Working From Home

A blessing and a curse

You're probably think working from home is the Holy Grail of personal achievements or the Shangri La of the working world. It's likely you've thought about how nice it would be to simply wake up and walk a few steps to start your workday.  Maybe you just want freedom to work on your own time, in your own space, all while wearing only sweat pants or safety orange sweaters.

Working from home is nice. Really nice. However, make no mistake about it, there are certainly some drawbacks. Nothing is perfect. The grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence. The experience can be both exciting and lonely.

I can't say my advice is one-size-fits-all. I'm a software developer so I work in a field that caters to remote work. As long as I can have access to a laptop and WiFi I can roam freely. You might work in a field that can, or is best suited, to be mobile. Then again you might not. Either way I hope you find something useful here.

As I said earlier, my experience is grounded in software which is a non-tangible asset (you can't touch it) so it doesn't require a warehouse or storage. I've also worked manufacturing jobs making things ranging from fish finders to toilet paper. You can touch fish finders and toilet paper. But manufacturing companies didn't want you taking your work home with you. Not all jobs are geared for home workers.

Okay, so what the deal? Well, there are mainly two sorts of jobs suited for working from home. First, entrepreneurs that want to take control of their destiny might consider using their living space as their first "office". Second, people like myself who work in an industry that lends itself to remote access could set aside a small space and do their job from just about anywhere. 

This article is directed at those who work for a large company and have an opportunity to permanently work from home. Make no mistake, much of this can be applied to anyone making a transition from an office or manufacturing environment to one in your own home. Buckle up because it's going to be a bumpy ride.