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The Editor's Desk - From Beneath the Clutter
Feature Article - Working at Home in a Tough Economy
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Rough week last week. My husband got laid off from his job.
Thank goodness for the severance pay, though. That will give us some flexibility in how long he can job hunt before the money problems get serious. That's of course also time for me to work on bringing in more money.
He's searching hard right now. We know some jobs he could pretty easily get if they're available, but they aren't what he wants to do. I told him that he needs to take some time to see if he can upgrade his career, rather than staying on the same path. What better way to cope with being laid off with no warning?
It's a bit hard getting the kids to understand. They're a bit stressed since they know there's something really odd about Daddy being home so much more. They aren't really old enough to get the money aspects, although Ariel has gotten a few hints. But money is still pretty abstract to her.
Money is tight right now for my family, as for many others. My husband has been laid off from his job, making my home business our main income. It's not the best of situations. And this is better than many stay at home parents are dealing with as more people get laid off.
Working at home can be challenging in any economic weather, but as things get tighter for many families the challenges increase. More people start to need the available work at home jobs. More people want to start home businesses, while fewer people have extra money to spend. It can be tough.
There are some areas in which you can still do well to work at home.
For example, people working in medical transcription should still see a good amount of work. People always have to go to the doctor, although if people are unemployed long enough to lose insurance coverage the type of reports could shift somewhat.
Medical transcription is not the work from home job for everyone, though. It requires training and solid skills for the industry.
For any work at home job you'll need to know what your best skills are, and how to present them to potential employers. The resume for a work from home job isn't too different from your typical resume, but employers do need to know that you can work independently and that you have the kinds of computer skills they need.
Even your email address matters. The best ones for applying for jobs are based on your name. The worst include terms such as sexy, hot and other terms that imply a particular attitude that is not professional. With free email addresses so readily available it's not hard to set up a plain one that you use for applying to jobs.
My own preferred way to work at home, of course, is the online home business. I love running my websites. It's fun, I get to interact with some great people online, and it's very flexible. Sometimes the money is really good too.
Starting up in an economy that many think is heading towards recession increases your business risks. I fully expect to see a lot more work from home scams appearing as things get worse. It's also much harder to sell things when people are worried about their income.
Even with such issues, think about the business you would like to have if you choose to start one. You aren't starting one just for your potential customers. You should be starting something that you will enjoy working on and be proud of; it will make the struggle of starting a business that much more fun.
At the same time, what will people spend money on right now? How can you make that business work?
The thing to remember is that there are things people buy all the time, no matter the economy. Look around and think about the things you use every day.
People will also be interested in how to make their money go farther and how to make more money. These topics can be quite competitive, but if you know your stuff you may do well.
Whatever kind of work at home job or home business you decide to focus on, don't let money worries make you move too fast. You should always do your due diligence and be sure that what you are getting into is what you think you are getting into. Desperation is one of the primary reasons people fall so easily for work from home scams.
Stephanie Foster is the owner of Home with the Kids, a resource that knows that there's more to staying home with your family than just business. For more stay at home tips, visit the site at http://www.homewiththekids.com/ and subscribe to the free newsletter.
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