By Amy Nielsen

I want to help families stretch their benefits and dollars and improve their health. I want to teach people to return to simple, ancient techniques and use whole fresh foods to produce maximum nutrient digestion. I want to write a book that will teach families why these foods are important, and how to use them every single day.

And this is the short list of what I hope to achieve as I set upon building my non-traditional career.

There is one big reality check staring me straight in the face as my husband nears retirement after 26 years in the Army: How am I going to get a job?

I worked full-time throughout the first half of his career, from Hawaii to Georgia to North Carolina to Okinawa to Korea. Then we had kids, and coincidentally started moving more frequently. My work in the past 13 years has included freelancing and part-time jobs, with a couple of years of full-time employment here and there.

Whether you are starting out or starting over, a trade career could be the most flexible, fastest, financially feasible route to a career that you love and from which you can make a good, no, a great, living.

“Believe it or not, 77 percent of all women in the workforce are segregated into 20 occupations out of the 440 occupations out there,” said Lauren Sugerman, National Policy Director and co-founder of Chicago Women in Trades. In fact, those 20 occupations have a least 80 percent female workers.

Thousands of military spouses are slowing growing their own businesses. They are crafting, selling, marketing and counting. They offer a full range of services and products.

And when they face a challenge, often they face it alone, especially when their spouse is deployed or training.

What many of them don't know, is there is an organization to help them grow their business, offer advice and an ear to listen.

The National Association of the Self Employed was created to help entrepreneurs manage their businesses, seek advice and have a voice in Washington D.C.