Times feel uncertain. The presidential election is unresolved. COVID-19 looms large, and a vaccine can’t come soon enough. Maybe you’re wondering … with all of this craziness, will I always have a job?
Certainly, there are no guarantees.
But as you are considering career choices, I want to boldly suggest that if you become a lactation consultant, you’ll have a high likelihood of offering a service that will always be needed. That may sound far-fetched. But try to suspend disbelief for a few minutes. Let me explain why helping mothers to breastfeed will improve the likelihood that you’ll always have a job.
Parents will keep making babies
We can argue the social aspect all day long. But biologically, humans were meant to reproduce.
The Northeast blackout of 2003 affected hundreds of thousands of Americans in that region. Guess what we had 9 months later? Lots of babies!
Post-COVID, after parents have been in the same house together for months, what will happen?
As long as parents keep making babies, you’ll always have a job!
In the US, breastfeeding is more popular than ever
In 1970 the incidence of breastfeeding was 25 percent; an all-time low here. Since then, breastfeeding rates have increased fairly steadily.
Remember, too, that those who are breastfeeding now were probably bottle-fed as babies. Hence, their mothers are unlikely to offer much advice. Without family expertise, hiring an IBCLC™ looks like a smart thing to do.
Don’t you think this trend will help you to always have a job?
Breastfeeding is economical
If you’re a lactation consultant, parents may hesitate to pay you a few hundred dollars for your service. Just remind them how that’s a small investment compared to the thousands of dollars they will spend on formula during the first year of the baby’s life if they quit breastfeeding.
Get your business card out there, hang your shingle, post your Facebook ads, and start believing that as an IBCLC, you will always have a job!
Everyone loves one-stop shopping
Over the years, I’ve had many doulas take my courses. I’ve asked them, “Why did you pursue your IBCLC certification when you’re already a doula?”
Answer: They saw how they could recruit one set of parents and sell two services.
Want to hear more about it? Listen to my interview with Amber Thomas, RN BSN DONA IBCLC. She came to my course to prep for her IBCLC so that parents who sought doula services could then buy her enhanced package for lactation services later.
So, you tell me. Do you think Amber will always have a job?
Parents will always seek prenatal classes
Now hold on before you ask, “Marie! Have you been under a rock for the last several years?”
Nope. I see that parents don’t want traditional on-site classes. What they want are on-demand courses. (Similarly, they seek telehealth services these days, too.)
If you have one little iota of an entrepreneurial cell in your body, creating an online prenatal or postnatal course will almost guarantee that you’ll always have a job as a lactation consultant.
If you need help creating your course, call my office at 703-787-9894, or drop me an email! I now offer coaching services for aspiring course-creators and writers.
This might be the best time ever to start a new business
Gulp. I can almost hear you saying, “Marie, are you out of your living mind?”
You’ve heard the expression, “Buy low, sell high” as related to the stock market. Well, starting a business works similarly. If you can think outside of the box, you can make more money by starting when the competition is failing.
Can you think of any other reasons why a lactation consultant will always have a job? Let me know in the comments below!