Train, I'm not a vet, but I also have an English degree and I'm a SAHM looking at going back to work. Mind if I chime in?
There is middle ground. Lots of it. You can be a SAHM and a ball-buster at the same time.
Rather than going to law school you could get a paralegal certification through the local community college and be at work much more quickly. Paralegals do a lot of what attorneys do, especially as they progress in their careers. And you have the option of finding part-time work. I had a minor in accounting and just kept accumulating classes till I qualified for the CPA exam, and then went to work for a CPA firm doing litigation support. I did white collar crime support working with the FBI. (This was only part of my role there, it was general litigation support, so if I'd stayed I could have found myself on both sides of the legal fence, depending on the client). There are a lot of angles to the sort of work that draws you.
You could do advocacy work, starting as a volunteer. You can get high-profile work very quickly and parlay it into paid work over time. You can use your English degree and your blog experience as an in for what you have to offer and do as much or as little as you can balance with your home responsibilities.
You could follow through with your freelance opportunities and do as much or as little of that as you can balance with your SAHM life. You have a ton of middle ground available. You could teach at a private school that has a freer curriculum.
What I'm hearing you say is that what you want is to feel powerful. It makes you feel more secure and it is attractive to your H. So instead of thinking in binary terms, SAHM or lawyer, what if you thought in terms of balance in yourself? As I prepare my own job search I'm learning that just picking a box to crawl into is a terrible way to choose a profession. There is more out there than we realize.
Best of luck to you. It's a tricky needle to thread at the best of times. You've been a real inspiration and support to many here and I hope that makes you feel powerful too.
Last edited by Maybell; 07/28/1411:20 AM.
Me42, H40 D12, S8, S7 A revealed: 7/13 Sep 4/14; Agreed to D 1/15
