How to Work from Home

Do you want to work from home? Do you wonder how to work from home? I have been blessed to work from home since 2007. Continue reading to learn more.

This is my experience of working from home. I never really thought about working from home until I had my son. In high school I wanted to be an Accountant. In college I decided I didn’t really want to be an Accountant. Tax accounting scares me to death.

I decided to use my accounting degree anyway and got a job doing accounts payable at an orthopedic doctors office. Long story short, I became interested in medical coding.  

Unfortunately they didn’t need a full time medical coder. So when my son was four months old, I got a medical coding job at the local hospital. My son stayed with a babysitter until one year old. He stayed with his grandparents from age one until age five, while I worked at the hospital. He attended preschool half days when he was three and four and then went home with grandparents. I felt like I was missing milestones, but I needed to work.

The summer before my son started Kindergarten, they let all medical coders work from home. Finally I could spend more time at home with my son and husband.

While I was excited to work from home, it was a big adjustment. I set up our spare bedroom as an office. I had to buy a desk, computer and any office supplies I needed. At first they paid for our internet service, but due to budget cuts that only lasted a couple of years.  

You have to be disciplined, ignore that load of laundry or dishes in the sink. They will be there after you finish working.  

I am not a morning person, so when my son is out of school, I barely roll out of bed, get dressed, grab some caffeine and clock in.

PROS OF WORKING AT HOME

You save on gas, wear/tear on your car and don’t have to fight traffic to get to work.

You save money on lunch.

You save money on work clothes and shoes.

You save money in general, no shopping during lunch or on the way home.

You don’t have to get dressed up or put on makeup, unless you want too.

CONS OF WORKING AT HOME

If you have small children or pets, they always need attention (food, potty break or diaper change).

No one to talk to, lots of solitude.

Lonely lunch breaks, when my husband is at work and my son at school.

Lunch choices are limited, when you only have 30 minutes, no time to eat out.

No stopping on the way home for dinner food or necessities.

Having to buy a desk, computer and office supplies.

Can be noisy and distracting, like neighborhood dogs and lawnmowers.

Working at home for the hospital has great benefits. I have health insurance and get paid for vacation and sick days.

There are plenty of legitimate work from home jobs if you know where to look. Check with known larger companies. Don’t pay anyone money for a chance to work from home, a real employer will pay you, not the other way around. There are a lot of scams out there.

I started blogging in March 2020. I am always looking for a side hustle to make some extra money. Especially now that my son is getting ready to go to college.