Home-based Career Options if You are Burnt Out Between Work and Family

Do you spend more of your waking hours with your co-workers than your family? Are early mornings and late nights at the office wearing you down? Have you had enough of battling rush hour traffic twice a day? Then you may want to consider a home-based career. You can earn a reasonable living in the comfort of your own home and still have time for your family.

Being an employee at any size company can be grueling. Many employers not only expect you to work your scheduled hours, but frequently expect you to work overtime as well. As if that isn't tiring enough, add a spouse and children and you have the formula to become burnt out. Home-based careers offer a nice alternative to the hum drum of eight hours a day, plus.

As a stay-at-home mom with a home-based career you will be a success in more ways than one. You will be contributing to household finances, playing an active role in your children's lives and living a Christian biblical life. Proverbs 31:27 says, "She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness."

According to The Center for Women's Business Research, there are 3.5 million home-based, women-owned businesses in the . It is easy to see why the number is so high when there are so many perks. Some of the many benefits include:

• Working in the comfort of your own home
  
• Working flexible hours
  
• Spending time with your children and spouse during the day
  
• Having the freedom to incorporate other things into your day, such as prayer, bible study, housework and errands
  
• Not having to commute to the office

Lesley Spencer enjoys working from home as Founder and Director of Home-Based Working Moms, (http://www.hbwm.com), a web site based in Texas that helps moms create freedom and flexibility in their lives. The site offers a listing of home-based careers, home business articles, tips on avoiding scams, message boards, a work-at-home kit, membership information, free prizes and much more.

As founder of the site, Spencer spends her days answering e-mails, responding to member questions and inquiries, working on the web sites database and other general business related work.

Spencer started the site in 1995 with the deep desire to stay at home with her daughter. "I love and value the freedom and flexibility of working from home and being with my two children," says Spencer. "I could not imagine it any other way."

Although home-based careers do not always get the recognition they deserve, this does not discourage Lesley. She recognizes that she is a success. "I feel very successful mainly because I have the satisfaction of knowing that I am helping parents make their dreams of being at home with their children a reality," she says. "I also have the blessing of touching others in a small way by sharing my testimony on my site. I love getting e-mails from people who have read my testimony and who share with me how it has touched them or by touching me with how God is working in their life."

With a little creativity and a lot of determination, you too can work from home while raising your family. To get started, Spencer recommends researching which at-home career best fits your experience, interest, finances and time constraints.You may want to ask yourself the following questions:

How can I turn my talents or hobbies into a money making business?

What will I need to get started?

Do I have the finances to get started?

What type of time commitments are involved with my business of choice?
Am I self-motivated enough to be self-employed?

There are many career options, all which require different levels of time and dedication and yield varying income. Here are just a few ideas that will have you bringing home the bucks in no time:

Freelance Writer

Freelance writing gives you the ability to work on a magazine article or the next chapter of your book, any time of the day or night. As long as you have access to your sources, you can be flexible to your families schedule and still meet the editor's deadline for that 2,500 word manuscript.

Sally E. Stuart, author of The Christian Writers' Market Guide, has worked as a writer since 1967 and raised her children in the process. "I thought writing was the perfect job to have," states Stuart. "I enjoyed it a lot and tried to involve my children in what I was doing such as helping with addressing and stamping submissions. To spend more time with them, I did creative work while they were in school and then switched to busy work when they got home."

Massage Therapist

Although specific schooling is required to become a massage therapist, it can be well worth it. You can purchase your own massage table and other equipment and work out of your home while earning a decent amount of income.

According to Katie Schelder, owner of the Academy of Therapeutic Massage and Healing Arts in Vineland, New Jersey, you can earn $50 an hour and up depending on your location.

This career has other advantages as well. "It is ideal for stay-at-home moms," says Schelder. "It allows for a very flexible schedule. You can make client appointments when you have someone to watch your child in the evenings after school and still have time to throw in a load of laundry and start dinner."

Mary Kay Consultant

As a committed Christian, Mary Kay Ash started her cosmetic company in 1963 with the goal of offering women unlimited personal and financial success. Many new opportunities of selling these products have evolved over the years making it even easier to be fruitful. As a consultant, you can conduct facials and skin care classes for several "students," individual appointments, presentations such as trunk shows or spa nights and online transactions. The "beauty" of it is you work when it is convenient for you.

If these careers are not quite your forte, don't fret! There are plenty of other opportunities including:

> Travel agent

> Party planner

> eBay Seller

> Teacher of online courses

> Web site designer

> Freelance artist

> Childcare provider

> Business consultant

> Translator

> Tastefully Simple consultant

> Avon representative

> Bookkeeper

> Accountant

> Grant writer

> Marketing consultant

> Public Relations consultant

> Internet researcher

> Hairdresser

> Computer programmer

> Graphic designer

> Medical biller and coder

You no longer have to work in that dead end job that is cutting into your family time. Get started on your new home-based career and you'll be on the road to a new and exciting journey, one that leads to a better family life and a better you.

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If you're a mom and home-based work sounds right for you, visit the following sites for suggestions on careers and how you can started:

Home Based Working Moms - http://www.hbwm.com/

eDirectory of Home Based Careers - http://edirectoryofhomebasedcareers.com/

Work at HomeCareers - http://www.workathomecareers.com/

For additional reading, pick up a copy of The Best Home-Based Careers for Mothers by Sharon Y. Owens. To purchase a copy you can contact:

Entrepreneur's Resource Center
P.O. Box 725445
Berkley, MI

ERCinfo@aol.com

Do's and Don'ts of Working from Home:

Do seek God's guidance for your business and family everyday

Do decide if you are self-motivated enough to work from home

Do create a manageable schedule to balance both work and children

Do set up a professional space such as an office to do your work

Don't get so wrapped up in your work that you forget to make time for God, your children and your spouse

Don't hesitate to seek support from your family

Don't take on more work than you can handle

Don't forget to spend some time and money marketing your business