subject: Working From Home - The Real American Dream [print this page] For many, being able to work from home is the true American dream. Freedom of schedule and the ability to spend time with loved ones are just a few of the perks. After all, if you can work from home, you can work from anywhere, and so you have the ability to go on vacation at any time to any place, and since you're working, it can all be written off on your taxes. As a matter of fact, many things that most people take for granted can become tax write-offs with a legitimate work from home opportunity.
Prior to the rise of corporate America, most people did work at home in one way or another. They followed family trades, as farmers, butchers, or any number of other occupations. With the rise of the corporate, many of these smaller businesses became increasingly inefficient, and while people tend to blame "big box" stores for that happening now, in reality, it has been happening for close to a century. Oddly enough, it is the same corporate America that ruined stay at home opportunities a century ago that have created a new generation of legitimate opportunities today.
Many people telecommute. In order to cut down on overhead and taking advantage of high speed internet, many companies now have their employees stay home to work in their living rooms. Customer service can be handled from home computers and cell phones, and as long as the employee has access to both, they can largely be anywhere. This is a step in the right direction, and for many, it is the perfect stay at home opportunity.
If you are entrepreneurial, there are even more bountiful opportunities. There internet is full of both legitimate opportunities and harsh scams, so you will need to do your due diligence when investigating a potential home-based business. Avoid things that require a large buy-in or that require excessive amounts of manual labor. You don't want to get yourself into debt in the hopes of a paycheck, and you don't want to turn your living room into a third-world sweatshop.
Find something that has a comprehensive and comprehensible renumeration plan and that you will enjoy. With legitimate work from home opportunities, you will have to be self-motivated to succeed, and it will be a lot easier to keep that motivation and discipline high if what you are doing is something that you enjoy.
