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Topic: How do work at home?
| Author | Message |
| SillyRabbit | Posted – 11/16/2007 9:27:31 AM | show profile | email poster I've got the skills that are suited to working from home, but can't find a job that would let me do it. I've got years of newspaper copy editing and design experience, as well as years of writing experience (features, hard news and a popular column). I've done a fair bit of amateur Web design, so I have some html skills. And I also have some mobility issues that developed in the last two years due to knee problems and a surgery that made things worse (not to mention my odd way of walking for th past couple of years has started to cause back problems). So working from home would be ideal, as it's hard to walk long distances, etc. Anyone have ideas on how to go about finding a work-at-home job? I've found that those sites where you bid for work aren't what I'm after, as I don't think you should have to pay to be listed and it seems people put in very low bids on big jobs. |
| SillyRabbit | Posted – 11/16/2007 9:29:58 AM | show profile ugh Of course I make a typo in a post where I'm talking about my copy editing skills. Ugh. I really should finish my morning soda before writing. Sorry all. |
| WritingEd | Posted – 11/16/2007 9:34:44 AM | show profile In my experience the people who are allowed to work from home are those who have been with a particular company for a while and eventually negotiate that kind of arrangement after trust is built up. Although at the companies where I've seen this, no one works from home full time--with the exception of contract employees who are full time freelancers and may have other gigs going on simultaneously. |
| wineaux | Posted – 11/16/2007 10:29:14 AM | show profile I work primarily from home. I used to freelance for newspapers and magazines. I was approached by a local private business to help them edit copy, write brochures and ads for them, and help them build a website. I made more in a few hours than I made in days worth of research, interviews and writing for pubs. For me, the thing that has kept me home is my versatility. One morning, I'll be writing about artisinal cheeses, and that afernoon I'll be putting together Visio presentations about software for oil pipeline companies. I've written about so many subjects it's crazy. I guess I'm a Jack of all trades and a master of none, although the majority of my writing has to do with the food and wine business, due to my background. Since you have such a great variation of skills, why not market yourself as an independant contractor? Get some business cards, put a small ad in your local paper, and approach some local businesses and offer your services? Particularly your web and graphic skills. I've come to find that many small businesses need people with skills that you have, and often can't afford a full time employee, or don't need someone there all of the time. Ideally, they want someone who can do the work outside of their offices. |
| writesonwater | Posted – 11/16/2007 12:11:58 PM | show profile | email poster I am in the second freelance stint of my life, and find that the skills I've gained at full-time jobs as a writer, editor, radio news director, designer now stand me in good stead. And I wasn't jack of all trades, master of none -- I did those things full time and did them well. Now I am stitching together a patchwork quilt of income, same as the last time I freelanced. I can't seem to find enough money under one roof to make a living -- but that's okay, I just juggle a lot of freelance balls. So I do some copyediting from home, an occasional radio commentary; I write regional stories for an area daily; I contribute regular monthly articles to a national trade publication; I contribute fairly regularly to several national magazines. I use my design skills to help family and friends with business cards and things, but I could make that part of the income pie if I wished, I suppose. And I am close to on target to writing a book a year. So far, they're non-fiction, but I have fiction works on the back burner. |
| writesonwater | Posted – 11/16/2007 12:18:13 PM | show profile | email poster It seems to me that full-time, work-from-home, full salary and benefits jobs are disappearing in media. A friend of mine had one rare one -- but got the axe as the company decided it could do things more centrally and look their employees in the eye more often. I'm with you on those bidding-war projects. I don't mess with them -- and I think companies get what they pay for. I have a laptop, a business card, an ever-expanding Rolodex. I pitch stories mostly to editors I know (I got to know them by sending them pitches), and get assignments from them. I would love to add webskills to my resume (I've mostly just uploaded to websites). My experience has been that to work from home, I need to be able to pitch my services, so I've spent a lot of time researching how to do that and polishing my sales skills. |
| ConfidentDesigner | Posted – 11/16/2007 12:33:23 PM | show profile I am a contract designer and I work from home. The last time I had a fulltime job and worked from home FT was in 2001. Everything went along just great and it was a seamless transition for me to work from home. The company was purchased by a huge publishing company and about 2/3 of us were axed. I was on that list. I swear it was because of my arrangement that I had worked out with them and even got their whole-hearted approval. I think not having "face time" with them on a daily basis hurt me. It's antiquated and ridiculous but it does seem that business is going back to a more traditional way of operating. If I were you, I'd look at obtaining several solid freelance clients and work that way. Unfortunately, you'll have to purchase your own health insurance and pay your taxes quarterly but all-in-all, i do believe it's worth it. But in my lengthy career of 28 years I've been laid off three times so I'm speaking from my perspective, of course. But, at least when you work for yourself, you can't be laid off! |
