10 Good Jobs for Parents: Crafting a Career Strategy That Supports Family Life
Being a parent is an extremely difficult job. Rewarding, but difficult at the same time.
Unfortunately, most people can’t just be parents and raise their children. They have to work to be able to support themselves and their family.
The idea of giving all your energy to your children and then having a job on top of it can sound overwhelming. In today’s world, it’s pretty common for both parents to be working, rather than generations ago when one parent stayed home while the other went to work.
The goal of this article is to guide parents who are either looking for a job or want to transition to a job that is ideal for parents.
What You’ll Learn After Reading This Article:
· The qualities employers look for in working parents.
· Strategies for a work – life balance as a parent.
· 10 good jobs for parents.
Qualities Employers Look for In Working Parents:
As a working parent, your career is definitely more challenging. The fact that you are a parent isn’t something that necessarily benefits your company.
Sure, all companies will say they support parents as they navigate their career, but behind closed doors, there might be a completely different conversation.
The fact is, because you are a parent, it means you’ll have to miss days to be with a sick child, you’ll have to leave work early to coach sports teams or be at extracurricular activities.
So how can you show your employer that you are just as valuable to them as you were before you were a parent?
Here are some qualities you should have:
1. Be Reliable: You should try to never use your child as an excuse as to why you missed a deadline or a meeting or another important work event.
2. Work Hard: Unfortunately, the fact that you’re a parent doesn’t give you the right to get to work and take it easy for 8 hours. You’re getting paid to work and put in effort, so make sure, even if you’re tired and stressed out you try and make 100% effort every day.
3. Be a leader: As a parent, you should hopefully try to lead by example with your children, and this is a great quality to bring into the workplace.
Now that you know some qualities employers are looking for, let’s take a look at how you can ensure you’re present for both your employer and your family.
Strategies for the Ideal Work – Life Balance
1. Set Boundaries: Once you have established yourself at your job, be sure to have a conversation with your boss as well as your coworkers about the expectations during non-working hours.
A former boss of mine made it clear pretty soon after I started that when she left the office at 5 or 5:30, she was spending time with her family. If there was anything urgent, she would check her emails later at night. She set the tone about how important family was for her, and how it was a priority.
2. Collaborate With Team Members: Work with your team to understand the projects and tasks for the week so you can ensure that deadlines are on track to be met. Next, you can ensure your personal schedule works around those deadlines, and if there are any conflicts you can communicate with team members for coverage.
A Common example of this would be if you are coaching your child’s sports team and you find out you have to work late that night. Communicating with your team to understand the scope of the work and if you can work around your child’s game is important. If you don’t try and make a schedule that works for you, your work schedule will always win.
For a deep dive into creating the ideal work-life balance, check out our article here.
Before we get into the list of jobs, here’s a couple of things to note:
- Salaries are an average range and they could vary depending on the state you live in.
- Requirements may vary depending on companies’ needs and state requirements.
10 Good Jobs for Parents
Job for Parent #1: Teacher
Salary: $45,000–$85,000
Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree, teaching certification
Why It’s Good: Matching school hours with children and summers off.
Job for Parent #2: Human Resources Specialist
Salary: $50,000–$75,000
Qualifications: Bachelor’s in HR or related field
Why It’s Good: Offers flexibility, remote options, and family-supportive policies.
Job for Parent #3: Project Manager
Salary: $65,000–$110,000
Qualifications: Experience, PMP certification preferred
Why It’s Good: Often allows flexible hours and remote work.
Job for Parent #4: Customer Success Manager
Salary: $50,000–$90,000
Qualifications: Experience in customer service or sales
Why It’s Good: Typically offers remote work options and flexible schedules.
Job For Parent #5: Accountant/Bookkeeper
Salary: $45,000–$80,000
Qualifications: Degree in accounting, CPA or similar certification for advancement
Why It’s Good: Part-time and remote options are common, with stable hours.
Job For Parent #6: Graphic Designer
Salary: $40,000–$70,000
Qualifications: Graphic design skills, portfolio, degree often preferred
Why It’s Good: High potential for freelance or remote work, ideal for time flexibility.
Job For Parent #7: Social Media Manager
Salary: $50,000–$85,000
Qualifications: Marketing experience, social media expertise
Why It’s Good: Can often work from home with flexible hours.
Job For Parent #8: Data Analyst
Salary: $60,000–$90,000
Qualifications: Degree in data science, statistics, or similar field
Why It’s Good: Increasingly remote, flexible work schedules.
Job For Parent #9: Occupational Therapist
Salary: $60,000–$85,000
Qualifications: Master’s degree, OT certification
Why It’s Good: Part-time work is common; family-oriented hours often possible.
Job For Parent #10: Writer/Editor
Salary: $40,000–$70,000
Qualifications: Writing experience, portfolio, degree helpful but not always needed
Why It’s Good: High degree of flexibility, with opportunities for freelance work.
These roles provide a good blend of stability, flexibility, and income potential, making them well-suited to the demands of parenting while maintaining professional growth.
Frequently Asked Questions by Working Parents
Q: What jobs can a stay-at-home parent do?
A: Stay-at-home parents are in a difficult position, especially if they have young kids. Free time is limited to nap times or when kids are in school so they must be very thoughtful when trying to pick up a job.
For a stay-at-home parent, working from home is essential since they most likely won’t be able to leave their children for long stretches of time.
Here are a few types of jobs that stay-at-home parents should focus on:
1. Sales Jobs: These types of roles allow you to build your own hours and work mostly off commission so you’ll make as much as you can earn during the times you’re available. You most likely won’t be micromanaged as long as it’s not a job where you’re cold-calling all day (which wouldn’t be recommended.
2. Event-based jobs: Jobs where you can work non-traditional hours, like nights and weekends are a great option for stay-at-home parents. In this case, they’ll be able to work while the other parent is home with the kids. These types of roles include photographers, videographers, event planners, DJ’s, etc.
3. Writing Jobs: While these types of roles can be difficult to find, if you do find one, it’s a great option. Many writing jobs focus on the output and aren’t specific to certain hours of the day.
Q: How can you be a good mom and have a career?
A: There are plenty of good moms who also have full time careers. It comes down to being able to manage your work-life balance. There will be times when work may need to come first, but ensuring that you put your family ahead of everything else in most cases, will lead to success as a mom and in your career.
A great hack to be able to be a good mom while having a career is to plan ahead. If you know the timeline of when you’re going to have kids, try and put the time in focusing on your career before your kids are born. This way, when you do have kids, you’ll be established in your job so your managers and co-workers will be more willing to give you the flexibility you need.
What to Do After Reading This Article:
Now that you’ve read through this list of jobs, understand how to have a work-life balance, and know the qualities of a great working parent, it’s time to do some planning.
If you haven’t had kids already, now’s a great time to decide on one of the jobs listed above and spend a few years focusing on that job to make a name for yourself in the company you work for. This way, you’ll get the flexibility you’ll need and want once you do have kids, because your employer values your quality of work.
If you already have kids and are transitioning into one of these jobs, you’ll also need to do some planning. You’ll need to plan with your spouse or whoever you have in your life, which helps with childcare to understand the time and effort you’ll need to put in to establish yourself in one of these jobs so you can reap the rewards down the road.
If all of this seems overwhelming still, click on the link here to schedule a FREE call with one of our talented Coaches and Career Strategists at Your Career Strategy who are waiting to help you navigate this challenging time in your life.