Oh for job flexibility! Most American workers struggle to wrap their days around a routine work schedule. Juggling kids, caring for aging parents, making visits to the dentist, enjoying a week of sanity at a beach resort, and rounding up the troops for a holiday meal present a real challenge. Finding balance in life can be difficult, and often the most important things--family time, healthy eating and exercise, and spiritual refreshment--fall away to overtime, half-hour power lunches, and moonlighting. More than seven million Americans have had to take more than one job to make ends meet.

With the economy on the rocks, flexibility seems more a luxury than a necessity. You may have to return to college to prepare for one of the more flexible careers, and you still may work long hours. But you'll have a greater say in when and where you work them.

Here are six careers that offer flexibility and self-employment options or pay near the $70k range or better--along with the training you'll need.

Post Secondary Teachers

Did you know that many college teachers and university professors are retiring? You'll work on a school calendar, with summer, spring, and winter holiday vacation time if you want it. Some professors only report to campus two days a week. They make up for it by the work they do at home, but not reporting to campus every day can lead to flexibility.

You'll need a master's degree to teach at the community college level and a doctorate in your field to qualify for tenure-track professorships at four-year colleges. Positions for post-secondary teachers are predicted to rise by an exceptional 12 percent through the 2006-2016 decade. 2007 salary averages were $98,974 for professors, $69,911 for associate professors, and $58,662 for assistant professors.

Travel Nurses

Nurses can work long hours. But travel nurses work long hours with scheduled time off between assignments if they want. You can arrange for short-time postings to great locales, or long-term ones once you find a niche.

You'll need an online two-year RN or bachelor's degree in nursing to qualify. Jobs for registered nurses are expected to continue to boom, rising by 23 percent through 2016. The top 50 percent of working registered nurses earned between $73,170 and $87,310 in 2007. And travel nurses can receive pay for relocation and housing.

Software Designers

High tech and flex time. Software designers--including game design experts--often hire out on a per-contract basis, working intensive schedules to launch a new product and then enjoying time off between engagements. Some only work on an on-call basis. And job growth will be stupendous, rising by 38 percent during the 2006-2016 decade.

You'll need at least a bachelor's degree in software design or applications, and a master's degree if you hope to run a consultancy. The median 2007 annual wage was $83,130.

Management Analysts

Management analysts work hard, but work smart and enjoy great flexibility. More than 27 percent are self-employed, which is more than three times the national average for all self-employed professionals. You'll offer yourself as a consultant in sales, marketing, technology, health care, and finance to top companies home and abroad.

Many management analysts find work with consulting companies with only a bachelor's degree in business or finance, while the more successful ones who work online from a home office hold at least an MBA degree. Job growth is predicted at a healthy 22 percent, and the median 2007 annual wage was $71,150.

Interior Designers

Interior designers also lead the way in the number of self-employed, flexible career professionals with 26 percent running their own companies/consultancies. Train for the field through an associate degree program, but add a bachelor's degree in art or design to advance to the more flexible positions. Study fabrics, CAD design, ergonomics, color theory, and more. The top 50 percent in the field earned on average between $60,200 and $81,800 in 2007.

Real Estate Sales Agents

Home sales are temporarily slumping, but look at the number of new commercial buildings rising on the landscape. Most brokers have college training in real estate, business, law, marketing, or finance. You may need to work 1-3 years to get your broker's license, but you rent or borrow office space, and work your own hours. In 2007, the top 50 percent of real estate agents earned between earn between $65,040 and $106,790.