For many people, having a job with a flexible schedule is important. It means you can schedule your work hours around the demands of parenting or health concerns, or, if you want, you can simply schedule it so that you have more freedom as to when and how often you work. Not every career means a job from 9 to 5 every Monday through Friday. These are 5 great careers that have tremendous scheduling freedom.

Attorney

While being an attorney does demand a lot of work, there is a great deal of flexibility to the scheduling. Much of the work involves research, something you can do on your own schedule, and even scheduled meetings and court appointments have some flexibility to them if there is a conflict. The higher up you are in your particular firm, the more freedom you are likely to have.

Cosmetic surgeon

In the early years as a medical intern, the schedule will be much more set in stone, but once you’re actually working on your own, there is tremendous freedom in scheduling. Cosmetic Surgeons in Washington DC and throughout the country also never need to be on call the way most physicians do, as their patients are never emergency cases.

Writer

Like most creative or artistic jobs, being a writer allows you to completely set your own pace. You can work a traditional work week, write an hour at a time scattered throughout the day, or set yourself a page or word limit and write until you meet that. This one may require a great deal of self-discipline to keep yourself on track, but if flexibility is what you need, creative careers can give you that.

Software developer

The great thing about computer-related jobs is that you can often work from home and transmit finished projects via the Internet. This lets you work at your own pace. Software development jobs are also high-paying and growing in demand, so if you enjoy coding and working with computers, this job could be the perfect one for you.

Speech pathologists

Like attorneys or cosmetic surgeons, this profession is flexible because it works with individuals on a one-on-one basis, allowing you to schedule them according to your own convenience. Many speech pathologists work with young children, making it perfect for people who are interested in working with kids but want to have more flexibility in their scheduling than a teaching job would afford them.