Do you remember those careers tests they made you sit at school? A hundred-odd questions about whether you preferred the great outdoors or a calculator, and at the end a computer confidently announced what you were destined to become. Tick "yes" to "do you like animals?" and you could all but guarantee it would crown you a future dog groomer. Half my class came out as dog groomers.
I sat mine in 1992, aged 14, genuinely convinced the machine was about to hand me a crystal-clear picture of my future. I answered every question with great care, then waited as the printer wheezed its verdict into life.
"Your ideal career is an insurance underwriter," it declared, rather pleased with itself.
An insurance underwriter? I had no idea what one even was — only that it didn't sound like much fun.
In fairness to the test, the job I do today simply didn't exist back then. I wouldn't even type my first Google search until 1999, and "blogger" wasn't yet a word anyone used, let alone a way to pay the bills.
Yet here I am, more than thirty years later, earning a living by writing a blog and posting photos on Instagram. Part of me is still glancing over my shoulder, half-expecting someone to declare it isn't a "proper" job — but in the meantime, I adore the life I've built for myself and my family.
Single parents tend to get a rough write-up, and most of it is unfair or flat-out wrong. For me, raising my daughter alone sharpened my determination and gave me a focus I'm not sure I'd have found otherwise. It forced me to work out exactly what mattered, at work and at home — and I'm enormously proud of where that's led.
So to every single parent out there feeling the squeeze, wondering whether to change tack or maybe start something of your own: you have everything you need to become whoever you want to be. Here's why.
You work hard
This one barely needs saying. Just look at all you already do, single-handedly — running a home, raising your kids, holding the whole show together. Pour even a fraction of that drive and stamina into a project of your own, and you'll be unstoppable.
You know your priorities
For me, the whole point of going self-employed was flexibility. As a single parent, you're the one who has to show up — for the poorly child, the dentist's appointment, the school assembly, all of it.
You understand in your bones that being there for your family comes first, and that clarity is worth its weight in gold. When I handed in my notice to go freelance, I held tight to a picture of the flexible life I wanted and how much it would mean to all of us.
You're creative
Don't sell this short. You might not always feel inventive, but think of every wet afternoon you've filled with games, every meal cooked while keeping small people entertained, the endless rounds of make-believe and homework wrangling. You're resourceful, adaptable, quick on your feet — and those are exactly the qualities that build a career from scratch.
You're resilient
You've weathered some genuinely hard times, and yet here you are: getting through each day and still managing to see the good in people. Single parents are extraordinarily tough — we have no choice — and that resilience transfers to everything else you turn your hand to.
When I started out writing for money, the rejections came thick and fast. It would have been the easiest thing in the world to pack it in, but honestly the thought never crossed my mind.
It's now well over a decade since I left my job to work for myself, and I'm happier with that decision than ever. I don't think it's any accident that I took the leap less than a year after separating from my daughter's dad — single parenthood handed me a sense of purpose and a hunger to succeed that nothing else ever has.
Single parents may get a bad press, but it falls to us to shatter those tired stereotypes and show the world just how strong we really are.
