Wanting to earn at home now continues to be a growing trend. But it’s actually not a new concept, especially among Filipinos.
In the Philippines, a Jobstreet survey revealed that more than 50% of Filipino workers work remotely from home. During the pandemic in 2020, this grew to more than 80%. The same survey also revealed that around 49% of Filipino employees prefer to work from home.
This is proof that earning from home is a dream for a lot of Filipinos. There’s nothing like staying in the comfort of our own homes while earning a living out of it.
There are several benefits to working remotely from home.
1. You usually work at your own pace (unless your employer wants you to work online at specific hours).
2. You do not have to dress up for work. You can even wear your PJs to work! I’d say you don’t even have to take a bath or brush your teeth before starting work every day but that would be really unsanitary. (Though I’m pretty sure some of us working from home are guilty of this!)
3. You won’t have to worry about traffic or getting wet when it’s raining. I remember when I was still working in the corporate world, I would be bone tired by the end of the day and I still had to deal with the challenge of commuting during the rush hour. It was a nightmare especially when it was raining.
4. You get to stay with your family 24/7. This was the main reason why I opted to earn at home. The goal was to be there for my then 1-year-old son. I didn’t want him to only see me for a few hours when I got home from work. I wanted to be able to feed, play, and put him to sleep. Even if he ended up being a huge distraction at times, I wouldn’t miss being with him 24/7.
There are other reasons why I believe earning from home is the best work arrangement.
But it’s not all fairytales and roses. Establishing a secure work-from-home takes a lot of patience, hard work, and discipline. There are a couple of challenges that you’ll have to face before you can see the rewards of working at home.
EARN AT HOME HINDRANCES
As great as it is to make money from home, not everyone feels that they can make it in this arena. Over the years, I’ve watched family and friends try out online careers – only to go back to the corporate world in the end.
And it’s not even about the lack of opportunities. There are many ways to earn from your home. As businesses evolve and adapt to the advancements of technology, more online career opportunities open up.
The real problem that I see is fear. People are just plain scared of getting out of their comfort zone to try and earn at home. Sometimes, it’s as simple as not knowing how to apply for a job online.
If you’ve been wanting to start an online career at home but can’t find the courage to start, reflect on what’s stopping you.
Allow me to help by listing the common reasons why people get scared and why they shouldn’t be.
1. Financial Instability
Unless you already have a name for yourself, you might find it hard to get a client online who’s willing to accept your high rates. So in most cases, those who are starting an online career from home will start with a low rate. This can make your finances unstable.
But there’s a way around the financial instability. You can always start part-time. That’s how I started. It took a bit of getting used to and some sacrifices too. I had to practically work a double shift but that was because I knew I could take the additional workload.
You can try it for a couple of hours a day. Just be patient and determined. You’ll be able to find a great employer online. My tip is, to work on this part-time until you are sure that what you are getting off of it is big enough to support your lifestyle.
2. Technically Challenged
Intimidation is another challenge that people face. Some people think that you need to be tech-savvy to succeed in an online career. Sure, you need to know how to work your way around the Internet and cloud-based platforms – but it’s not as complicated as you think.
There is nothing that you can’t learn through the Internet. I knew nothing when I started. I just knew how to write very well. But beyond that, I had to learn everything from scratch. It wasn’t that difficult as long as you are determined. Practically everything you need to learn is available online.
You don’t even need to know how to code or create programs. It’s a great skill to have – but it’s not necessary. There are many user-friendly apps and platforms that can teach you. Or you can ask someone to teach you how. An online colleague taught me the basics of WordPress and it was a huge help while I was starting my blog site.
Learning is easy if you have the perseverance to go after what you want to know.
3. Unsure of their Online Career
This is a bit more difficult to explain actually. There are specific careers that cannot function online. But if you focus on your skills, you are bound to find something.
If you came from sales or marketing, your skills can work in Affiliate marketing and selling items online. Being an artist opens up the opportunity to be an online graphic artist. If you are into real estate, you can use the same principle and go into buying and selling websites (that is like dealing with virtual real estate).
Your real-world career does not have to influence what you can do online. I was a product developer of underwear products for more than 5 years. But I had writing skills that I could capitalize on so I started working as a freelance writer. One online employer taught me how to write SEO articles and the education continues through practical application. My current employers don’t really care that I was in the retail industry before. As long as I can deliver the task they set upon me, they will pay me.
IF YOU EARN FROM HOME – IS IT THE RIGHT PATH FOR YOU?
I’m not trying to sell that when you earn at home, it is a lot better than doing so in corporate offices. There are people who are built for this career path while there are others who thrive in real-world offices. It all boils down to where your personality is best suited for – not to mention your priorities and what you are willing to give up for them. Take note though that the Times reported that a flexible workforce seems to be a long-term shift.
I am just saying that whatever reason is hindering you from pursuing this path (even if it is what you really want), we can probably find a way to go around your fears.
So let me know your excuse. Let’s work on it together.