. Please advise me, what are my options and what I should do.

Signed, clearedge

Dear clearedge,

I think you really have two parts to your problem: First is to get some money coming in so your wife doesn't have to carry the whole burden. It seems your marriage isn't in trouble except it could be if you continue as you are. Second is to get your own business.

For your immediate money needs, I think you really have no choice but to get a job. You should update your resume for the best type of job you can get right now such as sales. Maybe commission only sales, but be sure it is something that will sell so that everyone makes some money. If you did that, maybe it wouldn't have to be full-time so you would have some time to work on a business of your own. You really can't expect your wife to continue bringing in all the money. And the fact that you have no debt--not yet you don't. If you continue as you are, that is where you are headed.

Regarding your current business venture with Spoken English. I'm not familiar with this but I did a brief internet search. I found Russell's which looks like a really high quality program. However, there's lots of competition, and that's not surprising. I'm not saying whether this is a 'good' business to be in or not. But my guess is that there is no real strong reason for anyone to become your customer. And I can't help but question why you didn't do something right away, for example, within the first month. Why would you wait 9 months and then notice it is going nowhere. And what could you do to turn it around. If you can do something to bring in lots of business This Month and every month then go ahead and do it. If not, then I think you will have to forget about this venture. Probably you might never bring in enough customers. You might not have to close the doors. You might be able to keep it part-time but don't count on it for income.

For your long-term business, I'm going to assume you are an entrepreneur--that is the reason you struck out on your own. Then what you need to do is think of a business idea that will be a huge success. It's not enough to be a good idea. Really, it has to be something people will go out of their way for. Another thing to consider, many business attempts fail so the fact that one of yours failed doesn't mean another can't succeed. You might try many times before finding what succeeds. The major problem is we don't know what the marketplace will 'fall in love with'. We could have a wonderful idea, all planned out, but for some reason we don't understand, people just don't like it and it fails.

The one thing I can tell you is you shouldn't give up. What you really want is to get rich. You want the money to come in and maybe you don't have to work full-time to do it. Coming up with the idea and bringing it onto the market is the hard part.

I do have three ideas for you:

1. You should try to invent something that you can license to another company to manufacture, market, and sell it. You would make a royalty. Read some books about it. Be careful about paying companies to do the licensing for you as most are scams. You could even go to work for a company that does this (thinks of and sells product ideas).
2. A related venture would be for you to develop other people's ideas. There are already many people that will help me and advise me how to develop my product. But there are not many (if any) that will take my idea and do the work. I think this is a potentially very hot market.
3. I hesitate to mention this because if you do it wrong you could lose everything. Learn how to trade stock options. But you have to do it the right way. Take about a year to learn it (read books), paper trade and/or virtual trade. When you can do it on paper, try a small amount of money for real. Be careful.

Perhaps none of these fit your personality. I'm just guessing. But you get the idea. If you give up on trying to have your own business, you could become lethargic or depressed. You could also 'blame' your wife, maybe subconsciously. You want to pursue your dreams. That's for sure.

The Queen, 3/11/11

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Acting or Teaching?

Dear Queen,

My problem is I have just started year 10 in high school and I was looking to be a primary teacher but all my life I have had this passion for drama but never believed it would go anywhere so I decided to take the teacher route but now I am having second thoughts, so I thought I could just take drama or performing arts in college but am I leaping too far and looking to reach goals I won't get or should I go for it and hope for the best in a acting career.

Signed, M.T.

Dear M.T.,

Well, it would be a shame to pass over an acting career, if that is what you want to do and if you could be successful at it. I think you should start now, for example if you have a drama club at school you should be active in it. Also, if there are any acting classes you should take them. But at your school you might not have opportunity.

Where I live, we have a Recreation Department that puts on inexpensive classes of all types for 'the public', often during the summer. Usually drama would be offered and this would be another way. Also, you could look on the Internet for organizations in your community. If you can get some real experience, you will be able to know for sure if this is what you want to do.

The only problem I notice is just because you love it doesn't mean you can make a living at it. For example, there are many artists and authors that can't make a living at it even though they may be very good at it and passionate about it. I think you should try to do some research into what you would have to do to become successful. It wouldn't hurt to study teaching and consider even teaching drama. Most people have to work at something while they are trying to get a start in acting. So maybe you could be a teacher while looking for acting opportunities.

Maybe you can talk to a college career advisor who could help you decide. See my answer to I Can't Decide Which Career. and also read and use the Personality book I recommended.

What you really need to do is research until you know for sure. I did a search at the library and found this book: Acting A to Z : the young person's guide to a stage or screen career, by Katherine Mayfield. You should read this book or other similar books.

In the process, you might think of something similar but not exactly acting, that would be more practical or you might decide that acting would be just right for you. Code: Q70.

The Queen, 12/22/10

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I Can't Decide Which Career.

Dear Queen,

I may as well just get into what it is I am wanting advice on. I am lacking direction in terms of what I want to do when I leave 6th form college (I am 17, will be 18 when I leave). At 15 I was convinced I would be a social worker but understood that this would mean both children and elderly so I did some work experience in a nursing home. I hated it. This, and further encouragement from parents then led me to go down a more business orientated career path. I am planning to go to a business and Media College in Oxford and this has been decided for just under a year. The only problem is that now I'm having serious doubts about whether this is really for me. I get much enjoyment out of reading things such as the Psychologies magazine, and I think I could say that I find my psychology a-level more interesting than my business studies a-level. Another reason why I'm doubting it is because I'm not sure I'm feeling totally passionate about this course in Oxford. I know it is a more practical career path, and there is more money involved with a career in being a PA, but I just don't know if that's really for me and whether I should follow my heart in terms of the psychology side. It's a big difference -- A business career or a career in psychology but it is a decision that has baffled me for years and I thought I had come to a decision but obviously not. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

Signed, Anon

Dear Anon,

I believe it is so important to find a career you will enjoy that I think you should postpone school until you find out what that is. Don't spend your time and money right away. You should try to find something you are excited about.

But in the meanwhile, you must actively do things to figure it all out. It's not good enough to just think about it. The best thing you can do, similar to your work at the nursing home, is to find some employment in the field(s) you are considering. Sometimes, this is not possible, but volunteer work is good too.

Consider that if you were to take up psychology, just about the only two things you can do is clinical psychologist, which will require at least a Masters Degree, and will not pay very well. Or you could be a College Professor, which is a good career but entails large coursework.

Also consider that studying business would help you in any other field if you would like to have a business of your own instead of work for someone else.

If possible, maybe you could 'interview' some people working in the field. They will be happy to give you advice.

Another thing that might help you decide -- if you can get a publication from the College that has a section for each 'School' and within each section is all the degrees that are offered along with the course requirements. If you can get such a publication, you can read that and notice which classes you would like and which you would dislike and where these are clustered for earning a degree.

Here is an excellent book that might help you, Do What You Are, by Paul D. Tieger. It is different from other books of this subject because it will help you determine WHY you want to do something so you can use that skill within different careers.

All of these things you should consider doing so you can zero in on what you want to do. But here is a career suggestion for you. There is a new 'technique' that cures people of all types of Psychological problems such as Phobia, Depression, Obsession, Anxiety, etc. It's a fast and easy technique. You should read the first book published, Tapping The Healer Within, by Roger J. Callahan. Since then, many people have developed variations and are treating people. So if you like psychology, I would suggest educating yourself in this 'new' method.

There is also a related 'technique' called muscle testing or Kinesiology that is more complicated but cures even more things. Different variations have been developed and I know about three of them. You could get training in one of them which would probably cost about $5,000. These are brand new ways of curing people of problems that traditional medicine can't effectively treat.

After reading Callahan's book, I know four more books and two websites which you can use to learn more. If you don't have the desire to research this then it's probably not right for you. But if you want to, I can tell you what to read.

In case this isn't just what you are interested in, perhaps it will get you thinking down a little different path to the solution. If you let me know as you proceed I might be able to help you further. Code: Q69.

The Queen, 12/15/10

Dear Queen,

Thank you very much for all the help. I will certainly take your advice and act upon it. I have found everything that you have suggested very thoughtful and I am definitely going to look into both careers in more depth. Thank you so much for your time and I will let you know how I progress in the future. All my best wishes for 2011.

Signed, Anon

Dear Anon,

Good that you are able to follow my advice and please keep me posted because I might be able to advise you further.

The Queen, 1/7/11

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Brilliant Ideas

Dear Queen,

I have lots of ideas like putting up a website or putting up a restaurant or a Livestock farm of my own. But I really wasn't able to make them happen. Not even started it. I think it's because I do not have the means and I do not have the support. Please tell me what to do. Thank you.

Signed, Jeg

Dear Jeg,

I think if you could decide the one thing you want to do and start working on that, even if it is slow going, that would be the best thing you can do. The problem is, how to decide. I suggest you read this book Wishcraft by Barbara Sher. This book specifically tries to help you decide.

But here's my opinion: Most people think that if you do what you love then the money will follow. That hasn't been my experience and I think it is only true under certain conditions. So you have the practical problem of what you could do with the resources you have or could come by. Probably, you will need to make some money before you can do any of your ideas. You can do a website with very little money, if you do the work yourself, but a restaurant or a farm will take considerable money to get started.

As for social support, that isn't always possible to get at the start. After you are successful, everyone wants to jump on board and then they will support you. At first, you probably have to do everything alone. It would be good to have at least one friend that you can talk things over with but he or she might not even give you practical advice. Just encouragement maybe.

If you can decide on what you want to do, that will certainly help to get you started.

Here's an idea for someone like yourself that has brilliant ideas: Try to think of consumer products, such as games, toys, collector items, gardening tools, etc. If you can invent a product, you can license it to a company that will produce and market it and you get paid a royalty. If you want to do this, maybe I can give you a little more information about it. Just be careful not to let someone promote your idea because it is an easy way to get ripped off.

Let me know what progress you make and maybe I can help you step-by-step.

The Queen, 4/20/10

Dear Queen,

Thank you very much for the advice, Queen. I really appreciate it. Actually, I have talents in crafts making. I used to make some nice lamps for my ex girlfriends. I'll try to come up with a great design. Then maybe try to research more on where I could market it.

Anyway, I always wanted to write a book. I've tried so many times before but I stopped and never finished it, especially when I am out of ideas.

What I have in mind right now is writing a book about marriage. But I am having second thoughts. It's only been two years since I got married and I don't have kids yet. Although I have witnessed relationships (not marriage) almost about to go to waste and I was able to give some advices which really helped. Maybe I could share that too.

Or maybe you could point me to some books and references that would help me.

But my question is...... Do I have the right to write about marriage?

Signed, Jeg

Dear Jeg,

Regarding your crafts, it might be possible to make some good money that way. It really depends how much time it takes you to make them and cost of materials. Marketing and selling will take a lot of your time, at first maybe as much as 75%, which is huge. If your lamps are like 'art', maybe they would become popular and sell for a very high price. If they are more 'craft like', maybe that is something that could be licensed to a company that would mass-produce them.

Writing a book would probably be a very good way for you to make some money. And you might even find other subjects later on. As for your question, if you have a 'right' to write about marriage, my opinion would be probably, yes, but with a qualification. The thing is, you can write about it and maybe even some people would get benefit from it, but would a publisher 'buy' it? Because you don't have any credentials and not very much experience, I'm guessing no publisher would want it. But you could self-publish it but then you would have to do all the selling yourself, so it would have to be a pretty phenomenal book, and maybe it would be.

I don't think it is very important that you don't have children yet. Most of the marriage problems aren't because of the children although children probably makes any problems worse.

One thing that is important is the wide range of problems that people might have. For example, read my very first question that was asked, in three parts: Husband has Anger Issues, Need Marital Counseling, Need a New Career. These are the types of things people are dealing with.

You could try to 'get better' at marriage counseling, especially reading books, and maybe even reading websites and columns that give such advice. Here are two books that are a little out of the ordinary, that will give you a good idea of what a marriage counselor is dealing with nowadays. Anything by Gary M Neuman. Getting the Love You Want by Harville Hendrix.

What I'm thinking is that if you could come up with a solution, to some of the major and common problems that people are dealing with, you could become 'rich and famous' because of it. That's what these two authors have tried to do, essentially. Both are on the right track but then their solution is to go to their 'weekend workshop', which is not possible for most people. They offer no solution to the reader. They offer understanding but no solution.

The bottom line is marriage counseling doesn't work. I know lots of people and know of lots of people that have been in marriage counseling, sometimes for years and sometimes many different times, and the result is not a fixed marriage. Either a divorce or living with a dead marriage is the result. I, myself, have yet to hear about even one marriage that has been saved by marriage counseling. So why is it that marriage counseling doesn't work and what would fix that process? The underlying problem is the counselors are trained that they cannot 'take sides'. They cannot say someone is right and someone is wrong. All they can do is facilitate the couple to solve their own problem. This will never work. If no one is wrong then why aren't they happy? Someone has to be wrong before there is a reason to change.

For example, they try to get people to communicate better but my husband and I already communicate very well. We don't need any help in that area. But I can ask for what I want and he won't do it. And for this they have no solution. So if someone can read a book and find out how to fix their marriage, that would be very valuable, regardless of your qualifications.

Another idea, kind of a wild idea, is that maybe you could write a novel that illustrates how you solve the problems.

When you are out of ideas, set that book aside for a while and start a new book, but don't give up on the first one. Also, you should read this book, which will help you with creative thinking: The Mind Map Book by Tony Buzan.

The Queen, 4/21/10

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Six Years Out Of Work.

Dear Queen,

A close friend has a husband, 'Dave', that has been out of permanent work for about 6 years now. He is an ex-school teacher (wrongfully accused, fired, found not guilty). He does generate a very small income by playing piano at 2 churches on alternating Sundays and doing odd jobs from time to time, but has not been able to find a full time job. They have 2 small children, 4 and 6. She has carried the load on her $32K yearly income and managed to earn a 2nd Masters Degree. They are really struggling and she would like some objective advice on what to do. Please advise.

Signed, J.J.

Dear J.J.,

Because Dave has been out of a real job for such a long time, he must do something to turn that around as fast as possible. It's not reasonable that his wife should carry the financial responsibility of the entire household. Because of being fired, and being out of work for so long, I'm sure his self-esteem and self-confidence are low. Even going for an interview is a scary thing for most people. And our poor economy makes this much more difficult. So here are the two things Dave must do at the same time.

1. You must take any job you can get. If you can't get a full-time job then you should get 2 part-time jobs. You need to do this so you can establish a work record again. After you have worked in a job for at least 6 months, you can look for something better. Companies like to hire people that already have a job. I know that you can get a job. I know a lot of people that say they can't get jobs but they won't take a job that my husband does such as sales, telemarketing, customer service, etc. Find a free resource that will help with resume, interview skills, etc.
2. Work on building your self-esteem and self-confidence. Consider starting your own business. Consider your skills such as maybe you can teach piano lessons (tutor) or maybe you can make and sell a craft. If you want me to help you with this, write me a separate question. Notice my answer to another's career question, Need a New Career. In the job market, become an out-of-the-box thinker; make a job for yourself. There are two excellent books you should read: Think And Grow Rich by Napolean Hill, and Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson. You probably can get them at your library.

J.J., if Dave won't do both of these two things, then I have to think the problem is not that he can't get a job. There's something else that's the real problem. Code: Q20.

The Queen, 9/3/09

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I'm Stuck with Soccer

Dear Queen,

I've been playing soccer since I was 7 years old. Once I got to high school I realized that I didn't want to play in college but I didn't want to let my parents down. Now I'm a sophomore in college playing a sport that I've grown not to like. It doesn't help that I've got a full scholarship either. I want to tell my parents how unhappy I am but I don't want to disappoint them. At the same time I want to be a normal college student and trust me you don't have a life outside the sport when you practice 3 times a day and have a game on the weekend. I'm just stuck and I don't know what to do. How do I go about this situation?

Signed, camjanee

Dear camjanee,

Well, I think your biggest problem is the scholarship. Do you want to give up college entirely or do you have some other way to pay for it? Or maybe the scholarship doesn't require you to play soccer?

I think telling your parents and disappointing them is not so important compared to deciding what you DO want to do with your life. When you know that, you should be able to tell them you don't like soccer enough to dedicate your life to it but you do like _________. Although your parents might be disappointed, if you choose a good career for yourself, they should want that for you also. Maybe what they care about is that you are good at something, and if you didn't tell them, they don't know you don't like it any more.

So I really think you must figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life. You might already know what it is that you want to do. Try taking a few classes to decide what you really like. Or interview people that are already in your desired field and ask them what is it like day-by-day, working in that field. Would they do it again, etc. This will probably be outside your comfort zone but it would surely give you the kind of information you need to make a decision. Code: Q14

The Queen, 8/11/09

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Need a New Career

Dear Queen,

I have been self-employed for 13 years as an interior designer/custom painter. I am fed up with the roller coaster income, and my body is giving out as well. I am ready for a new career. I have no college education and cannot currently afford one.

I would love to open a daycare in my home, since my primary skill and love in life is to be a mother and a housewife ... neither of which are possible right now, or very wellpaying. Because of our current living situation, I cannot start a daycare until at least this fall, or possibly later. I do not want to wait until fall to find out for sure if I can or cannot do this.

I am also interested in working with physically or mentally disabled children. How do I get into this field? What is the pay like? What education do I need?

Do you know of any other careers I might be suited for?

Signed, New Career

Dear New Career,

It is very important that you find work that you like to do. If you like what you're doing you will be energized and/or your natural talents will come forth.

I thought of a possible new career for you, American Sign Language (ASL) for the deaf. You would be an interpreter or a teacher. You could work with children or adults. I think you can get a computer program, maybe free, that will teach you the basics. Or you could start by taking a class, just to get your feet wet. You might even find a free class or else probably MATC has a low cost class. It's a lot like learning a foreign language -- you probably know if you would like to learn it. It would take a great deal of time/effort to learn and at the start it is the hardest. Although I'm sure some volunteer, I've seen advertised some very good paying positions. Some people teach in schools and some market their services to families that would have you go along to a lecture, performance, or whatever, to interpret just for them. There are different levels of certification and you could start slow and keep moving forward as you are able. I don't know all the details but you could research this further. I don't know for sure if this is just right for you.

A home day care is a possibility. I suggest, though, that you incorporate a business so in the event that someone sues you, you wouldn't loose your house and other personal property. I think the best money is to be made when you can grow bigger than what you can do in your home -- a large facility or multiple locations so you might even set your sights on that for the future.

I suggest, to zero in on if this is what you want to do, interview some people that already do this. Give one a call and say you want to start yours in the fall and you want to find out how she does it. If she lets you go see her, stay for a while and watch how she does it. Ask her for suggestions. Ask her how much money she makes (indirectly). And so on.

Your specific questions about working with disabled children, I can't really answer. I'm pretty sure, though that the pay won't be very good and they will require quite a bit of education, maybe a degree, as well as certification. For example, my husband applied for a social service job at a hospital and they were paying $9/hour for people with Bachelor Degrees. I think people with Masters Degrees in Social Service make about $20,000. However, if it is what you love to do, then you could blossom, and maybe the "higher up" positions pay more. And if it is regular income, that might be sufficient for you.

To zero in if this is the right thing for you, I suggest you ask the people at Ranch Community Services, Menononee Falls WI, a.k.a. The Ranch. Tell them what you want to do and ask what they suggest. Spend some time there and try to figure out the type of children you like to be with. Maybe you can do a little volunteer work there.

I thought of another idea that might be more lucrative. If you can find out a specific service, or possibly a product, that home day cares, day care centers, or disabled facilities need, and they don't already have it, you could make a niche for yourself. To find this type of service, when you go talk to a day care lady, ask her -- "If there was one or two things that I could do for you to help you out, what would that be?" You might think of a better way to ask it. She probably knows what she needs but she wouldn't think it's possible to get it. Write down all the ideas -- very important! -- later you might connect them together when right now they don't seem useful. Do the same thing when you go to The Ranch.

Maybe you have an idea for a website that would make money (let me know).

The only thing is, all of my suggestions require some time on your part but if you can do a little each week I think it will bring you to success. Let me know if this helps you. code: Q2

The Queen, 5/12/08

Dear Queen,

I was surprised and delighted by your first suggestion! I had a deaf friend growing up, and I know quite a bit of sign language already! Not nearly enough to interpret, but enough to communicate and certainly a start! I will definitely look into it. You ARE good at this! Ever considered being a life coach?

Thanks so much, New Career

Dear New Career,

I'm glad to hear ASL seems to be on target for you. You might even try to have a home day care just for the deaf. Or even more creative, some type of special classes in your home for the deaf. You'll probably think of something as you go along. I'm just trying to plant the seed of the idea that perhaps by not staying with the conventional it might be more profitable and rewarding for you.

The Queen, 5/14/08

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