Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Making the Decision to Work At Home


The whole point of telecommuting, or working from home (WAH) is the ability to fit your work around your life, not the other way around.This can be especially attractive if you are a stay at home parent. It is, in fact, why I made the decision to work from home! 

I was a single mom for several years, with a kid too young for school, and needed to find a way to support us both. Between the costs of transportation and daycare, working outside the home was just not feasible for me. Now that my daughter is older, I am always here when she gets home from school. I am available for play dates and track practice and holiday performances.  I can take a break, mid day, to help with a diorama or to bake cookies or to go to a Dr. appointment.  


Work no longer happens just between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Monday through Friday.  Despite all the distractions involved in balancing family and work, telecommuters are actually more productive than those who work in the office, according to studies from Stanford University.


However, making the decision to work from home is not one to make lightly. It can sometimes take a few tries to succeed, and find the work from home job that is right for you. Figure out your strengths, and that will guide you to the job that will be the right fit. Go over the pros and cons of working from home before making the decision that is right for you. 


Look at your finances. Not every home can take the hit to the income while you find the right work from home job. You also, though, have to factor in the costs of gas, daycare, etc. Working can cost quite a lot! Look at your existing income and also what you want to make working at home. 



Some work from home ideas:


Do you know how to sew, craft or bake? Start a small business selling your handiwork. 


Do you have great sales skills? Try a work at home sales franchise like Avon or Mary Kay. 


Do you design web sites, logos or other custom art work? Make your skills (and prices!) known to family and friends online to build your portfolio, and sell your services. 


You can find legitimate Call Center jobs. Check each company with the Better Business Bureau. 


Creative Commons License
This work by Little Mom on the Prairie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

No comments:

Post a Comment