This year, I turn 30. I’ve been working from home for over 10 years now, mostly as a freelance writer, sometimes doing other things (texting, data annotation).
Today, I run a blog with a fair amount of success. I still write part time. I work only part time, as it’s enough for me to work only 4 hours a day, and I spend the rest of my time trying to build up the blog. I’ve used work at home jobs to help supplement me through until I found something I liked and want to work with.
I’ve also had a lot of free time on my hands. With that, I’ll be going to school this fall. Tomorrow, I’ll be heading to school to do work study during the summer, not because I have to, but because the department I will be in is doing a lot and I want to help out.
I’ve learned over the past few years how much I could live without, how much I really need to earn to be happy, and how to live without credit cards and loans and the debt that follows.
Now that things are changing for me, now that I’ll be at school full time and working on the blog, writing novels, and writing to earn a living so I can do all of the things I love, I just wanted to share my story with you. Ten years is a very long time to be working from home. I’ve done it with success, and I feel so many people could do this, if only they took time out.
So here’s what I’ve learned after 10 years of working from home.
Fear is probably the number one reason why people don’t work from home. They fear they won’t be able to pay their bills. They feel guilty for not taking a ‘real job’ that is supposed to be more secure. I can tell you, that my work at home jobs have been more secure and have paid me very well over the past few years. Maybe not in the beginning, but I learned how to earn $15 to $30 or more an hour with writing, and where to find ‘back up jobs’ if I found I was burned out from doing those things.
Learning from what others have gone through is the best way to get a jump start in any of the careers available. If you only need part time cash, read from groups who only work part time. If you need full time money, talk with folks who work full time. Read what they’ve gone through, and follow their lead. There’s a reason why they post their experiences.
Teaching others is also learning. I’ve learned a lot, I like sharing what I’ve learned. Once I feel I can teach someone else what I’ve learned, I feel I fully ‘get’ my topic. I can then move on to learn new things. So share your own experiences when possible, and try to help someone else get into what you’ve found is successful.
Perseverance and being self taught is much more valuable than ‘normal job’ training. What they don’t teach you in school is to be able to dig up a job when you’ve lost one. Or how to have two or three jobs so that you don’t have to worry about losing one. We have the most secure positions, only because we don’t pin ourselves to a single company.
Your friends and family may not understand why you’ve decided to work from home. My mom has asked me for years if I’ll ever get a ‘real job’. Even though I’ve supported myself on my own for this long, she still worries. I understand where she’s coming from. Although she hasn’t worked in years, as my father provides for her very well, she thinks you have to have a ‘real job’ in order to find security.
Nothing is every 100% secure. Not even a ‘real’ job. My writing jobs may be gone tomorrow, but I’ll still find work. I’ll still find something to do. Because working from home has taught me to be flexible. I don’t have to be a writer. I could work in an office. I could work delivering mail. I could babysit kids, work in fast food, work in the library or work on a farm.
The key to making it on your own, is to be flexible, to figure out what is successful to you, and running with it. It took me a couple of years to figure out writing could afford me the lifestyle I wanted. I didn’t have to work in a small motel on the beach, or work in a Chinese take out place, or work in a day care center if I didn’t want to any more.
You don’t have to, either, not unless you want to.
In the end, if you decide you want to work from home, the rewards can be much more than financial.
