Saying Good-Bye to the 9 to 5 Grind
I quit my part-time office administrative job eight years ago during my junior year in college. With classes scheduled at different times of the day, and a hectic course load, it was too much to handle and I needed time to sleep and study. Then again, I also needed cash. I didn’t have a lot of bills. Still, there was a monthly car payment, cell phone bill, fuel expense, and a credit card payment. In an effort to also escape the daily grind, my mother opened a daycare center in our home, and with a little nepotism, I had my first work at home job. It was perfect. I would wake-up, come downstairs, work a few hours, and get paid. Of course, the job entailed running behind little kid’s all day - but the freedom was amazing. After running on empty for three years - go to school from 8 a.m. to noon; work from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and then come home and try to concentrate on an assignment - my schedule needed a little tweaking.
This experience sort of spoiled me. Once I finished school, I signed on with a temp agency full-time and waited for a Journalism or Communications job to become available. By this time, I had worked at home for nearly two years. I enjoyed a flexible schedule, frequent breaks throughout the day, and the best perk - I could vacation or take-off whenever I wanted. After getting a taste of the good life, I couldn’t go back in time. I quit the temp agency, when back to the daycare, and focused on starting a freelance writing business.
With any new venture it takes time, and I second-guessed my decision on many occasions. There were months when the writing assignments would pour in, and I had more work than I could handle. Then with the flick of a switch, all offers would stop.
Saying goodbye to a steady paycheck is scary, which is why many are afraid to take the leap. With all negatively put aside, think of the benefits - Freedom, Flexibility, MORE MONEY!
Anything that can fulfill three of life’s little wishes is worth exploring.
Technorati Tags: work at home, freelance, telecommute
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Welcome to the team. What an interesting story. Mine is similar. During my junior year I quit my job because I couldn’t work from 12am-7am anymore. The first two years I was fine but I guess it caught up with me. I started doing little web projects and by the time I graduated I moved on to freelance writing for corporations. After awhile I grew tired of it so I’m back to web based projects with a little writing thrown in on the side when I feel like it.
HI! I’m allena the parenting diva. I’m a telecommuting writer too (which reminds me, you have a few typos in your story, sorry I’m an editor too!). Once you get some of your own kids to run after, the telecommuting is even more valuable!
Hi everybody! Thanks for the comments! I look for forward to getting many more and visiting other blogs on the network. Thanks for the typo tip (Allena) - I often wish I had an extra pair of eyes to gloss over everything.
Welcome to Team Diva! As a part time freelance writer and a full time online shop owner, I can’t imagine going back to an office unless it was the PERFECT opportunity.