Archive for April, 2009

By: Carrie Wilkerson

So you’ve decided that you want to work from home, but are there drawbacks involved. First off, many think that working at home is easy but others find it difficult to make that transition. Although there are many benefits to working at home, you must also consider some of the negatives that can be perceived as drawbacks. So, before making the jump to working at home, let’s look at some of the things we must consider.

1. First you must do your homework and determine if your current career can easily transition to a work at home situation. If you have an office job, such as an administrative assistant or one that works primarily on the phone or computer, you may find the transition a smooth one. Creative jobs, such as marketing positions are also types of careers that will find the transition one that is not difficult. However, if you work in the Medical field or in Law Enforcement it may be a bit trickier, unless you are deciding to change your career all together.

2. Another factor to consider is the cost. Although many moms make the switch to working at home to save on childcare there are other costs to take into consideration. For instance, health insurance will no longer be covered from your current employer, you will have to budget for that expense yourself. Along with health insurance, you must consider taxes that you may have to pay as well. This can be accomplished but you must have excellent record keeping skills in order to keep track of your income and expenses to fill out your tax return at the end of the year.

3. If you have children, working at home is not always as easy as it may seem. If you happen to have younger children that are not in school yet, then you will have to juggle your work schedule around their nap times. Most importantly you must maintain a rather strict schedule in order to get your work accomplished. This is not difficult to do once your routine is set. With older children, it is a bit easier but you must still determine a schedule and stick to it.

4. Work at home moms must not only be self-motivated they must be very disciplined in order to accomplish all their work on time. If you are one that is only motivated by outside factors such as a supervisor, you may not be cut out to work at home. You must be able to avoid all distractions such as television and internet in order to get your work accomplished in a timely fashion.

5. Another drawback is that of isolation. If you don’t have children, working at home can get quite only. It is important to be sure that you are comfortable spending time alone. If you are one that is prone to depression, working at home may not be a wise decision. Taking steps to combat loneliness is an important part of your work at home success.

After considering these factors, you may decide that working at home is not right for you. However, thousands of people deal with these drawbacks and still have successful work at home careers. These reasons should not stop you from becoming a work at home mom if that is really what you want to do. Just make sure you understand the realities of the work at home lifestyle before you commit to it. Once you determine that you should be a wonderful success.

About The Author

Carrie Wilkerson is the voice of experience. From corporate life to teaching high school to direct sales, she has ‘been there and done that’ professionally and personally. An ‘overnight mom’ to 2 toddlers through adoption, her priorities instantly changed and so did her workplace. She’s now built several businesses and coached others to do the same while overcoming extreme debt, losing 110lbs and having 2 more children, for a total of 4 children, ages infant through 12! As ‘The Barefoot Executive’, Carrie and her network of experts have quickly become the definite resource for helping women achieve extra income and career goals while working from home. Visit www.the-barefoot-executive.com.

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