After quitting my corporate executive job two years ago (this June...wooohoooo!), and accepting a telecommuting gig as an editor, my life has changed in ways I cannot begin to describe. I had to make a choice between big bucks, or a serene, easy-going life on a budget, and I chose. Now, two years later, I look back and think I could never go back to work in a regular office again.
Granted, I've always loved peace and quiet and time alone, and it's one thing that you must love. But the one thing I never realized was how much our lives are centered and focused on TIME. We have to wake up at a certain time, get to work by a certain time, leave/come home, and go to bed a certain time. Alarm clocks are our friends...and enemy! Working at home, I've lost all sense of time and space, and it's wonderful and scary all at the same time. I forget what day it is all the time, and check the calendar regularly. I've always been a night owl and now can stay up till dawn watching old horror movies, wake up at 11 a.m., and still get my work done for the day. It's fantastic!!!!
Okay, there is one down side. Your appearance can go to hell if you let it. There are days I don't even get out of my pajamas, toiling away at the computer for hours, forgetting to brush my hair, too. Sometimes, I've even worn the same ratty t-shirt I love three days in a row. What happened to all those expensive work clothes and suits in my closet? They're still there, gathering moss, beckoning to me to put them on and go out and get a "real job." I pat them gently and say "now, now, girls, don't be jealous," and gently shut the closet door on them.
The best part of it all is no more corporate bull shit. No more cliques and groups of people that you can't stand but have to be nice to in order to "keep the peace" in the office. No more long days of overtime hours but no overtime pay because you're on "salary." No more traffic and congestion, or trying to make it to work when you're feeling like crap but have a huge project due and can't miss one day. No more meetings, expensive lunches everyday, and ESPECIALLY no more having to buy gifts for everyone on birthdays and holidays.
Life is still sometimes crazy/hectic, but this time, it's on my terms and only if I let it. If I want a quiet, steady week, I'll just focus on my job as an editor. If I get restless, I'll accept deadline-driven assignments (and pressure!) from advertising agencies and other companies that need copywriting done (my forte in the business world was creating/writing/designing all PR/marketing materials, creating/writing/designing advertising (TV, print, and radio)campaigns, and basically everything my company needed with the written word). What will ineveitably happen after the assignment is done, is I'll be reminded of the pressure and craziness of the business and thank God that I left that world for my own private Idaho...and heaven.
If there's any advice I can offer other "telecommuter-wannabes" out there, it's "never give up!" Scour the Internet looking for job listings, submit resumes, and always follow up a week later (they probably have thousands of applicants each week). Some wonderful sites that I found extremely helpful in my "telecommuting" search had legitimate job listings, such as: Inscriptions (www.inscriptionsmagazine.com/ProfOps.html), Free Telecommuting Jobs (www.freetelecommutingjobs.com/searchjob.html), and www.Workaholics4hire.com. Also check out: www.4work.com/ and www.tjobs.com/jobopps.shtml. There are literally hundreds of thousands of sites out there beckoning you! Besides the usual job listings sites, there are wonderful "forums" to look into which also list jobs for every type of telecommuting situation. For administrative jobs visit:
