Working online from home?

[xmrth]

Getting a job while in college is really hard... I've posted about this for suggestions, but on top of the suggestions and places I've applied for, all jobs want hours I can't give because I'm in school.

 

I was wondering about working online from home?

Has anyone done this, and what companies or jobs are there actually? What do you do-- do you need to have certain experience other than with computers to do it?

 

I thought this was a good idea... Just curious what people's opinions on it are.

[RayKay]

You have to be careful, there are plenty of schemes out there too, that promise "huge incomes" with little effort.

 

There are a few that I know of that offer tech support from home and so on that are alright, but most I know have not had great experiences with most that promise these sorts of things. The only ones that have are ones that started their OWN business, or work for a reputable company but worked out something with them where they could work from home.

 

I would look at tech support positions that some may offer, and there are some editing positions that you can also work from home with, or sales as well (like telemarketing).

 

Just be careful is all. Don't get involved in any that require you to put some cash upfront for example that promise great returns as these are generally scheme, or any that make really unreasonable claims. There is one commercial here that advertises making $20,000-$50,000 a month, which is ridiculous

[chai714]

xmrth,

 

That's a good question. I don't know of many people who work from their homes online, but I do know of a guy who started an ebusiness. I think your best bet is to try to put together your own business (online or offline) that you can offer other people. Everyone has skills. It's just a matter of figuring out something useful to people and starting out small. If you can type, you can put an ad all over your school that you will type their paper at x dollars per page. You would be surprised how many college students can't type efficiently. So, I think your best bet would be to start something yourself OR consult your local career counselor and ask her who he/she might know. Good luck.

[santacruzen]

You have to be extremely disciplined to do any kind of work at home. It is to easy to go watch TV or do that load of laundry when you really need to be working. Also, don't think it's easy. And if you are disciplined enough to do this know of work, you will probably spend more than the traditional 40 hours per week working. Why? Because it is in your home so you can't "leave it at the office". It will always be calling to you. You won't be able to relax and watch TV because there is always "one more thing" you can do. Also, if you are in college or just out of college I would not recommend it at all. You really need to be in an environment with more experienced people so you can learn and grow in your field. Anyway, just some advice from personal experience.

[Caldus]

I do some freelancing web design and programming work online since no one wants to hire me. It's been successful so far. Just about to finish my first project. But in that case, you would have to have good web design and programming skills.

 

As for other jobs, I am not sure. I've never really liked those little schemes they always have like "earn a living right at your home!" Any time you see some advertisement (in fact if you see just about any advertisement...), don't believe it. It will either be some kind of hoax or will have lots of "catches" to it that aren't revealed until after you're hired or something.

[Ash]

There are big differences between:

 

1. Working from home while attending school

2. Working from home in lieu of a regular day job

3. Running your own business from home.

 

It sounds like you're looking for option 1. Many home jobs are actually option 3. The difficulty with 1. is that you will likely be expected to be reachable during regular business hours or you may need to contact somebody to get your job done who themselves are only reachable during regular business hours.

 

You may be able to pick up some contract "at home" work but you will more than likely need to show good experience in a certain field.

 

In fact, finding a work at home job is potentially not any easier than a work at a workplace kind of job.

 

Do you really need to work while attending school? Unless it's a necessity, perhaps it would be better to focus on school until that is over, then get a full time job. Working while studying will give you no "down" time and likely both your job and schooling will suffer. That being said, many students do work while going to college. They do tend to end up working in the service industry. Waiting tables, for exmaple, is a part time occupation that can yield very high tips.

 

I don't think I know of anybody working from home and making decent money unless they migrated from an existing job, or had sufficient expertize in a specialized area that allows them to take on contracts.

 

That's not to say it can't be done. What I suspect you will find though is that finding a job you can do at home that fits your contraints will be a form of job in itself.

[ShySoul]

Do you really need to work while attending school? Unless it's a necessity, perhaps it would be better to focus on school until that is over, then get a full time job. Working while studying will give you no "down" time and likely both your job and schooling will suffer. That being said, many students do work while going to college. They do tend to end up working in the service industry. Waiting tables, for exmaple, is a part time occupation that can yield very high tips.

 

Good point from Ash. It may be best if you can afford it to concentrate on school first, taking a job in the summer - preferably an intership or something related to the field you are studying in order to gain experience. Also, check with resources at your school, like a career center or jobs around campus.