I’ve read so many articles recently saying that people should invent their own jobs, which is great if you have the connections and financial security to do so.  The hard part for many people is re-entering the workforce after an extended absence. My difficulties are because I was out of the country for several years, but many moms returning to the workforce have similar problems. I’ve applied to literally hundreds of jobs in the past three years, have interviewed for a handful of positions, and have contacts at three temp agencies in town, but have yet to find a single job with the health benefits and job security that I need in this economy. 

That doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy. Some jobs I’ve had since my return from South Korea where I taught English for ten years and co-authored two textbooks:

• I worked part-time teaching English to a Sephardic Cantor Rabbi and his wife. The couple was an absolute delight, but I was always petrified that my skirt would rise above my knees. 
• I worked part-time on the night shift teaching English to South Korean kids on the Internet in a dark corner of my bedroom. The job was fun, but it was difficult to explain to my upstairs neighbor why I was enunciating so loudly at 1:00 in the morning. 
• I started writing for Littlebiggie.com where I profiled about 15-20 attorneys per week. The site editors preferred quirky writing styles to dry portrayals of attorneys and my job was made easier because I mostly profiled attorneys in the energy field in Texas. Most of them were big winners from the oil boom and made for great subjects. 
• I started putting together newsletters for a local public affairs firm. The client had many other odd jobs for me to work on, the latest of which is putting together a grant proposal for a small non-profit company based in Cambodia--I just started this particular project so I’ll let you know how it goes. 
• I decided that maybe I’d like to learn some fundraising so started working at slave wages for a woman who is in charge of fundraising for a congressional campaign. That’s continuing on an on-going basis; I don’t know that I’m learning any tricks of the trade, but it’s nice to get away from my computer at home for a few hours a week.