3 Things No One Told You About Work-at-Home Jobs
Posted in Work at Home
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By Mark Davies
If you want to become a medical translator or transcriptionist, you’re probably going to be working from home because it’s the most convenient thing to do. It makes financial sense for you and your employer and is a great option if you’re a woman with young children who need your care. But even though working from home has a ton of perks, there are a few things you need to be aware of before you choose this professional option, things that no one will tell you because they want you to believe that work-at-home jobs are a bed of roses:
You require tremendous will power: When you work with little or no supervision, you tend to get distracted easily, especially with the easy access to the television and the Internet. So you require tremendous will power to be able to push aside these diversions from work and concentrate on the task at hand so that you do justice to your job. The best way to do this is to set a routine (even though your schedule is flexible) and stick to it every day, no matter what. Just pretend your work space is the office and work as if you were being supervised.
People may not take you seriously: When you tend to spend the whole day in your pajamas or in casual clothes because you don’t have to get dressed to go to work (and you want to be as comfortable as possible), people don’t consider what you do as “a job”. They look at you and think you’re having a wonderful time, waking up late, working when you please, and not having someone look over your shoulder when you work or having to answer to a boss. They don’t realize that your job is just as demanding as the one they do, if not more. So if you’re ready to work at home, be ready to disregard this perception as well.
Your social life suffers: And finally, unless you make it a point to get out and meet friends and family members once every few days, you’ll find that working from home kills your social life. You don’t get to meet or interact with other professionals in your field too because you’re cooped up at home. And when all your communication is online, you slowly lose your people skills and become a sort of hermit. So ensure that you set aside the weekends to meet and socialize with your friends, family members, and others who work in your profession (so that you can broaden your horizons and improve your knowledge).
In spite of all these drawbacks, working from home is still an advantage if you’re able to balance your personal and professional lives and know where to draw the line between the two.
This guest post is contributed by Mark Davies, who writes on the topic of online masters degree . He welcomes your comments at his email id: markdavies247<@>gmail<.>com.
Thanks for your insight Mark-
As a time coach who specializes in helping people with flexible schedules set up their daily and weekly routines, I definitely agree with your first point.
However the second two points can happen but are not inevitable. Here’s how I’ve found ways to overcome them:
To encourage people to take you seriously:
-Don’t emphasize the fact you work from home.
-Communicate during normal business hours so that people can tell you are up and working when they are in the office.
-Eliminate as much home background noise as possible
-Always dress and act extremely professionally whenever you meet with clients or are in any professional setting.
To increase your social interaction:
-Use your flexibility to schedule in phone conversations or meetings with friends on a weekly and monthly basis.
-Attend networking events
-Set good boundaries (i.e. follow your first point) so that you can shut off your work life at the end of your work day or work week and thoroughly enjoy your family and friends.
You’re absolutely right that working at home can be challenging–but with the right strategies it can also be incredibly rewarding!
To your brilliance!
Elizabeth
http://www.ScheduleMakeover.com
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