1. Executive Recruiter
Salary Range: $62,700 to $105,600
10-year Job Growth: 30%

You control your schedule; résumé reviews, even interviews, can be done after the kids are in bed. Accolades are typically based on performance, not face time. Recruit in your pre-break field and you can ramp up quickly.

Second acts resources:

5 tips if you're returning to work
For parents returning to work - top 20 jobs
Successful second acts - real life stories

Best jobs in America if...
You're young and restless
You've retired from the military
You're over 50

Education/Experience: May require a bachelor's degree in area of specialty and 2-4 years of experience in the field or in a related area.

2. Non-Profit Manager
Salary Range: $41,600 to $72,400
10-year Job Growth: 20% to 27%

If you know how to manage a household, rally a room fullof parents and make things happen on a shoestring budget, this job's for you. As a volunteer coordinator or project manager, you'll deal with people and event planning; at higher levels, you'll plan and direct initiatives as well as manage staff.

3. Sales Representative
Salary Range: $51,700 to $90,700
10-year Job Growth: 14%

Many sales jobs offer the ultimate in flexibility, from work at home to sales calls clustered over a limited number of days. You don't even need to leave home to sell products like Pampered Chef or clothing line Etcetera. You might work on commission, but a base pay is common.

Education/Experience: Requires a minimum of an associate's degree or its equivalent with 1-4 years of experience in the field or in a related area.

4. Marketing Analyst
Salary Range: $46,200 to $77,600
10-year Job Growth: 20%

You'll prepare and evaluate marketing strategies for a product or product line. The M.B.A. types might manage the brand, but you'll be close to the customer, especially if you pick a field that caters to, well, people like you. Find a company that specializes in project work and set your own hours.

Education/Experience: May require a bachelor's degree in area of specialty and 0-3 years of experience in the field or in a related area.

5. Accountant
Salary Range: $36,800 to $62,000
10-year Job Growth: 22%

With a shortage of accountants, the field has become more flexible and family-friendly and less wed to the nine-to-five routine. If corporate life doesn't appeal to you, try keeping the books for a local business or nonprofit.

Education/Experience: May require a bachelor's degree in accounting and 0-2 years of experience in the field or in a related area.

5 tips for parents returning to work

Parents returning to work - top 20 jobs

Know what you're worth with the Personal Salary Report