Curious about types of work at home jobs ppl have (Between: sales, to rent)

[cocogrove]

Hello.
In a post I read that some ppl are relocating to an area but would not have to worry about commutes because they work at home.
I'm curious as to what types of companies utilize this, or if it just ppl that have their own business that they started themselves.
We are looking to relocate as well, but were going to job hunt the old fashioned way.
I would be interested to hear from some that have successfully been able to work from home and what they do, as well as how they obtain insurance.
Any information on what type of work or qualifications would be appreciated.
Having little ones at home I figured why not ask to find out ways to be able to be near them more.
I hope this made sense and I always appreciate any help!

[skiime]

I think one of the biggest misconceptions that people have about working from home is they think since they're not in a traditional office, they'll be able to watch the kids, watch TV or basically not have to work. I can tell you, that's absolutely not true. I realize that you said you want to find ways to be closer to the kids, and I think that's great, but please don't think most real work from home jobs will afford you this kind of time to actually watch them. When I go to "work," I go up to my office, shut the door, and it's work time. My kids know not to bother me (if they're home) until I come downstairs, or I open my door. That being said, I wouldn't ever want to go back to an office again. I would say a good many of the WFH jobs are in some sort of sales or technology. A lot of companies will post "remote" for any job listings they have for positions where you can WFH.

[cqholt]

Professional pro-MARTA poster.

[cocogrove]

Thanks Skiime I really appreciate the reply.
Oh believe me I can imagine work is work no matter where it is.
I actually think my kids are too small for me to WFH. A closed door in my house is a screaming match to try to get it open. Thinking of it for my husband too but until they are both in school might be tricky.
It does sound good to me. Not worrying about a commute would allow more options for housing.
I used to be in relationship marketing so who knows.
Just trying to learn more about that as a future possibility, and thanks again for the info!

[cwkimbro]

I think it is varied and I think you hit the nail on the head.

Many people find a niche where they start their own business and provide some small service or consulting for a limited number of clients. They are basically able to operate more efficiently than a large company, do everything for themselves and not have to rent out office or warehouse space.

Now the key thing is if forced these people will need to say work from home, but they might actually be travelers or they might need to drive out to a client a large part of the time. However, they have no office and their base of operations is at home.

I'm sure there are all sorts of things you will find and it can be varied. I actually work for a very small company in Long Island City up in NYC as a contractor/consultant. I travel out of town to job sites about 40-60% of the year and work from home or take time off the other 40-60%.

Now my circumstances are bad for kids really. My schedule does allow larger blocks of times off vs. always having a 2-day weekend every week, but I'm not always around. I also must concede I find working at home very distracting.

I've run into many people like this. We have also worked other small or one-person companies where people are making specialty products out of their basements. It could be something physical, like carpenters or something information based like software programmers or graphics editors.

This is how many people start a new company that may or may not grow into something. They have the ability to make some special niche device or solve a problem that a larger company might only make a much larger product than what some people need to use it for.

It is very easy to design circuit boards and get another company to manufacture them for you, it is easy to buy IEC chips to do the harder stuff to design on that circuit board, it is easy to pay companies to make a plastic or metal housing, etc... and then you throw the parts together and ship it out.... all of which can be done from home.

Others might offer accounting services for a few small businesses. Some people might be in a creative industry and found their niche producing art, graphics, film, film editing, writing, and they happened to find a way to sell or work for clients on special projects.

Many of the type of people I'm discussing have all found a way to find a client. They didn't look for it necessarily, but their experiences led them in that direction. They found a need they could fill and they sold a way to fill that need. The bad thing is ... be prepared to a very proactive individual, have a very flexible schedule, really put in the overnight hours at peaks times.... your livelihood is linked to your ambition and it can be very easy to get stressed and discouraged over time. When you fill small niches, the need for you will fall and rise over time and you must be prepared to adjust and innovate.

So while I know many companies are opening up to the idea of people doing their work from a home office, many people who report as working from home are actually doing a number of different things and lifestyles can really vary.

[NTATL]

My partner and I both work from home and we both travel about 25%. To answer your question about what types of companies allow telecommuting, I work for a large bank and he works for a big four firm. I agree with the posters above in that although we both work from home, we rarely have time to even have lunch together. I think most large companies offer WFH positions, and from my experience, they're usually sales, consulting or project management type positions.

[flamadiddle]

IT - A lot of IT work can be done remotely these days. I rarely have to leave my home for work.

All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, an Internet connection and I'm fine. lol

[cocogrove]

Thanks so very much for these informative and cordial replies!
Sounds like all of you found a way to make it "work"
It gives me ideas to strive for and goals to achieve.

[AnsleyPark]

cocogrove - My wife is a corporate recruiter and works from home. Between the teenagers, the dogs and yours truly, I know she gets distracted at times. However, I also know that woe will be mine if I bother her too much! Like the other posters on here have written, you really must be vigilant to keep the door closed and your head down!

[cocogrove]

Thanks!