Work: This Worker Bee Is A Bit Nervous

I can fly, but for how long before this ride ends?

I don't need to be a rich person.  I just need to be a person with a steady job.  And clearly, they're not handing them out at the moment, so I need to either find one, or make one up.

Right now, I have a bunch of little jobs.  Blogging is fun and therapeutic, but it isn't a real job because it doesn't pay.  Amazon's Mechanical Turk has, with my full consent, changed me into a content whore, using my writing skills to turn 75-cent tricks.  My income from Turking will make a fairly good dent in this year's Christmas presents, but it feels a little dirty, a little compromised.  My contractor hours at the consulting firm are drying up now that the firm has moved its back-office operations to Asia, so the income from that gig has slowed to a bathtub drip. I also do occasional freelance work for a terrific nonprofit organization, and I love being associated with them, but again, it's not enough income to be able to rely on for the family's needs.

In short, I'm restless and need focus.  I need real, steady work.  I'm not bringing in enough income to feel like I'm earning my keep around here.  My "mom" schedule leaves me free every day from 8am to 2pm, 30 hours per week, the interzone between full- and part-time.  I have applied for some seasonal jobs but hiring is expected to be down due to the economic downturn.

Also, I'm almost 48, which means I'm not almost 28, so unless I want to go back to my old career--or even if I do--I'm competing with people decades younger.  Even to type that sounds like a stereotypical moan/groan - not me at all - not usually focused on age - "you're as young as you feel, etc.".  Except the reality is, when you really are older than other applicants, it will definitely affect how you're perceived when you go to look for a job, no matter how perky and young-at-heart you are.  It does help enormously to be able to point to decades of successful work experience, but not such a big help if you're entering a completely different field.

The salary is not the main thing, although obviously with four kids on deck, we need the money.  I'm a worker bee:  I need to work.  My brain needs the neural activity, but also the stimulation of working with other humans.  My worker-bee ethic goes back to my first job at age 15, waitressing at the Bohemian Crown restaurant for $1.00 an hour (paid only when I reminded the owner), to earn money for a trip to France.

I'll do pretty much anything, which makes it harder to choose, and want to look into volunteer opportunities just to consider getting exposed to different environments.  I am also attracted in some ways to nonprofit organizations, but they are facing tough times now too.  But that won't stop me from looking. 

Any thoughts from readers are more than welcome, which is I think why I'm putting it out there.  Thanks for taking the time to read :)