So I've had the good fortune of working from home for the last several years in more than one capacity and being able to do so has made it possible for me to be home with my daughter and work around her schedule and sleeping times while still bringing in money for my family and keeping my skills up-to-date.
Work-from-home jobs are highly sought after for obvious reasons and they likely won't just fall in your lap (no matter what kind of ads you see about some lady making $87 an hour no problem), but if you know where to look, if you can be persistent, and if you can offer the right kind of skills for such jobs, you can make some money while still spending your time at home instead of in an office.
Here is some of my personal advice from experience that I'd like to share with you:
Real vs. Fake- Recognize the difference between legitimate positions and those that are just trying to lure you in with promises that seem way to good to be true. Any job postings that seem to over-promise things such as making more an hour than you know you would make as an experienced attorney are probably not going to lead you down the right path. Seek out recognizable companies or job postings that direct you to real sites and not a place where you fill in all your personal info upfront or are expected to pay anything to get started! Never pay anything upfront to get started!
You're Going To Need A Special Skill Set- So many people would love to work from home so just having a computer and basic editing skills or graphic design skills won't usually be enough. I suggest looking at the qualification descriptions of many jobs that interest you and work to build those skills. Sites such as Lynda.com offer lots of tutorials in every imaginable field so you can expand your abilities. Understand that you'll be required to be professional and offer timeliness and adherence to deadlines just as you would in any other job.
Know What Terms To Look For- Entering "Work from home jobs" in a basic search engine tends to yield lots of scams. Search the job boards by using terms such as "freelance" or "telecommuting". On craigslist type "telecommuting ok" in the search bar in the jobs section to find jobs where the employer is open to hiring someone who works from home. There are certain positions that are more likely to hire at-home employees more than others. These titles may include transcriptionists, editors, writers of varying kinds, SEO and Social Media experts, web design, graphic design, certain customer service positions, and web development seem to be the most common opportunities though the options are growing.
Have A Home Office- Since you likely won't have an employer providing you with the desk, the laptop, the Photoshop, the phone and anything else you might need, you'll want to make sure you have a working laptop with all the necessary programs and tools so that you'll be prepared to take on the job you seek.
Don't Be Too Discouraged- just because the job stated doesn't specifically say "freelance" or "work from home" doesn't mean it can't turn into such. The job I currently have was not initially advertised as being a work from home position. They were looking for someone to come into the office each day. However, seeing as they were looking for someone to do work that could be somewhat flexible such as writing, posting material to the websites, SEO efforts and so on, I asked them straight up if they'd be willing to consider someone who worked from home. I had to prove myself all along the way that I'd be reliable and responsible but it's worked out well. So don't be too afraid to ask if you know you can provide the skills they're looking for.
Don't Be Afraid To Start Small- It can be a little hard to suck it up and start smaller than you feel like you deserve based on your education and skills. However, it's important to realize that if you're hoping to work from home long term, you might have to start at the very bottom and build the necessary skills so that bigger fish will see that you have experience working in a non-office setting and be more willing to consider you for bigger projects or positions. If that means you start up with a non-paid internship on the side to add to your experience or a temporary gig, take it! That just gives you more credibility moving forward.
Look Beyond The Obvious- Instead of scouring the jobsites for positions in your own region over and over, remember that if you're looking to work from home it shouldn't really matter too much if you live in an entirely different city, or state for that matter, from the position you're applying for. The company I work for is located in San Diego and I reside in Seattle. A good tip is to look in smaller cities or small town areas where start-up companies might be looking to really grow but where you might not have as to deal with as much competition as you would in bigger cities with lots of applicants.
Don't Stop Learning- Just because you've developed a certain skill set doesn't mean you can't keep learning more on the side. Even if you score a gig writing for example, you might as well keep picking up additional skills on the side. By being a jack-of-all-trades you greatly improve your future chances of standing out among other applicants. I've certainly noticed that lots of freelance positions require that their hires know a little of everything. Learn some basic graphic design skills or video editing or photography skills. Pick up some programming techniques or brush up on your editing abilities. It won't hurt and it can surely help!
Last of all:
DON'T GIVE UP SO EASILY- If you really want to enjoy the flexibility of working from home, you have to realize that you're in good company and that like anything worth the effort, it's going to take some tenacity! You might have to apply to desirable positions 50 times over. Recently I posted a need on craigslist to hire a web developer and you guys, I got like 200 applicants. 200 applicants! That's a LOT! As much as I wanted to be thoughtful and respond to each and every one, it just wasn't possible so if you don't hear back, don't take it too personally or figure it means you just don't have what it takes. Find ways to stand out more if necessary and keep pushing onward. It took me many shots, over and over, before I landed the great position I have now.
GOOD LUCK!
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