Anyone know of easy work from home?

[RayB]

I'm looking for info on "work from home" for a friend who's not super-technical. He has a laptop and internet, and can do stuff like data entry or customer support but nothing advanced like web page design or programming, etc.

Anyone have experience in work from home jobs? Its really hard to find info out there that isn't a scam or misrepresenting (ie: You "could" make $4000 a month but they neglect to mention it requires working 24hrs a day, and faster than a rabbit on speed).

[ChadTower]

Does he have a webcam and a hot chick?

[ark_ader]

Yeah I have done that from time to time, also from the other side of the planet.

I hated the long commute to work (2 hours each way) and my job primarily was on the phone with no "immediate" supervisor, so we had a trial at work and I applied for it.  As I had a pretty good reason.  International calls were the worst, and you had to be up early (3am) to get the calls from the different time zones. 

Other than the cel phone, laptop and VPN connection, the job was the same.

It was the issues at home that caused the most problems, and made me install a lock on the study.  Every five minutes its a knock on the door from the other half wanting help with this and that.  Which shows true separation from work and home life is a necessity, if not essential.

If I had to do it all over again, I would build or convert a garage/shed/conservatory/whatever into an office.  I'm pretty sure you can write it off in your taxes.  There are some companies that specialize in these dwellings, but my favorite is the one where you can put your desk in one room and have an arcade room in the other:



That adds some interesting ways to beat stress.  Hang up after dealing with that irritating customer, nip next door for a couple of games of Robotron.  Then be chilled to take the next caller or make the next million dollar sale.

Bliss.    

[(+_+)]

That looks nice and cozy. I'd welcome being sent to the doghouse.

[Ummon]

That building doesn't look big enough even for that table. And I wouldn't want it that far from the office....although a nice stroll outside in between sweetens it. Those rainy days, though.....

A neighbor of mine works at home. She does data entry: dictation over the phone from doctors and enters it in the computer and then whatever. I think it's full time.

[ChadTower]

A neighbor of mine works at home. She does data entry: dictation over the phone from doctors and enters it in the computer and then whatever. I think it's full time.

Medical transcription... I lived below a woman who used to do that.  She told us it was pretty hard to get into but I was never sure if that was the truth or she just feared potential competitors in the area.  She would take their audio notes and transcribe them to electronic form and then send it all back.  I imagine that could be done over the internet now (this was 1998).

[shardian]

My stay at home mom neighbor across the street does the customer service crap. She does fairly well with it for a side income.

My wife's friend is a hospital nursing staffer. She basically has nurses call in who want on the backup list, then the hospital calls and says they need nurses. She then gives them a name or two from her list. Easiest frikkin job in the world and she gets paid more than me!

Why does she get paid more? Because the job is based in Florida so she gets Florida living wages but lives in WV.

[ChadTower]

The nursing job is probably heavily union based, too.

[vertygo]

Make stuff and sell it on sites like www.etsy.com

[CheffoJeffo]

If I had to do it all over again, I would build or convert a garage/shed/conservatory/whatever into an office.  I'm pretty sure you can write it off in your taxes.  There are some companies that specialize in these dwellings, but my favorite is the one where you can put your desk in one room and have an arcade room in the other:

That adds some interesting ways to beat stress.  Hang up after dealing with that irritating customer, nip next door for a couple of games of Robotron.  Then be chilled to take the next caller or make the next million dollar sale.

I work from home and until I get around to pouring the floor for my new office, I will continue to have my desk in the gameroom. There is something so right about working with the sounds of the machines in attract mode and nothing smooths the edges out from a rough afternoon better than the silver ball.

 

[danny_galaga]

i can send you a list of people. all you have to do is paypal each of them $1 and forward the list on. it must be legit, it was on OPRAH!

[Malenko]

Medical transcription... I used to do that and I used to program software for it too.  I tell ya, its pretty hard to get into,  well that is not true; I just fear potential competitors in the area.  I would take their audio notes and transcribe them to electronic form (notepad.exe) and then send it all back and also use my medical expertise to correct them when needed.  I imagine that could be done over the internet now (this was 1998, before the internet existed,same year I made the all star game in Semi Pro football). In the morning before doing that though, I would load MDF at the Home Depot.

Fix't

[HaRuMaN]

I did the work at home thing for 5 months and it was the loneliest thing I ever did in my life.  My arcade games all got sparkling clean, though.

 

Yeah, I'm not a huge people person, but the lack of human contact has got to suck...

[ark_ader]

I did the work at home thing for 5 months and it was the loneliest thing I ever did in my life.  My arcade games all got sparkling clean, though.

 

Yeah, I'm not a huge people person, but the lack of human contact has got to suck...

Depends.  When I work for a company I like the morning rituals, like the coffee machine circle where you meet around the Starbucks Coffee brewer and everyone has a joke or story to tell. 

I also have worked in a few places where you really wanted to stay at your office.  Subdued lighting, sound insulated walls, whisper quiet phone rings and big comfy furniture.  I won't delve into the views from the top floor at night, nice company sponsored restaurant...

But working from home opens up better communication, as  I have a better reference library than at the office And I'm not clock watching.  My customers noticed a huge difference in quality when I was home based (after I got the lock) than in the main office.  Less pressure and more patience.  Met my targets.  I was a happy bunny. 

[RayB]

Nobody has ANY leads?

I work from home too, but tech stuff. This friend of mine would be happy with $10/hr type of menial work. Know what I mean?

[ChadTower]

Nobody has ANY leads?

I work from home too, but tech stuff. This friend of mine would be happy with $10/hr type of menial work. Know what I mean?

Best suggestion I have, then, would be to learn small website development and do php/html contracts.  If there were simple $10 work from home jobs a whole lot of people would be doing them.

[ark_ader]

Tell your buddy to work in collections.

I hear its the best thing since sliced bread.

[mccoy178]

Medical transcription... I used to do that and I used to program software for it too.  I tell ya, its pretty hard to get into,  well that is not true; I just fear potential competitors in the area.  I would take their audio notes and transcribe them to electronic form (notepad.exe) and then send it all back and also use my medical expertise to correct them when needed.  I imagine that could be done over the internet now (this was 1998, before the internet existed,same year I made the all star game in Semi Pro football). In the morning before doing that though, I would load MDF at the Home Depot.

Fix't

[Ummon]

  She would take their audio notes and transcribe them to electronic form and then send it all back.  I imagine that could be done over the internet now (this was 1998).

She does, though I also got the idea she dealt with the doctors on the phone live. That was the hardest part she said because they mumble a lot.

I did the work at home thing for 5 months and it was the loneliest thing I ever did in my life.  My arcade games all got sparkling clean, though.

 

I know someone like that locally. He's been doing the stay-at-home dad thing for about a year or so and he says he's getting a little tired of it. He's always finding projects via CL and stuff, always doing something.

I did the work at home thing for 5 months and it was the loneliest thing I ever did in my life.  My arcade games all got sparkling clean, though.

 

Yeah, I'm not a huge people person, but the lack of human contact has got to suck...

You're married. That's one thing the wife is for.

My customers noticed a huge difference in quality when I was home based (after I got the lock) than in the main office.  Less pressure and more patience.  Met my targets.  I was a happy bunny. 

One office sort of job I worked at, my quality was great. My supervisor liked that. I also took my own time. He wasn't so hot on that.