Many of us have always dreamt of working from home. Many do not know where to start when it comes to finding and applying for the jobs available. I was that person once upon a time. That is one of the main reasons I started this blog. When you finally decide that you want to work from home, regardless of your reasoning, there are a few things to consider: income potential, having a remote boss or manager, maybe working when you want and getting paid what you want and the lack of interaction with coworkers (remote). When you decide that you want to work from home, decide which route you want to take: working for a company or yourself.
There are pros and cons to both entrepreneurship and working from home for a company. I will start with working from home.
Working from home
When you begin on the path of working from home, you need to make sure that you and your home office will qualify with the position you are applying for. For example, I applied to work to\\for TTECH, this is a good company, from what I have heard. When I began the application process, I had to do a scan of my computer to show them if it would be able to run with the application that they use. Even though it passed, the next thing, is passing assessments. Most of them are not hard, just common sense or based off of your experience.
Scheduling
Another thing to keep in mind, check out all the job details and emails you receive. You may be signing up for a job that has a flexible schedule, it may even be a fixed schedule. Whatever schedule you need, make sure that the job details provided enough information for you to make the best decision. I once worked for a company where I worked full-time during the week. I was able to pick from morning hours or over night hours. Once my schedule was picked, I could not change it until my year anniversary.
In the beginning, I worked the morning shift because I knew I would have help with my daughter. Even though it worked for a while, she was still a newborn baby and did a lot of fussing. My managers knew this and was willing to work with me. Although, they knew about the situation, they did not consider allowing me to change schedules. I knew that if they had allowed me to work the night shifts, then I would be able to keep up with the demand because my daughter would be sleep…They would not work with me so I had to let them go.
I would not advise for anyone to work for a company and have their child with them. Someone has to be watching them, regardless if they are at home with someone other than you or in daycare. When I first took the job, I was told it was okay for me to have my daughter, unless she was fussing. Well as a newborn, she did that a lot! While working from home I definitely did not have much conversations with other people working on the same project.
Lack of interaction/remote boss
While working on a work from home project, I knew there were others working with me because we trained together. From the training, we exchanged emails and numbers, to have some help or practice, if needed. I should have taken the other members up on the training but I couldn’t due to us being on opposite ends of the coast. I was not about to give up my 8 o’clock dinner to have a study session. That is just me….My team mates were remote, as well as my manager. They were always there when I had questions or concerns, but I could never get a fast response when it was needed immediately. Email is the quickest way for contact, but what if I am on the phone with a customer that needs help now, but I do not know how to help them? I hated that part! I needed someone nearby, as close as possible! Another thing to think about is: how much are you getting paid?
Income Potential
When working from home for a company like a call center, they pay you by the hour. Now, most of us work like this, but we always complain about getting underpaid and overworked….While I was working from home for a call center, I was getting paid $9 an hour. I couldn’t complain about that pay but I knew we deserved more. We would get unruly customers, hang ups, we had to do our own research to find out what a customers issue was and we also had to do live transfers, three-way calls or put customers on hold and then hear complaints because of the hold.
In my opinion, with all the work it took, we should have gotten paid at least $12 an hour. There is a call center in Charlotte near me, that pays $9 an hour plus commissions. And this position was not remote! When working from home and getting little pay, it turns into high turnover rates. If these companies want to keep their employees happy, give them a little bump in pay. Here is a list of a few companies to work with:
- Alorica
- Arise
- TTECH
- RRTUSA
- TeleTech
- Amazon
This turns me over to entrepreneurship. I knew I wanted to be my own boss, set my own schedule, travel when I want, homeschool my daughter and charge my customers what I know I am worth!
Entrepreneurship
When you are in business for yourself, you set your own hours and decide on your own pay rate. There are many different things a person can do to work for their self. Here is a list:
- Book Keeping
- Medical transcription
- Social Media Management
- Public Relations
- Coaching
- Lead Generation
- Affiliate Marketing
- Crafting
- Online store (dropshipping)
- Blogging/writing/freelance
When you work for yourself, no one can tell you when you have to clock in or when something needs to be done. You are your own boss so there is no checking in with someone.
Although working for yourself can be rewarding, it can also be hard, so this is not for everyone. You must be dedicated, creative, a risk taker and a fast learner/adapter. If you start an online business, you must be able to stay up to date with the constant changes in technology.
Invest In yourself
When you have a business idea, instead of it being a dream it becomes reality. One must know that in order to work for yourself, you must be willing in to invest in yourself. If you don’t, then who will? Everyone does not have the same mindset to take such risks that are well worth it, especially if you are following your dreams!
Freedom of time
When you work for yourself, you can take vacations as you like, without having to tell your boss ahead of time to get approved or denied… You can stay home with the children, travel or explore and meet new people. Personally, this is the main reason I have decided to work for myself. Having a daughter made me want to keep an eye on her at all times. There are too many deaths, missing children, trafficking and unnecessary pain brought onto us by others. I prefer to keep my baby home and safe with me. I plan on homeschooling her so we do not have to worry about school shootings. Sad, but true! I work without fear of wondering how am I going to be able to provide for my daughter while keeping her safe at the same time.
Conclusion
I have personally tried working for multiple companies from home; but I know that working for myself is my best bet. This is the best way I can make sure that everything at home is taken care of. I decide how much to charge clients, I decide how much to charge for my work and when it gets done. No one rushes me to do anything.
Running a business may not be easy in the beginning because you are wearing multiple hats, you need to have the time and money to invest in yourself, and the dedication and energy/time that it takes to be successful. When you decide that this is the route for you, make sure you do thorough research to make sure that whatever business you want to start is the right fit for you. Take that chance, it may be just what you need! Don’t let fear hold you back any longer!
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