So here's the dilemma I'm in. I've worked as a contract programmer since about 2 years after I graduated from college. When I first found out that my wife and I were going to have kids, I set up my "great plan".
My plan was to keep working as a contract programmer while my kids were little. This would let me work out of the house most of the time and give me lots of flexibility to spend time with my kids while they were little. I would then get my Masters of Business Administration, and when my kids were older and started school I would get a job in management and my wife would return to teaching. It seemed like a good plan at the time.
Everything seemed to be going fine for the first few years. It was great working from home. I was there with my wife and kids most of the time. I was there for all my kids "firsts;" when they first rolled over, crawled, walked, said their first words. I was there to help change diapers and feed them. When my wife got stressed out, I was there to help and give her some time off.
When my second child was born, I worked my butt off and got my MBA while I was still working full time. Then came time for my kids to go to school. After a lot of prayer and consideration, my wife and I decided to homeschool the kids. We have only been homeschooling for 2 1/2 years, but we love it. It has turned out to be a great decision in every regard, except financially - my wife did not return to a paying job. However, the pros greatly outweigh the cons.
Now I have started looking for that job in management, and have found the flaw in my "great plan." Since I have been working for myself for the past 12 years, I don't have any experience in management. No one wants to hire a manager with no experience; MBA or not. It seems that the vast majority of companies do not advertise job openings for management. I guess that they promote from within. Also, I am finding out that they don't hire many experienced programmers. They seem to want kids right out of college, or even young kids with no formal education. They see this as much cheaper.
So now where do I go? There aren't jobs for experience programmers. No one will hire me as an entry level programmer because they think I will be bored and will want too much money. If I want to get into management I have to take an entry level position, take a huge pay cut, and work my way up.
The only options I see now are to continue working on contract positions (which are getting increasingly hard to find) or change careers.
Any advice?
