Life After the Kids Have Grown and Gone
Work at Home for All Ages
Finding it hard to adjust when the last of your children has left home? Welcome to the club. Young mothers aren’t the only ones searching for a way to survive. There are also lots of old moms out there (like myself) who are trying to stay sane in a quiet house that used to be full of rowdy children. If you are one of my fellow empty nesters, let me share a trick with you that is helping me cope with my newfound “freedom”. It gives me extra money to spend on my grandkids and it fills my time. Empty nesters of the world, meet work from home job opportunities.
Work at Home Allows You to Relax a Little
Anyone who has done this can tell you it has its pros and cons. Let’s talk about the advantages first. You don’t have to worry about a grey hair or two or those extra pounds that have sneaked up on you. You won’t need new clothes in order to look professional or to compete with younger applicants. Not having to drive to a job site day after day and spending time in line at the gas pump are all on the position side. And not having to face traffic during rush hour would undoubtedly make your life less stressful.
Sounds good, but it’s not about easing back into your office chair and working when you feel like it. Finding a job where you can use skills you already have is a challenge and may take time you don’t have. After twenty years of so at home, you’ll find many changes in the work world that are hard to handle. Loneliness is also an issue when there is no chance to interact with co-workers or to have regular lunches with friends at the workplace.
Be aware and Beware – Scams are Waiting for All of Us
When searching for a work-at-home job, it can be very difficult to figure out which jobs are legitimate and which are scams. When culling through the internet job postings, you may begin to detect patterns of deception because of the sameness of their pitches.
• If a job promises to pay you a lot for only a little work, stop and think about the logic of this before you respond.
• If a website promotes itself as legitimate, it most likely will not be so. When the pitch says “Trust Us”, it is a warning sign that they probably shouldn’t be trusted.
• Do not send money to any employer without first checking it out. For the most part, honest companies do not charge their applicants for the jobs they offer. New business opportunities are never completely risk-free.
• Typical work-at-home jobs you should avoid: Pyramid Schemes, Mystery Shopping with negative company feedback, all inclusive “kits” for starting a business, stock trading systems, and reselling positions. (Some people do make really good money doing some of these types of “jobs” – for instance, I make over $1000 a month selling Avon. Someone else might hate it and not like it. And it did cost me $10 for the kit. But Avon is not a scam!)
Be wary of job opportunities found on advertising or search engines. Remember that companies hiring for legitimate work at home jobs are always looking for people who are reliable and qualified for the job. Screening job applicants takes time, so those who cut a wide net using Google or any other search engine are less likely to be honest with you.
Don’t be fooled into paying for business opportunities. Scams almost always ask for money for start-up costs, etc. and then leave you flat. A successful home business is instead developed over time with careful research and planning and should not be purchase on line sight unseen.
Many careers for work-at-home applicants start with skills gained while in the external workplace. Don’t discount the skills you may already have and start looking there first. If you do not have an employment history, it may be necessary to look for a job which offers on-the-job training. Be aware that this may or may not offer pay during the time it takes to get up to speed.
You will also need a reliable computer and software that is compatible with the job site. Fortunate are those stay-at-home parents who have allowed their children to help them develop computer skills. This can be a real advantage and without those skills, you may need a short course in a community education program usually called “Computers for Beginners.” Usually very inexpensive, this will be worth a few weeks in order to make working at home possible.
If you are an empty nester with time to spare, why not give the “work from home” phenomena a try? Here are some great opportunities you might want to consider:
• Be a “Guide” for ChaCha.com. Make money for answering people’s questions. If you are search engine savvy, this is perfect for you! There are also so many other ways to earn online.
• Be a virtual assistant and find new clients at eLance.com or Freelancer.com. Both of these sites feature thousands of businesses seeking office help that you can do online.
• Be a tutor. This is one of my favorites! When you miss your own kids, the next best thing is helping someone else’s. Offer a few hours of homework help online each day and make money for the time you invested.
• Join a focus group or take online surveys. Weigh in with your opinion on everything from fashion to family values by participating in these one day opportunities that pay enough to buy you those new shoes you have been hoping for!
With a little creativity, you will have more work than you know what to do with. Lonely mamas don’t have to mourn forever now that so many home based job opportunities are always available online. Check out the ones that interest you most today!
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