Are you thinking about returning to the workforce after staying home with your children?
You aren’t alone. In fact, according to Pew Research Center, as many as 18% of parents are not employed for pay. While each parent chooses to stay at home with their children for different reasons — pursuing a degree, daycare costs or simply to spend more time together — the decision to return to the workforce may be just as difficult as the decision to leave it.
If you’re considering a “returnship” — that is, you’re returning to the workforce after a period of being a full-time caregiver to your children — you might be wondering what your options are and where you should begin.
Fortunately, K-State Olathe offers multiple pathways to a career field that could be perfect for you: personal financial planning.
Here’s what you need to know.
If you're a stay-at-home parent who is thinking about returning to work, chances are you're feeling some mixed emotions. You might feel anxious about the idea of returning to the workforce after staying home with your children and you may feel like there's not a place for you in your former career field; however, there will always be a place for you in the world of personal financial planning.
“This is not a sales job,” said Paul W. Ewing, CFP®, AAMS®, founding president of Prosperity Network of Advisors LLC. “This is not a commission job. Personal financial planners don’t sell anything. Instead, they function similarly to a social worker or a coach. The role of a personal financial planner is to help turn unhealthy financial behaviors into healthy ones.”
Personal financial planners work closely with their clients to help create estate plans, investment plans and conduct future planning. Whether a client is looking for a one-time consultation about their estate plan or needs someone to help them with ongoing guidance regarding their finances, a personal financial planner works to counsel and guide them.
As a parent, you know that empathy and guidance are important aspects of caring for a child. Personal financial planners use these skills every day while helping their clients.
If you're the type of person who is compassionate and has a strong desire to help others, you may be surprised that personal financial planning could be the perfect way for you to step back into the professional world.
“Personal financial planning can be a great career choice for those interested in finance, accounting or business, but also can be a great fit for education, sociology and psychology majors,” said Armahn Hadjian, CFP®, CIMA®, personal financial planning instructor and program director at K-State Olathe. “Anyone who wants to provide support to clients who are seeking financial guidance would do well in the field of personal financial planning.”
At K-State Olathe, we offer multiple academic options for anyone who wants to pursue personal financial planning.
If you've got some college credit and would like to complete your degree, you can consider our personal financial planning bachelor's degree completion program.
This program features course topics that include:
- Retirement planning concepts
- Financial counseling and communication
- Business law
- Business and economic statistics
- Accounting for investing and financing
- The helping relationship
Courses at K-State Olathe include both online and in-person evening classes to accommodate working professionals and parents.
If you already hold a bachelor's degree and would like to consider a career shift toward personal financial planning, our undergraduate certificate could be right for you.
The personal financial planning undergraduate certificate provides you with the skills and knowledge you need to sit for your CFP®/CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® exam. With the certificate pathway, you’ll need to take seven classes — totaling 21 credits — in order to complete the program.
With any of our personal financial planning academic options, you’ll be eligible to get a position in the field. Our programs have a 100% job placement rate.
The PFP program at K-State Olathe is supported with funding provided by the Johnson County Education Research Triangle.
Learn more about personal financial planning
When you make the decision to return to work, remember that you have plenty of options. The world of personal financial planning may seem daunting at first, but we'd love the opportunity to help support you and guide you in this decision. Reach out to our student services team today.
