Working at Home VS. Keeping Your Day Job: How to Decide

Working at home is something that most people list as one of their goals. It seems like a great idea- no boss, no set schedule, etc. But there are some very specific personality traits you need to have if you want to work at home. These traits are vital if you are self-employed, and are extremely important even if you are telecommuting and still have a boss.

1. You have to be self motivated. This is the most important test to become self employed or a telecommuter. If you really do need a boss to stand over you and tell you what to do, do not work at home. There are lots of people who do need that type of motivation. As a member of Generation X I can safely say that there's no shame in being a slacker as long as you get your work done. But a slacker with no boss to tell him to get back to work is not going to succeed at home. Not all people are meant to work from home. If you need a boss, keep your day job.

2. You have to be determined. Being self-employed requires an enormous amount of determination. There is no accounting department in your home to tell you how you will be financing your new printer or other equipment. There is no boss standing there to answer your questions. You have to be determined enough to seek out what you need and to make it happen. I've seen people who wanted to be self employed, but simply couldn't solve problems on their own, ignoring them until they got too big to be surmounted. If you have a strong determination to find answers and solve problems, you may have what it takes.

3. You have to be self disciplined. Sure, you can eat Cadbury eggs over your keyboard and listen to the Beatles while you work. Guess what I'm doing right now? But you also have to have the discipline necessary to get your work done while dealing with all the distractions that pop up. Yes, there are more Cadbury eggs in the cabinet. Yes, that laundry should probably eventually be washed. Yes, I'd like to go to Best Buy and get a movie for the kids. But I'm not gonna. I have work to do and this is what comes before all those things. Ok, I might get another Cadbury egg, but I'll still get all of my work done on time.

4. Be prepared to not be taken seriously. Even if you are telecommuting and still have the same boss you did before, people will assume that you don't really do any work. Even if you support your entire family with your work, people will assume that someone else is helping you with your bills. And even if you have an incorporated business and have been making a steady living for six years with your own home business, ahem, mother in law, ahem, people will still assume that you don't actually have a job or do any work. It just goes with the territory, so be prepared with whatever barb you happen to think necessary.

There is nothing wring with not being cut out for working at home. Millions of people simply aren't. But if you think it's something you want to do, think seriously about what working at home really means before quitting that day job.