Becoming a WAHM - Part 1 - Identify your skills and interests

So you are a stay-at-home-parent and have decided that in your spare time you would like to make a little bit of money. Where do you start?

Identifying your skills and interests is the first step.

Make a list of your skills and interests
To start, consider what skills you have. Make a list things you are good at and enjoy doing. It doesn’t really matter what it is. It might not be practical to turn some of them into something profitable, but we’ll worry about that later. Keep your options open for the moment.
For me the list would be something like this:

• Writing

I’ve always been a decent writer, and while I’m certainly no genius, I do think I have a small measure of natural talent. My academic career also has helped me build up some considerable skill in the more technical aspects. Most importantly, I enjoy writing.

• Knitting

My number one crafty hobby. An important creative outlet for me, and a valuable tool to help me with the stresses of every day life. I knit anyway, and I turn out some pretty decent items, if I say so myself.

• Translating

I live in Ireland, and I think I can claim fluency in both written and spoken English. But I’m not a native English speaker. That gives me two languages I can quite comfortably translate between. I actually have some considerable experience translating text due to my research as an historian.

• Cooking and food

I’m responsible for family meals, but putting dinner on the table every day is not something I consider a chore. I love to cook and bake. I also take great interest in food, where it comes from and how it is made.

• Research

I think I’ve mentioned I’m an academic. As a result, I’ve got a lot of experience doing research. And I’m good at it. A historian by trade, I can quickly process very large quantities of in formation and find and summarise the relevant bits. I’m also very good digging out obscure bits of information from the internet.

Next step
With your list ready, the next step will be to investigate how those skills and interests might be turned into money is what we will look into in the next part.