About a year ago I wrote Gainfully Unemployed. It was a short e-book about how I planned the steps to quitting my full-time day job and go to work for myself. It sold well, however, readers wanted more than just my view of how to get into telecommuting. So, I took that e-book and expanded it into this e-book to give you what you wanted.
Throughout this new e-book, you will notice references to independent and telecommuting. That's because the idea of telecommuting has several different definitions. To some, it is working at home a few days a week. To others, it is working full-time for a company in their home office. For others still, it is simply working at home for themselves. The one common element is the idea of being independent in your life and your choices. In the long run, what it is to you is up to you!
Why do it?I had a hundred reasons to want to telecommute and I knew I had to do it. I just didn't know how to go about fine tuning my desires and still maintain my quality of life. I eventually sat down and same up with a small list of reasons why I wanted to telecommute. I ultimately wanted
• the freedom to be creative;
• to eliminate the commutes to the city;
• the time to spend with my family; and
• my wife to enjoy herself.
Those few points were my underlying reasons for wanting to telecommute. Of course, my managers, at that time, scoffed at the ideas. But what better reason to do anything than to do it because it is something you want and you enjoy.
You might think that your reasons for telecommuting are invalid. Believe it or not, all of the possible reasons that anyone can think of are valid reasons for making it happen. Of course, your current employer might not take kindly to some of the reasons, and others may not fully understand your motivations. It really doesn't matter! As long as you feel strongly enough about your reasons, then you should pursue your desired directions. Once I made the decision, I realized that the money and the flexible hours came along with the package—an added bonus!
Do what you enjoy and the money will follow!Of course, various personal attributes that can make or break you, but many of the issues involved in telecommuting can be overcome. There are a few items, however, that are born into each of us making it difficult under any circumstance. These traits, too, can be overcome as long as you can recognize that they do exist.
What do I do?You can either take your current experiences and market them or you can change careers altogether! I wouldn't necessarily suggest that you suddenly shift gears and do something that you have always wanted to do, but have no idea how to do it. For starters, focus on your hobbies. What you do after hours is usually a good indication of what you can do beyond your day job.
How do I do it?That's what we are here to discuss. There are many ways to break into a telecommuting situation; however, you must be careful to do it in such a way as not to completely disrupt your life. What we will discuss is the way I did it and how I made it work. As with all things, doing it, of course, is much different than talking about it.