STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

subwolley · Kate Spade

Does anyone work from home or telecommute?

Kelly · Hermes

I work from home, but it's my family business so I wouldn't have any kind of tips on how to find a job like that. It's an internet-based company, so a lot of work I do is online, and I think the small effort they have to put in for me to be able to work while I'm at school is worth it since I'm in the family and everything.

But I did just want to say that you might want to think about whether you want to work from home or not. Obviously everyone is different, but I would go absolutely nuts if I worked from home and didn't have classes to go to. If I have a day without classes and none of my friends are free, then I sit at home alone and work all day and I go crazy being cooped up and alone for such a long period of time. When I had roommates it wasn't quite so bad, but now that I live alone I just want to jab a pen in my eye sometimes to break up the monotony.

jrhampt · Kenneth Cole

I do some telecommuting both as a part-time job and as a contractor for Educational Testing Services. As a part-time job, I rate essays online for them - I request my own hours, and because I have a full-time job, I only do this about two nights a week. As a contractor, I submit reading passages for the same test once a month and get paid based on how many of the passages get accepted. Neither qualifies me for benefits, though.

When I was between grad school and a full time job, I did a lot more online hours, and I loved being able to get up in the morning (or the afternoon) and break out my laptop in my pajamas. I also loved having a variable schedule. However, I did not love doing an 8 hour shift rating over 100 essays on the same topic - I'm much happier doing my evening 4 hour shifts.

I found the job through a conference that I attended in grad school - I think it helps to be a member of one or more professional organizations in your field and attend an event occasionally.

kenzie · Chanel

I have the option of working from home with my current job. I wouldn't be able to work from home all the time, but once or twice a week, I can. I don't normally do this b/c my schedule has been a little crazy and I've had several meetings to attend recently. I like that I have the option, though, if want to. This Thursday, I'll be working from home. It's amazing how much I can get accomplished without the office noise. As it is, when I'm in the office, I just put on my headphones and drown out the noise, but there is much less interruption at home.

I work in marketing communications/graphic design and I've found that many jobs in this field allow at least part-time work from home. I think that sometimes it's not advertised that you can work from home with this kind of job, but you may be able to work it into a benefits package after you've proven yourself with the company. It's not really a job that demands that you be in the office every day.

bex · Chanel

kenzie wrote:
I think that sometimes it's not advertised that you can work from home with this kind of job, but you may be able to work it into a benefits package after you've proven yourself with the company. It's not really a job that demands that you be in the office every day.

Agreed. I know a lot of people who started out in the office but worked it so that they could be home 50-100% of the time.

Even though I'm on the road 75% of the time, when I am home, I am working from my home. I never go into an actual office. My boss and I were discussing that a lot more positions are moving to staying at home b/c you actually work more b/c you're work is always there. I know that we (people in my position) tend to get sucked in on saturdays and sundays b/c you peek at your inbox to see if anyone emailed you and you end up working for at least a couple of hours. You actually end up being a lot more productive than being in an office.

Suasoria · Chanel

That's my advice as well. Most jobs won't say in the ad that they're looking for someone who stays home in their jammies.

Do you have a job right now? I wasn't sure based on your post, but if you do, and the job meets your needs otherwise, your best shot right now is to ask your managers if you can make a deal. If you need a new job, it may take you longer. Once you've made yourself indispensible there, and shown the company the value you bring, then you can bring down the velvet hammer of special requests.

I took a voluntary pay cut to be able to work less and work from home 3 days a week, but it was after 8 or so years with the same company.

Also keep in mind you have to equip your home office with all the conveniences you need, which you should pay for yourself, and your company has to have systems/policies in place for accessing data from offsite. It might also be necessary to have a good buddy in the office who will do little things for you without complaining (email you a file, look up a client's cell number).

It is a lifestyle adjustment and you need to be highly motivated. A friend of mine says that when she worked from home, her house was never cleaner! I make a point of doing no more than one household chore a day from M-F, for example, so that I feel like my productive time isn't wasted. (Like it is now, but I had a medical procedure earlier today and I'm not in the mood.)

halleybird · Hermes

My friend works 100% from home. She's a recruiter for an engineering firm. But, like the others said, she put in a couple of years in the office first. She said it can actually be really hard, because you are often tempted to work more than you would in an office.

I am working from home 1/2 time next year. I am teaching in the morning and working at home in the afternoon doing PR and technical editing. Professional editors can make a lot of money working full-time from home, but it's a hard job. A lot of college profs work from home now, too, since the increase in online classes.