MW 'I'm stuck': I'm a single mom with a 6-year-old child. What can I do to earn money fast?

By Quentin Fottrell

'I want to go back to school but I also want to open a business. I'm just stuck in between those two paths'

April is National Financial Literacy Month. To mark the occasion, MarketWatch will publish a series of "Financial Fitness" articles to help readers improve their fiscal health, and offer advice on how to save, invest and spend their money wisely. Read more here.

Dear Quentin,

I have a money question for you. I'm a single mom with a 6-year-old. What can I do so I can get money fast? I need help. I want to do something online, but searching on Indeed there are only $13-an-hour jobs. What courses do you think are good for me? I am open to anything really. I want to go back to school but I also want to open a business. I'm just stuck in between those two paths.

Looking for Solutions

Related: 'Would this ruin her life - or transform it?' My daughter is 25. Should I create a $5 million trust so she can give up her job and see the world?

Dear Looking,

If there was an easy answer to your question, we'd all be retired by the time we reached 40.

It's hard to give you a one-size-fits-all solution for courses, given that you don't reveal your skill set or your interests. But whatever long-term goals you have should take both of those factors into account. For instance, I have a friend who put himself through college walking dogs. Today, he is finishing off his doctorate. It may seem like a long way off from where you are now, but when he started his dog-walking business to pay his college bills and rent, he had almost nothing. As his studies progressed - he is a psychotherapist - he was able to do more on-the-job training in addition to dog walking.

I've never been a big fan of get-rich-quick schemes or make-money-fast schemes. They usually lead desperate people in search of money straight into the arms of an online scam or con artist. I recall one infamous scam that sent people leaflets telling them how to make $100 in an hour. All they had to do was pay $10 and write to the company with a stamped-addressed envelope. The answer, which had shadows of a final scene in the Twilight Zone, was simple: "Send people a leaflet telling them to send you $10 to find out how to make $100 in an hour."

Back to your question about making a quick buck: It's a crapshoot. It may not be what you see yourself doing and it's not always easy or pretty, but the gig economy is there for people who need to make extra cash, especially if a standard 9-to-5 or retail schedule is difficult for you to maintain given that you are a single mom. If you have parents or family members who can help you with babysitting - and it may be worth organizing a community babysitting group in your neighborhood so other mothers in your position can take time off - you could try anything from tutoring and driving an Uber $(UBER)$ or Lyft $(LYFT)$ to performing tasks through apps like TaskRabbit or Upshift.

Leveraging existing skills

I put your question to Shinobu Hindert, a certified financial planner and founder of Empowered Planning. "If you're looking for a quick way to generate income online, you have options, but keep in mind they come with their own challenges," she says. She too recommends exploring the gig economy for flexibility and the sheer variety of jobs you could probably do. "Explore platforms like Upwork or Fiverr, where you'll have the opportunity to leverage skills you already have. Whether it's writing, virtual assistance or social-media management, you can build a client base at your own pace."

"If you are in between going back to school or starting a business, both options can be part of your journey," she adds. "You can start by learning a new skill that aligns with both paths. For example, you can take an online course in entrepreneurship and work on building your business on the side. Virtual platforms like Udemy and Coursera are great options for learning new business skills. While you are building these skills, look for a job that is related to the business you want to start for yourself so you will earn relevant experience."

Given that you say you're stuck between two paths, I suggest taking the one that will bring you the greatest long-term rewards, both financially and intellectually. That is, taking a course in something that you enjoy doing. As I told this reader, who wanted to know what professional degree to take so he could make six figures on day one of his new job, one sure way to get up in the morning, and the one after that, and that one after that, is to do something that makes you happy and/or that you're good at, or preferably both.

You only have to find one thing that you're good at to be a success.

Related: 'I've no interest in investing more money in the stock market': I'm debt-free, retired and ignoring the 'Trump bump.' What should I do with $400,000?

You can email The Moneyist with any financial and ethical questions at qfottrell@marketwatch.com, and follow Quentin Fottrell on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

The Moneyist regrets he cannot reply to questions individually.

More columns from Quentin Fottrell:

'I can't deal with managing them': I juggle 18 credit cards. How do I close them without ruining my credit score?

I'm 54 and have terminal cancer. I have a wife, 47, and an 8-year-old child. How do I split my $1.2 million retirement and life insurance between them?

'She's the queen of CDs': My mother-in-law, 83, opened 12 CDs at different financial institutions. Should I intervene?

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-Quentin Fottrell

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April 05, 2025 16:45 ET (20:45 GMT)

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