Do you have what it takes to work at home?
Yes, my blog is titled "You Should Work at Home." Except that doesn't pertain to every single person under the collective 'you.' In fact, there's a caveat to that statement. If we are honest with ourselves (yes, that means YOU), we have to admit that some people aren't a good fit to work at home. Some people are better off with traditional jobs for a variety of reasons. In fact, I'd say it takes a certain personality type to stick with the WAH lifestyle. This is why most people never venture into contract or freelance work.
The question is: do you have the WAH personality type? The only person who can answer that question is you, nobody else.
Before you dive into the WAH (Work At Home) lifestyle, save yourself a lot of grief and ask yourself the following questions. Remember, be honest with yourself. If you aren't, you'll regret it later. Working at home is NOT the easy route. You still have to work, after all. It's not the proverbial gravy train, and I've found it to be more challenging than traditional work in many ways. But more on that later. First, take the WAH quiz below.
If you answered "Yes" to all those questions, you're good to go. If you answered "yes" to over half of the questions, you're almost there, but you may need to do more soul searching before you make the leap to working at home. If you answered "no" to 3/4 or all the questions, you're not a good fit. It's best that you stick with a traditional employment situation. The WAH lifestyle could prove frustrating for you. What's more, you probably won't succeed.
The question is: do you have the WAH personality type? The only person who can answer that question is you, nobody else.
Before you dive into the WAH (Work At Home) lifestyle, save yourself a lot of grief and ask yourself the following questions. Remember, be honest with yourself. If you aren't, you'll regret it later. Working at home is NOT the easy route. You still have to work, after all. It's not the proverbial gravy train, and I've found it to be more challenging than traditional work in many ways. But more on that later. First, take the WAH quiz below.
Answer Yes or No to the following questions:
1. Do you have your family's (or significant other's) support?
2. Do you have a sitter or will you be able to work around your children's needs/schedules?
3. Do you have consistent access to the Internet (NOT dial-up), a telephone, printer, and fax machine?
4. Can you survive with paychecks that may be fluid on occasion (those that aren't available on the same day each and every week or month?)
5. Are you able to work without supervision and get the job done?
5. Are you able to work without supervision and get the job done?
6. Can you motivate yourself to find new contract or freelance jobs on a regular basis?
7. Are you okay with sitting at a computer most, if not all, of the day?
8. Are you able to supervise yourself when it comes to bathroom and lunch/dinner breaks?
9. If you love movies, gaming, or [insert another hobby here], are you able to put off leisure time in favor of work?
10. Are you familiar with filing your own taxes? If you aren't, do you have a plan for having someone handle your taxes, should you become a contractor/freelancer?
11. Are you comfortable spending most of your time alone and without in-person human interaction?
12. Do you have a spare space in your home for an office setup, or can you arrange one?
13. Are you relatively Internet savvy, meaning that you can easily do the basic tasks online, such as opening e-mails, working with WORD documents, copying/pasting documents, uploading files, downloading files, etc.? If not, are you willing to learn?
14. Will you be able to retrain neighbors, friends, and family members to realize that you will be working at home and, thus, you will need uninterrupted work time when the situation demands it?
15. Are you comfortable being your own boss and making difficult decisions on occasion, without consulting others?
That's it. There are more questions I could add, but you get the idea. Of course, we'll cover these issues and topics in future posts. For now, how did you do?
11. Are you comfortable spending most of your time alone and without in-person human interaction?
12. Do you have a spare space in your home for an office setup, or can you arrange one?
13. Are you relatively Internet savvy, meaning that you can easily do the basic tasks online, such as opening e-mails, working with WORD documents, copying/pasting documents, uploading files, downloading files, etc.? If not, are you willing to learn?
14. Will you be able to retrain neighbors, friends, and family members to realize that you will be working at home and, thus, you will need uninterrupted work time when the situation demands it?
15. Are you comfortable being your own boss and making difficult decisions on occasion, without consulting others?
That's it. There are more questions I could add, but you get the idea. Of course, we'll cover these issues and topics in future posts. For now, how did you do?
If you answered "Yes" to all those questions, you're good to go. If you answered "yes" to over half of the questions, you're almost there, but you may need to do more soul searching before you make the leap to working at home. If you answered "no" to 3/4 or all the questions, you're not a good fit. It's best that you stick with a traditional employment situation. The WAH lifestyle could prove frustrating for you. What's more, you probably won't succeed.
Now that you know whether your personality fits the WAH lifestyle, you can move forward confidently in the direction that's best for you and your family. If you don't fit the WAH personality type, don't try to cram yourself into it. It won't work, and you'll be unhappy or even downright miserable.
However, if you fit the WAH personality type and you're ready to learn more about what it's like to work at home and what to expect, be sure to follow and subscribe to this blog for updates. I have a whole lot of information to impart to you, based on my experiences. And remember, if you have questions about anything I've posted here, be sure to contact me for clarification. If I don't know the answer to your question, I'll point you in the direction to a resource or a person who does.
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