So many internet resources sing the praises of working at home.  I’ll add my voice to theirs any day.  I work from home and love almost every second of it.  Work at home sites push the mindset on people: short hours, big money, travel, and tons of free time with your kids.

The truth of the matter is that working from home is rarely like that. Not only are the hours long, the job thankless, and the pay often low, most people don’t believe you are working at all.

There are five very good reasons NOT to work from home.

1)  You are a social creature

Some people need daily interaction with others to keep their mood on an even keel.  If you are one of these folks, working from home may not be for you.  By its very nature, work at home jobs keep you stuck in the house alone for long periods of time.

2) You are not self-motivated

There is no boss to clear his throat loudly in your doorway if you stop doing work and start wasting time.  No one will keep you on track but you.  If you have trouble committing to a schedule, don’t try to work at home.

3) Your kids annoy you

While staying home with the kids is one of the top reasons women say they want to work at home, it is also the most difficult thing to deal with.  Sure, you’ll be on hand if they injure themselves, and you won’t have to pay for daycare.  But the tenth time they wander into your office saying, “I’m bored. Play with me Mommy,” you may want to pull your hair out.  That’s okay.  It’s natural.  But it’s not a good way to work from home.

4) You need benefits

Medical insurance, a retirement plan, profit sharing.  You get none of these things when you work at home.  Well, you have to take care of them yourself, which can be expensive and difficult.  Will you be able to save enough without employer contribution to a 401k before retirement?

5) You think it will be fun, easy, and profitable

Well, eventually it might be, but working at home is hard.  It takes long hours and a lot of dedication to build a full-time income from home.  If you think it will be easy like the ads say, you should not even get started, because you will probably fail.

(4 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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This entry was posted on Monday, September 22nd, 2008 at 3:39 am.