Free Career and Job Search Advice

cvsage · Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2005 9:59 pm Post subject: I work at home

It isn't easy but there's lots of advice on the internet, here for example
http://www.ki-work.com/.

Just try to avoid get rich quick schemes because there really is no easy money to be had.

I'll be happy to answer any questions from people taking the plunge, thinking of franchises or considering courses to help them run a business.

Dioritt · Guest

Since taking the plunge and becoming a freelancer, I could never go back to full-time employment.

I love the freedom freelancing offers. I can work when I want and from wherever I want. As long as I have an internet connection, I can just as easily work from an apartment in Tenerife as from my home in England.

The one thing I would say to anybody considering working from home is that you have to be structured in your approach to work. It's all too easy to put things off until tomorrow only to find a deadline looming and the work not even started. But if you truly believe you have enough self discipline then I'd recommend home-working to anybody.

Just don't expect things to happen overnight. As with any business, a home business takes time to builld up and you'll probably need to keep the day-job for a while. Keep at it and if you really want it to happen, it will Smile

~Sharon

7days · Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 7:06 pm Post subject: Telecommuting

Working from home is terrific. I have been doing this for around three years or more now and simply love it and won't go back to working outside the home. But of course I used to make a great deal more when I was getting a salary, benefits, insurance, and had people that I could actually see in person at a job. This internet and doing free lance and being an independent contractor can be great for many of us. I do agree with what was said above with having to be structured. You need to work so many more hours and work SMART plus work until you about drop. You need to have already lots of years of experience in whatever field you are in to do this, as you need to keep motivating yourself to do the work. There isn't anyone but you making you work. You need to be organized and get jobs done by deadlines (if there are deadlines).

Camilla · Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2005 11:11 am Post subject:

Well none of the poll options were suitable for me as my answer would have been

- It simply doesn't appeal to me

Whoever put the poll up obviously feels that most people would want to work from home but that those who don't are in employment because they don't dare to risk leaving their regular job. That isn't the case with all of us, though. Probably not even the majority.

I love my job and can't imagine doing anything else.

I know I just wouldn't be suited to working from home. That isn't to say I couldn't run my own business, but I'd definitely have to have an office that I went to every day.

I don't believe in mixing business with pleasure and the way I see it, working from home is doing just that. When you're at home you're at work and vice versa.

How do you 'work at home' people cope with this? How do you switch off to relax knowing that there's something waiting to be done that you could just as easily do now as tomorrow morning? I couldn't do that. I'd be working far too much, I'm sure.

Camilla

TINA · Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2005 2:43 pm Post subject: Already DO Work from my home!

Well I agree, the poll has some missing answer - we need whomever started this poll to ADD another one to vote on for those of us that are fortunate enough to be ALREADY working from home.

Working from/at home requires practically 24 hrs a day. Sometimes you grab food to eat, but I don't count that as you eat at your computer. Sometimes you get some sleep and get away from your computer or your at-home business, just enough hours to wake up and rush over to your computer at home. You don't have to worry about being late for work, are are early. There is no set time to start. You don't have to worry about working overtime, as there is no time to stop work.

I used to work outside the home and loved that as well. But I am unable to do that right now and so I had to do internet marketing and other internet things to learn how to work from home. Finally, something I could do typing from home thanks to the internet. I wouldn't change it for the world. Although I do miss benefits of being employed by someone else such as then you get insurance and vacation. There is no time off and no vacation when you work for yourself. You are constantly thinking of your business. Your business drives you to work. You don't need a car to get to work, your business drives you there. You can work in your pajamas or you can dress up professionally as you have all these clothes you used to wear at work.

Even being between jobs can be a big job. Then the person has a job trying to find a job.

Dioritt · Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2005 11:59 am Post subject:

I disagree with what Tina wrote about there being no time off or no time for yourself when you work from home.

I honestly think that this is down to personal attitude. Some people are able to close the door behind them and switch off while others aren't. Sure, sometimes, when I know I have an important deadline looming or am worried that I won't find enough work to keep me going next month, I find it difficult to switch off but that was exactly the same when I was employed. I'd still sit at home thinking about the pile of papers on my desk that I'd need to deal with in the morning and worrying about whether or not I'd be able to meet my deadlines.

Obviously, when you're self employed, you don't get paid holidays but in general, you have so much more freedom that one weighs up the other. The perfect situation doesn't exist so it's up to the individual to decide what they want most from life. Personally, I much prefer the flexibility I have now to getting a few weeks paid leave every year. If I budget properly and set aside a certain amount every week to cover my loss on income during holidays, then they're still paid, just as much as if I'd been employed.

Sick pay is a problem and without insurance, if you're long term sick then your business is probably doomed. Insurance isn't cheap, especially if you already have a condition that means you could need hospitalisation (and it's due to disabilities etc that many decide to start working from home) and most of us, unless we're doing really well, can't afford it. I know I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't have to spend several months in hospital!!

Like everything else, working from home on a self-employed basis has its good and bad points. For me, the good points far outweigh the bad, and even though it's not possible for me to go back to being employed (because of a disability) I wouldn't want to anyway.

~Sharon

tomei · New User Joined: 19 Jun 2005 Posts: 5 Career Advice: +1/-0

Working at home is the way to go nowadays. With the economy the way it is you simply cannot afford to think that your JOB is secure.

-Anthony Tomei

Camilla · Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2005 10:03 pm Post subject:

But then neither is freelance work, so I don't think it really makes much difference either way.

Camilla

7days · Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2005 1:51 am Post subject: Job Security

Job Security, that's something I USED to say when I had a ton of work to do and everyone was saying what a wonderful job I was doing, and how they couldn't live without me, etc., but then they found they could learn to live without me when there wasn't a lot of work to do. Anyone can be replaced, that is so true no matter who you are. No job is truly secure. Even if you own your own business, you could still lose some of your customers or clients. You could still have situations arise that would be out of your control.

Free Lance work isn't that great. Yeah, you can stay home, work your own hours (you mean when you are told to work, or you mean when the work is available). You can set your own pay and you can pay yourself whatever you want to. (Sure that's if all the bills are paid for first). You get paid what people are willing to pay. Sure you could raise your prices, but then worry about losing business or the consequences of same.

Free Lance work tends to be fought after just the same as any real job in real off line is fought after. And the pay isn't that great either.

Camilla · Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 11:09 pm Post subject: Re: Job Security


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