I Haven’t Worked in 15 Years… Now What?

So you’ve decided you need to start making your own money.

There’s just one problem.

You haven’t worked in 10, 15, maybe even 20 years.

You stayed home and raised kids. You ran the house. Your husband worked, and that arrangement worked for your family.

Until it didn’t.

Now you’re looking at job applications thinking, What in the hell am I supposed to put on a résumé?

First, stop thinking you’ve done “nothing” all these years.

You’ve managed schedules, appointments, school activities, budgets, meals, transportation, paperwork, and probably everybody else’s life. Those things don’t automatically qualify you for every job out there, but they DO mean you haven’t forgotten how to function in the real world.

Now you have to figure out where you fit.

Look at what you did before you stayed home. Is that something you can go back to? Has the industry changed? Do you need to update your computer skills, renew a certification, or take a class?

Maybe you need to start with a temporary or part-time job.

THAT’S OKAY.

Your first job back doesn’t have to be your forever job. Sometimes you just need recent work experience, a reference, a paycheck, and something new to put on your résumé.

And don’t turn your nose up at a job because you think it’s beneath you. You are rebuilding. There is nothing embarrassing about earning an honest paycheck while you figure out your next move.

Go back to school if that makes sense. Finish the degree you started years ago. Look at a trade or certification that can get you working sooner. Learn the computer program everyone in your old industry is using now.

But have a PURPOSE for it.

Don’t spend thousands of dollars on school just because you don’t know what else to do. Know what the training costs, what jobs it qualifies you for, and what those jobs actually pay.

Then start applying.

And yes, somebody may look at that big employment gap and ask about it.

Tell them the truth.

“I stayed home to raise my family, and now I’m ready to return to work.”

That’s it.

You don’t have to apologize for the years you spent raising your children.

You also don’t have to have your entire life figured out before you start.

Take the temporary job.

Take the class.

Update the résumé.

Learn the new skill.

Make your own money again.

Because the hardest part of starting over is sometimes simply STARTING.