Working from Home | Remote Jobs & Careers
It's no secret that we are living in a time of dramatic market interruption, encouraged by technology, globalization and increasingly busy lifestyle. Remote work, working from home, telecommuting, and side hustles are no longer unusual. Nearly every industry is experiencing some sort of paradigm shift – Blue Apron has changed how we plan meals; Uber, Lyft and Cars to Go, how we drive; Amazon, how we shop for books (and nearly everything else, including groceries); Postmates, how we order take-out food; AirBnB and CouchSurfing, how we travel; Venmo and Paypal, how we pay for services; and iCloud and Dropbox, how we store data.
These swift marketplace changes make it hard to predict exactly what the future will bring, but it’s clear that above all it will require a certain nimbleness among the workforce – a willingness to work in remote locations, whether it be be the kitchen table, a home office, a coffee shop or a slick coworking space. For professionals willing to stretch and grow to keep up with changes in technology, there will be more opportunity and increased flexibility and, if strategically negotiated, more time for flexibility and balance.
Many new parents want to stay home full-time or part-time with their young children. Two full-time professionals in one household can be stressful, but if parents can work from home, families can more easily manage parenting and housekeeping responsibilities.
The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) also makes it more possible to start a business or work part time and still have health care, opening up opportunities to create remote work situations either at home or in coworking spaces (or both). Your options, to be sure, for generating income remotely dramatically improve if in possession of an entrepreneurial mindset.
As automation increases its influence on the workplace, employers may hire a lot more people on contract (i.e., self-employed people). When negotiation payment on contracts, by the way, aim higher to compensate for the contractor not paying for benefits such as health care, retirement, personal days and sick leave.
Self-Employment / Solopreneurship
If you have the temperament to sell your services, options are abundant. As a solopreneur and marketing coach, Kristin helps creative people, such as writers, web designers and photographers grow their home-based businesses. She also works with many therapists and coaches who sublet offices two days a week and carry out other business functions at home. She's guided many of these solo professionals into lives with stable incomes and flexibility for their families, long vacations, and engaging hobbies.
Working on a contract or starting a home-based business is particularly attractive if you don't need to generate a full-time salary in the first year or two. Careers that lend themselves to more time at home are varied:
- Bookkeeper
- Graphic Designer
- Website Developer
- Project Manager
- Consultant
- Personal Chef
- Personal or Business Coach
- Senior Caregiver / Nursing Assistant (in private homes for 48-hour shifts)
- Programmer or other IT professional
- Translator
- Fiction or Non-Fiction Editor
- Artist making crafts for fairs and Etsy
- Virtual Personal Assistant
- Organizer
- Editor
- eBay/Auction Seller
- Nutritional Supplements Salesperson
- Urban Farmer
Career Resources for Remote Workers
The following websites may help you expand this list of options. In addition, you may want to search for one of the active blogs on which mothers share their experiences and resources about making money at home.
- Remote.co provides a comprehensive directory of remote job opportunities, companies open to hiring remote workers and a blog that speaks to the challenges and perks of pursuing a portable career.
- Home-Based Working Moms provides its members with support, networking, information, a newsletter, email discussion list, searchable member directory, member spotlights and corporate discounts on various products and services. Not everything here requires you to be a member.
- How to Work from Home is a New York Times article that offers tips on how to work from home without losing your self-respect or going broke.
- Flexjobs lists well-screened telecommuting and work-at-home opportunities. There is a small fee to try it out for a month, but this fee buys you a way to circumvent hours of chasing false ads.
- Idealist.org often lists positions for mission-driven professionals that are offered with flexible work arrangements and telecommuting opportunities.
- Upwork posts opportunities for freelance writers, graphic designers, web developers and other highly skilled professionals.
Kristin Schuchman, MSW
Career Counselor
Solopreneur Coach
Spark a Career
6018 SE Stark St. @ Brightside Coworking
Contact Kristin if you have questions.
(503) 754-2636
kkschuchman@gmail.com