Pros & Cons of Home Based Careers

While there are some great companies and programs out there, it's important to evaluate your needs and desires in a home based career. I see too many people jumping into the first opportunity they see, simply because it promises great income. Money is definitely a major part of our reason for working, but is it the most important? You need to choose the option that will serve all of your needs, not just the financial ones.

How do you know which option is best for you? Consider the typical qualities of telecommuting jobs, home business opportunities and home businesses started from scratch:

Telecommuting Jobs
Pros - With jobs you will usually have less responsibility than a home business, plus a steady paycheck and a structured work schedule. If you are very efficient, organized and "production-oriented", this could be good for you.

Cons - You will have less flexibility and freedom than you would with a home business. You will not be encouraged to "do it your way" -- you will instead need to follow your employer's instructions. Your workload is not guaranteed. Business can slow down and you'll have no work to do, which means no income. If you are very creative and free-spirited, and you want to earn a big income, a job might not be right for you.

Home Business Opportunities
Pros - More flexibility and freedom than a job, more opportunity for larger income, less chance for business to slow down benefit from being part of a team of like-minded people that support you and help you to grow your business. No need to create your own products and marketing materials, as the company provides them for you.

Cons - Less flexibility and freedom than starting your own business, as the company may have restrictions on how you run your business, how you can promote, etc. You may have sales quotas you need to meet, or other limitations. Choosing a company that has been around for a long time may result in oversaturation of the market, while choosing a newer company may result in instability or the company going out of business.

Your Own Company
Pros - Complete freedom and flexibility in the products you create or services you offer, as well as the ways in which you choose to market. No quotas to meet, build it big or keep it small. Set your own schedule and determine your own income. Be as creative as you wish.

Cons - Great responsibility. You are the President, CEO, General Manager, Sales Director, Marketing Manager, Production Manager, Comptroller, Personnel Director and everything else for your company. No one else is there to help or cheer you on.


There are certainly exceptions to the qualities listed above. Perhaps you can find a great telecommuting job that allows you complete flexibility and creative work. Maybe some of the "cons" I listed above would actually be considered "pros" to you, or vice versa.

Working From Your Home

By: Alecia Swim

If you've just begun your search for a work at home job, you probably have a concept of what working from home is like. You probably imagine yourself waking up whenever you want, sliding your feet into fuzzy slippers and shuffling to the kitchen to get some coffee, then shuffling along to your office to put in another wonderful day at work, then later going to the mailbox to pick up your weekly paycheck of several thousand dollars. I hate to burst your bubble; it doesn't always work that way.

The truth is, working at home is usually a lot harder than working in an office somewhere. Scammers and hyped-up business opportunity ads have given us the belief that working at home is oh-so-easy. We just relax on a tropical beach, and then go collect our paychecks. I'm sure you've seen ads like that.

Here are some things you should consider before jumping into a work at home job:
If you want to work for an employer as a telecommuter, be prepared to earn less than you would at a job outside the home. A job that pays $11.00 an hour in the regular workforce might pay $7 or $8 an hour at home. There are exceptions of course. Some jobs, like virtual assisting, web design and graphics, medical transcription and coding and other professional jobs will probably pay more than a data entry or customer service job. Many work at home jobs don't pay hourly either. For data entry work, you might get paid per piece, and for telephone jobs you might get paid per "talk minute" (only those minutes you are actually on the phone with a customer.)

The majority of home based careers do not provide benefits like health insurance or life insurance. Again, there are exceptions.

There are companies that will hire you as an actual "employee" and they will take taxes out of your pay. But some will only hire you as an "independent contractor," and you are responsible for paying your own taxes.

If you are hired as an independent contractor, it's important to understand that your employer is not obligated to provide any work for you. Most companies have busy seasons and slow seasons. During a busy season, you might be working 40-50 hours a week, and then the slow season arrives and suddenly you're fighting to get even 10 hours of work per week. If your income is especially important to your household, definitely keep that in mind. However, many people choose to work more than one job at a time.

If you are the type of person who usually needs a kick in the rear to get moving, working at home will be very hard on you. You have to be extremely disciplined to sit down at the computer, log in and work each day. There are so many distractions in the home that will pull you away from work if you let them.

Working at home can be lonely. If you thrive on social interaction, working alone can be difficult to adjust to. However, you can ease this by spending time with friends frequently, or joining some online groups to chat with people.

Some employers require you to work a specific set schedule, while others might be more flexible, allowing you to choose your own hours. Give some thought to which type of schedule would work best for you. When I first decided to work at home, I made the mistake of choosing a job that had a rigid schedule, and I hated it! I had forgotten that that was one of the things I disliked about working outside the home - living by someone else's schedule.

So many mothers want to work at home so they can raise their own children, rather than sending them to a daycare. It depends greatly on the ages of your children and what type of work you are doing at home. If you work a telephone job, most employers will require a very quiet background, which is impossible if you have small children. You also can't stop working every few minutes to entertain the kids. There are certainly things you can do to make it easier, like have a neighborhood teenager come in for a few hours to watch your children while you work, or work only when your spouse is home and can keep an eye on the kids.

Right now you're probably thinking, "I don't care what type of work I do, as long as it brings in a paycheck." Like I said, you will need to be extremely self-motivated and self-disciplined to work at home, and your job will be a lot easier if you like what you do! Think about the type of person you are, and the type of work that suits you best. Are you creative and free-spirited, or nose-to-the-grindstone efficient? Give some thought to your "vision" of working at home, and try to find a job (or business) that will complement that.

When some people decide they want to "work at home," they don't want a regular J-O-B at all. What they want is the freedom to set their own schedule and do work they love. It's certainly possible to find those qualities in a job, but it can be difficult. If this describes you, consider starting your own business instead, focusing on your existing talents and abilities. If you don't know much about business but have an interest, start learning! There are so many great resources on the internet today. Write this sentence along the top of the page: I want to work at home because. and then write down as many endings to that sentence as you can think of. If most of your answers have to do with freedom and passionate, fulfilling work, a "job" might not be the best thing for you.

Regardless of what type of work you decide on, understand that working at home can be difficult and challenging. But for most of us who do it, it is also wonderful. I wouldn't trade it for anything! And once you find the right home based career, you will probably feel the same.

More about Working From Home

So You Want to Work From Home?

It is important when working for yourself that you have ability to multi task; in a home based career you have to do all of the work yourself. Unlike working for a company or in a corporate setting, there is usually a team or staff that work together to achieve common tasks. When you work from home, there are things that take a lot longer to do on your own which is why the ability to multi task is so important. At the same time, considerable time is saved that is otherwise spent on commuting between home and work which makes working from home so great.

More and more women prefer to have home-based careers; it is a good option to use their skills and make a decent income. This being said, men are not far behind in opting for working from home because of the great benefits it brings such as setting your own schedule and you decide your paycheck.

There are a number of businesses you can tap into from the comfort of your home with little or no investment: writing, editing photographs and entering data to name a few. These businesses can be set up with very little investment. Like these businesses, Karen’s Cards has very little investment and requires little to no overhead.

Like any business opportunity, you will need to honestly assess and analyze your skill sets before deciding to attempt to set up such a business.

Why Work From Home?

There are many reasons individuals work from home. One major reason being you get to spend more time with your family and are still able to work and generate a good income. You don't face housework after a tiring day at work and an even more tiring commute. If you have young children or even elderly or sick parents, you have the opportunity to attend to them as well as work and complement your income.

More and more people everyday are moving to the suburbs leaving the distance to travel considerably long. Individuals who work from home save money commuting and if the right person, the time saved can by utilized much better.

Follow the Rules

If you are going to have a home based career, you should have a separate area for work such as a room with a desk, computer, phone, printer, scanner, and other office equipment. Keep your workplace as clean as you would want your office to be if it was outside of your home. Discourage your children and other family members from visiting you when you are working. Another tip would be to start your day early so that your work is completed by early evening, giving you more time for other chores and leisure. Self-discipline is a must and finishing your assigned work should get top priority. Do not procrastinate.

A home based career can be fun and a viable financial option, provided you identify the right business to be in. It is as important as any other business venture and you need to put your heart and soul into it.

There are many books written by people who have been successful in running very profitable home businesses; you should read at least one of them before starting off on your own.

A home based career will give you the chance to have control over your life and time to pursue other interests and activities. If you are a self motivated individual who has the ability to multi task, working from home might just be the perfect job for you.

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