Many career-minded people imagine that the way to get ahead in life is to climb the corporate ladder. But, here are some reasons why you should work from home instead.
Many career-minded people imagine that the way to get ahead in life is to join a large organization, prove your worth, and climb the greasy corporate ladder. You need “contacts,” you tell yourself, and you have to develop a network. After all, that’s what all the bloggers say, isn’t it?
But there’s a problem with this approach: you’re not the only one gunning for success. Everyone in the organization is trying to position themselves for the top roles and the most money. It’s not just you.
The effect of all this is back-stabbing, office politics, and the constant need to prove yourself to be a productive, capable human being. It’s exhausting.
Working from home might not sound like the most glamorous option, nor the most social, but for some people, it can be strangely liberating. Here are some of the reasons.
You Avoid The Hassle Of Interacting With Negative People
Networking should be a positive thing, but for the majority of workers, it’s not like that at all. Networks should provide opportunities, but for many, it’s a daily chore and remarkably unpleasant. Overbearing managers, bitter colleagues, and uncompromising suppliers can all make working life an ordeal.
Working from home and earning money through your efforts lets you avoid all of this. You don’t have to impress your boss or deal with people in the office who are trying to bring you down. You don’t even have to communicate with people other than your customers for the most part. Sure, you still have the odd issue here and there, but because you’re not physically present, it doesn’t feel as intense. You don’t have to watch the person on the desk next to you, for instance, as the plot to screw you over.
You Can Flip Between Different Jobs Whenever You Like
The way that companies arrange work today is vastly different from the past. There’s now a much greater need for so-called “on-demand” labor. Companies want to employ people for an hour or two at a time, opening up a host of opportunities to sell your services to a variety of companies.
What’s more, the number of different roles available is quite remarkable. There are virtual assistant jobs, copywriting, general admin, data entry, web design, SEO and tutoring. For the most part, you don’t have to do your own marketing either. All you do is sign up to a handful of agencies and get them to pass work to you.
This setup has numerous advantages which we will discuss below. But the one that adds most to your quality of life is the ability to try new things, as and when you like. If you get tired or one particular type of from-home work, then you can quickly branch out and try another. You never know: it could prove to be more lucrative.
You Can Spread Your Risk
Investment portfolio managers almost always recommend that you spread your risk between lots of different companies, just in case one goes under. But rarely do you get the same advice when going for a job. Career coaches don’t tell you to “get three jobs,” just in case your employer goes out of business.
In the past, having multiple “employers” was impractical, but today, it’s a very different story. You can work with numerous agencies, spreading your risk. While that might sound like a lot of work, it’s usually not. Many agencies will only supply you with as much work as you can take on. Most are highly flexible, providing you with the opportunity to earn a little extra income when you need it, and then scale back when you don’t. You could, for instance, work in the daytime as a virtual assistant while working on a design project on the side while clients don’t require your services directly. The opportunities for flexibility, therefore, are enormous.
You Can Earn Much More Than You Think
If you go on Google and type in a search term like “work from home,” you’ll get a bunch of adverts popping up promising you jobs that pay thousands of dollars per week. For the level-headed, it all seems a little far-fetched.
The truth, though, is that you can still earn a good income working from home through the modern “gig” style approach – you just need to be good at what you do. There are stories, for instance, of virtual assistants taking home more than $5,000 per month. The figure for writers, developers and tutors can be similar. Offering your own educational courses can also be a real money-spinner, providing you with royalties that compensate you for your time.
Whenever you decide to work from home, it’s vital to remain realistic about pay. There is the potential to earn a lot of money because there’s an enormous amount that needs doing, but capturing that work can be a challenge for the first few months. Keep your expenses low and work your way into the industry. The more value that you can demonstrate, the more likely you’ll attract new work.
You Can Use Your Day How You Like
Many office workers feel chained to their desks. While it’s not always a spoken rule, most employees feel as if they should be at their desks all day and not doing other things. That’s not the case, however, when you work from home. You’re allowed to use your time however you like, so long as you hit deadlines.
Photo by Djurdjica Boskovic on Unsplash
In practice, this means that you can take time out during the day to attend to family matters, go to the gym, meet up with friends, and whatever else. Many work-from-home people take their mobile devices around with them so that their clients can contact them in the event that something needs doing urgently.
So should you drop everything and work from home? While it’s not something that suits everyone, the case today for doing it is stronger than ever before. It provides perks that you can’t get while working in an office while providing a good income.
