Hard Truths of Working From Home

When someone learns that I work from home as a freelancer, either one of two impressions pop in their head. One of which is that I’m a lazy bore who cannot get a real job in a brick and mortar establishment. The other one is that I’ve found gold at the end of the rainbow and they’d want to get a piece of it so they can ditch their real job in a brick and mortar establishment.

The former presumption chokes me up and it pains me that I’d feel the need to defend the situation. The latter, on the other hand, calls forth an obligation to deglamorize working from home as a freelancer because the truth is — it is hard for more reasons than one:

1. You can’t get too comfortable. Freelancing does not afford the same kind of certainty that an employer-employee relationship has. Individuals who work from home usually take on more than one job that will either pay per hour (if you’re lucky) or per project. Income is realistically, earned irregularly. Also, businesses or individuals who hire work from home freelancers may suddenly close shop and some even do without warning. Many times, we are always on the hunt for good work.
2. Finding a job that pays well is challenging. There are sites that freelancers use to bid on projects and competition is tight. Building a good reputation is important so slacking off is out of the question. In some cases, you may land something good but not from finding it online. You may get it from being personally recommended and that’s one of the best compliments that one can hope for. I know it makes me feel warm inside when I’m being personally recommended to do a job.
3. There has to be something on the side. In slow times, finding opportunities online that don’t pay much but do have long-term potential for on-the-side income is an option that shouldn’t be overlooked. But finding and actually being successful in one (or more) of these involve more research than you think. And you must know where to look, like on work from home discussion forums. These forums are invaluable resources where many people share their experiences and pick out what are legitimate opportunities and what aren’t.

This hard truth alone needs a post to itself. And for the sake of making this point, a valuable advice that one should always bear in mind about these online opportunities is: Never pay to get work. If they ask for a one-time fee or a training fee, walk away immediately.

Working from home as a freelancer is not as glamorous as it sounds. But it is an option for many people whose circumstances don’t permit them to get a job as an employee. And for some, like me, it’s the only choice. Keep in mind that I had to learn these hard truths of working from home over time. If in some way, reading this will help someone else discover a few of the realities of this setting, I am happy that I’ve written what I have learned about it – so far.