Pro's and Con's of working from home

Those of you reading this from an office must be thinking, "Are you kidding me! There is nothing negative about working from home. If I could, I'd be there in a second!!"

I was there, MANY who are working virtually have been there. I quit my outside job because the stress was just too much for me, it started affecting my health. I jumped in wholeheartedly, and incredibly nieve! I was not expecting some con's to pop up during my transition.

Let's start of with the negative, that way we can end this post with nothing but positives!

Con's of Working from Home:
Time management
When you come from an office/outside position, it takes some adjusting. You may think, "Wow, I get to sit around in my jammies, and work as I please, this is the life!". You must remember, virtual employment is still employment, now its your only form of employment. If you don't work, you don't get paid.
While some projects/positions allow for flexible hours, (and sometime deadlines) it is still important to manage your time. Completing a project on a timely basis will impress your employer (client), which could lead to more projects in the future. Enjoy the freedom of working from home, but also remember, it is your lively hood as well. Set a schedule, and keep to it. Don't allow yourself to get lazy or slack off. If you think of this as a vacation it will only hurt you in the end (possibly sending you back to the workplace) by ruining your reputation as a contractor.

Inconsistent projects
I have said this in earlier posts; the majority of virtual projects are temporary or on a contract basis. In the beginning it may benefit you to accept as many of projects as possible (but only as many as you can handle, don't go overboard!) It will keep you busy if you are able to line up projects and plan ahead, plus it will build your experience which is important. However, with contract positions comes inconsistency; understand you may be a few days or weeks without work. There are permanent positions available and if that's for you then go for it! But, if you like the project-to-project basis because of the variety, keep in mind you may have dry spells; times where you do not have any projects at all.

Competitive
The virtual world is incredibly competitive. You can't imagine why, can you? Millions of people want to work from home. So as mentioned before, it may take a few months to get started in the virtual workplace because clients/employers want someone with "virtual experience". It is a completely different arena, and there are differences that employers would like you to be experienced with (this experience comes with time, and with completing projects). There are only so many projects/positions out there, and only so many legitimate places to find them.... this is where the competition comes in. You may be up against a long list of people for one job or project, so make yourself stand out from all the rest. Could your resume use a bit of an update? (we'll go over that soon!) or you could always learn some new skills no matter what your experience. Make yourself such a useful contractor/employee that they'll HAVE to hire you.

Now the Pro's !!!

Tax benefits
Yes, I said the horrid word - Tax! But this time, it's a good thing. You would not believe the number of tax breaks you can get from working from home. Having a designated home office (meaning one room just for your office) not only allows you to write off a portion of your utility bills (electricity, water, gas, etc) but also a portion of your mortgage, internet and phone service, house insurance, etc. Not to mention office supplies; printer ink, envelopes, stamps, computer equipment and software... you get the point. Your tax professional can help you determine the deductions you can receive, but it is definitely a good thing whenever you can cut down your taxes !!

Saves money
Yes, it saves money! You don't have to drive back & forth to work everyday which saves a lot of money, not only on gas (which is a HUGE savings these days!) but also car maintenance, tolls, etc. If you have children, you can save a TON because you will not need daycare. Plus the tax benefits listed above.... Virtual employment definitely saves you some money!

and probably the BEST part of working from home....

More time with your children/family
Probably the best benefit of working from home. You get to be around your babies. This is often the reason people decide to work virtually. I do not know anyone who can honestly say they enjoy leaving their children in daycare, and only seeing their spouse an hour or two. Working at home allows you to be with your children, see them grow and be a parent. You are there for all the important milestones, and let me tell you from experience, it is the BEST feeling to be there for their childhood. Plus, being around your husband more isn't all that bad either.... well, sometimes!

Just like with all things in life, there are Pro's and Con's. Its your turn to decide; do the Pro's outweigh the Con's? For many individuals they do, which gives them the courage they need to make this change....to take a step into the "unknown" and commit to working from home.

How to Avoid Work from Home Scams....

Unfortunately, one thing a newbie to the virtual world will find is SCAMS.... they're like a plague that never goes away, and they've infected the internet. To those of you who are new to the Virtual World, its quite hard to tell a scam from a real thing.

When I first started looking for "work from home" 2 years ago I was bombarded by WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITIES (yeah, right). I initially got caught up in one of those "Typing from Home" scams. How was I to know it wasn't real? I was new to this, and had no idea what to look for, or more importantly what to be careful of. I lost some money in the beginning, but learned quickly how to spot a scam a mile away:

1) A legitimate employer will NEVER ask you to pay money upfront. Never pay money to receive start-up materials, apply, or for more information. Just think, when applying for a job in the workplace, do they ever ask you to pay upfront? NO -- A legit job will NEVER ask you for money up front!!

2) You can tell a scam by the way the ad is written. An legit employer looking for someone will usually:
* List what he/she is looking for in a contractor (i.e. specific skills, not just "internet savvy", "good typing skills", etc. They will usually provide a specifics (i.e. Experienced with MS Office, ACT, Billing and Invoicing, Dreamweaver, MS PowerPoint presentations, etc)
* Provide an hourly rate for the position (not $300-500/week<--- SCAM!!)
* Provide a description of their company or who they are

A scam however, will:
* Almost always put "Work From Home" somewhere in their ad, either in the location or the description
* Will use "catch lines" like: Self starter, Ready to start immediately, Training provided, No experience necessary, and other vague words.
* Have a copy & pasted description of the "job". It just sounds like it was copied from somewhere else.

3) Anything that promises ridiculous amounts of money are scams. For example, "Get paid up to $75 for completing surveys!". Now honestly, use your common sense here. If you could get that much from completing survey's, there would be a LOT more rich people in the world ! You can tell when you're reading the ad whether it rings true or not. Don't fall for the "Jim Smith made over $89,000 in 2 days!". Complete bull...

Scammers are getting tricky. They're learning that people are watching out for these "hints" and changing their ways. They've now made websites and ask you to apply by filling out an application. They'll also try to hide it by posting the scam as an actual position (Looking for a Virtual assistant, etc) Just use the tips above, and your basic common sense, and you can be spared from losing money. I hate to use this overly used cliche, but it fits so well: If it sounds too good to be true, IT IS !!!!!!!!!!

There are PLENTY of legitimate jobs out there, trust me. It took me quite a while to find them, but I did - so will you. That's the point of this blog, to help you find the legitimate jobs and stay far away from the scams !!

Welcome!

Hello everyone,

Welcome to the Virtual and Telecommuting Employment blog.

I have been working virtually for over 2 years now. I have experienced a LOT in that short amount of time and would like to share all I've learned to help those who are just entering (or trying to enter) the virtual workplace.

I plan on sharing tips on how to find virtual employment (LEGITIMATE employment), warnings about various work at home scams and how to pick them out, and even some ideas for ways to make money at home (not home based businesses, Avon, Pampered Chef or anything of the like).

Please feel free to contact me, or leave a comment if you have any questions, I'd love to hear from you!

Have a great weekend,
Pamela