The concept of working from home or telecommuting has gained a great deal of traction and popularity in recent years. Companies, staring at the reality of rising overhead costs, found a great deal of value in having some of their employees work from home.
Now, with the introduction of new technology such as cloud computing, virtual private networks (VPNs) and Voice over IP (VOIP), working at home has become easier than ever. However, just like looking for an in-company position, you have to know where to look and watch out for potential pitfalls.
As we have already mentioned in our previous post about freelancing, there’s a number of different resources out there for those looking to work-at-home. In fact, since many freelancing opportunities are also telecommuting, some of the opportunities will overlap.
First, be mindful of where you should look for information. As we are all aware, there are plenty of ads out there that talk a good game about working at home and making a great deal of money. Many of these, unfortunately, are scams, and will, in the long run, cost you more than you will ever make.
For free resources, sites such as Work at Home Mafia, Rat Race Rebellion and WAHM, which was originally set up for work-at-home mothers but has since expanded, are excellent starting points. Virtual Vocations, which contains free listings and a paid-subscription application process, is also very useful.
As for the opportunities available, be sure to do your homework and also, decide on what type of job you’re interested in doing. Be sure that if you plan on applying to a work-at-home customer service job, you understand that you’ll be sitting in front of your computer taking customer calls your entire shift. If it’s not something you want to do, you may want to think about something else.
Finally, check with your current company and see what options are available for working at home. You’d be surprised how many companies have telecommuting positions.
