When I worked for the man full time, I would often day dream about what it would be like to work at home full time. I imagined waking up in the morning walking around my complex listening to the birds sing, heading to the gym, then having lunch at my local park. Then I would come home and get a bit of work done. Finally I would cap the night by playing with my daughter and later snuggling with my wife watching TV.
It's been 3 years later and apparently my present reality and past day dreams aren't seeing eye to eye. To my shock I've discovered that working at home isn't neccessarily all that it's cracked up to be and I've listed the top 5 reasons why below.
1. Assumptions.
I hate that people think I don't work hard because I'm doing it in my boxers. Yes I don't have to deal with manual labor, commuting or office politics. But the fact of the matter is I actually work more hours now than I did working for the man offline. My wife can attest this. Apparently this problem isn't unique to me. There are actual studies that show people that work at home are far more productive than offline workers. Why? Well because most of the time we fail to adhere to the defined work day offline workers have.
For instance, I literally squeeze in work any chance I get. I'll work during commercials, bathroom breaks, eating, down time, etc. Whereas most people clock out at 5pm, I'm still on my grind until I hit that pillow. In fact it's 1:05 am and I'm writing this post. Keep in mind amidst all this, I have to work in time with my ladies (wife and princess). So contrary to popular belief you may actually work more from home than you did offline. I know on the surface it sounds like you're just kicking back but in my experience my hours are way longer than most of the people I know.
2. Loneliness.
I don't mean to get all sensitive on you, but one of the things that I actually miss about working offline is the everyday interaction with my co-workers, "sight seeing" in the park with my boys, after work drinks, etc. I feel like I took a lot of that stuff for granted while being there. The truth is working at home full time makes you feel isolated and you become a hermit. Now for my personality this isn't such a bad thing. But even so, I do miss that human interaction. I've had to resort to Facebook and sites like Mylot to alleviate some of that loneliness. I also visit my ex co-workers from time to time. With that all said, would I trade being at home full time to be back to the rate race? Hell to the nah! I'm not that lonely and why I have a dog! But seriously I do occasionally miss that social interaction.
3. Taxes
Let me explain before you jump to conclusions. I have no problems paying my taxes especially when I see them going to work in my community. I live in the suburbs so it's the first time in my life I've actually seen my taxes really be put to good use. My streets are clean, the school systems are decent, the crime is low, we have nice parks, etc, etc. So I'm not opposed to taxes. I just hate the fact that I have to personally managed them. When I worked for the man, HR handled deducting taxes from my check. Yes it always hurt to see FICA take nearly half my check away. But eventually you just got accustomed to the process. Then at the end of the year you would get some of that money back.
But when you work at home, it's a whole other ball game. Most people that work at home aren't employees. You're considered an independent contractor (IC). Basically that's a fancy term for you're on your own. (You can read about how taxes are handled for most people that work at home by clicking here.) Being an IC means I'm responsible for reporting my income to the Feds and paying them their money. This requires putting aside funds for Uncle Sam that I would usually be utilizing for cool things like gadgets or trips to exotic places. Although I do good enough as an affiliate marketer that I still get to enjoy those pleasures but I digress. Working at home also means keeping good records of my expenses, getting incorporated and having a CPA that really understands business taxes. Trust me when I say it's so worth getting incorporated and getting the proper tax advice from experts when you're working at home especially when you're making decent money. I failed to understand this concept initially and ended up owing more taxes than necessary because of it. Now that I have the proper business entity set up and a great CPA I'm accustomed to this process and can pay my taxes with no issues. But boy do I do miss the days of not having to even worry about it. It was just a matter of cashing my checks and living my life. Now it's about making sure all my business expenses are on my AMEX so I have a record of it and to get my points in the process. You know I feel about leverage. lol
4. Juggling.
When I sought out the goal of working at home full time, it wasn't to become a clown. What I mean is that I didn't know that juggling various aspects of my life was a requirement to work from home. As I said earlier I work more hours now than I ever did working for the man. For me it doesn't feel like work because I'm doing what I love. I'm in control of my destiny and life now. My life is no longer controlled by some snot nosed manager that feels they're better than me because they have a title or went to a fancy IV league school. (No disrespect intended to those folks. lol) However because I really love what I do, I probably put in too many hours than I should. I always feel that I need to respond to an email or comment quickly. But I'm starting to realize the cost of this work ethic. Often times I'm spending time with my daughter or wife and I have the overwhelming feeling to look at my iphone, laptop or ipad to check my emails, comments or stats. That's not normal. But it is when you work at home. Those boundaries of time are sort of lost. I hate that I'm like this now. Ironically because I am this way, I can be at home with my family now. But I know it's not the quality time it should be. So it's something I struggle with and working hard to improve.
5. Whispers.
Finally I hate that my neighbors, acquaintances and even some friends might think I may be a drug dealer or involved in some illicit activities. I never expected that being at home full time would have people wondering about my character. But apparently if you & your wife drive nice cars and aren't seen in the morning rushing off to work or coming home in the evening, people start wondering what the hell do you do for a living. lol Honestly I can't really blame folks. I would look at my neighbors cock eyed too if I noticed that both adults are home all day but seem to be doing very well. In the natural, the math doesn't add up. But instead of whispering about it, I wish folks would just have the balls to ask what I do. But alas considering I get to be home all day with my family, it's a minor inconvenience I can learn to deal with it. However it's annoying nonetheless.
So there you have it folks, the top 5 reasons I hate working at home. Ultimately none of this stuff outweighs the freedom of being self employed and spending time with your family (even if it's not exactly the quality time you want it to be). I know that I'm very blessed to be in this position. It's a wonderful feeling. I guess it's also the reason why I'm so passionate about helping you all help yourselves to achieve the same bliss. Trust me working at home isn't as glamarous as it may appear to be. I guarantee you'll discover things you don't like about it. But I'm confident you'll have far more reasons to love it than to hate it.
Hey if you work at home full time or part time, let me know what are some of the things you hate about it. Or if you don't work at home full time yet, do you think there will be anything you'll actually hate about working at home? Let me know your thoughts below if you have any.
P.S. If you're looking for work at home jobs, click here. I already know there is going to be a comment regarding this so let's get it out of the way now. lol
Hi Eddy
I do want to join your work at home program. I do have a full time job. I have epilepsy and as I get older this would be good for me. I know it will take time. I had already joined Rodan and Fields and worked for 2 yrs making around $100.00 per month. Not worth it. I wish I would have found your article 2 yrs ago. Thanks for all the information you have had some really great reviews.
You’re very welcome Denise. I hope you’ll enjoy the other options I’ve covered.
Hi Eddy, first! “Thank
you very much” Working from home is the best thing for me. Sometimes it’s all pros. No time to be bored.
I drop my son off to school in the
mornings and come back home to “work” I can set the time I start. After picking him up in the afternoon it is snack
or (lunch) as he calls it, home-work which sometimes includes research. I check his work for what I call silly
mistakes (mind you) my son is on the “High Honor Roll” Then we have dance two days a week (Hip-Hop
& Tap) and the seasonal baseball.
Not to mention, we live up-state. As a single mother, in the winter when it
snows there are 2hr. delays and snow-days. If I work outside the home what will I do? I have
no one to watch him in those situations and the bosses expect you to be on
time. We food shop and sometimes make pickled
vegetables, cake or cookies together. I
don’t have time to be bored or lonely.
Yeah I hear ya. But again working at home isn’t all sweet. There are definitely negatives about it. But the pros definitely out weigh most of the bad. It all depends on your situation and where you are in life.
Wow, you really care what other people think of you?
Who gives a damn what “people” think about what you do.
Uh, everyone cares a little about what people think of them. It’s human nature. That being said, I don’t care that much where I’ve stopped doing what I’m doing. It’s just one of the annoying things that comes a long with this industry that I was pointing out.
@Patrice:
lol…sorry for the typos
I love love love your website. I am 21 and have worked with just about every company you have listed on your site. Working from home definitely has it’s UGH moments, but sucks even worse when you are as young as I am. When I am working from home, I have my entire house on a schedule. Tv’s have to be lowered by a certain time, everyone needs to be bathed, dogs need to be walked and House ringers need to be silent. In the beginning, I found myself on working from 8am to 12 am, with 1 or 2 breaks here and there. My Social life suffered and I became such a shut in; which, is ok if you are married with children and have a life that is more structured. But when you are in your 20’s with your whole life ahead of you, in college and needing a social life, it can be a BIG THING. I’m happy I have more of a handle on what hours I will work and which I will not do. Just as a few writers said above, I make sure to squeeze in College classes, art classes, volunteering and a part time job to keep my heart pumping :-). It has it perks because the money can be great and it is you are increasing your Executive skills and not having to worry about shoveling your car out of snow has its perks.
I would love to work from home. What I’d really like to know is, is there a COMPLETELY FREE company to work for at home making good money that takes the taxes out so that it wouldn’t be a worry or does this only exist in a perfect world? LOL Just curious.
Jenny,
There are tons of free work at home jobs. We list them every day here:
http://www.workathomenoscams.com/jobs However it’s rare to find the ones that handles taxes. The reasons most employers like the work at home set up is it’s usually cheaper for them. It’s cheaper because they don’t need to have a dedicated resource to handling benefits like takes, health care, etc. Most work at home situations are handled the way I described above and in the following article:
https://www.workathomenoscams.com/2010/04/15/weekly-work-at-home-recap-04-16-2010/
My suggestion is to visit our jobs page listed above and pursue the jobs there and see if you can find one that handles taxes for you. But it’s not something that is very common in my experience. Good luck.
Great article. I work from home full time now (your blog gave me that final boost to join Wealthy Affiliate) and I know the feeling. I can imagine people wondering what the heck you do all day because I used to wonder the same thing about people before I started working from home. For instance, when I used to work a 9-5 I’d have to rush out of the office to grab lunch and would see people on their afternoon job or walking their dogs. I didn’t think they sold drugs (that’s funny though) but I always wondered if they worked from home or if they worked at all. And if they were working from home, I wanted to know their secret so I could do it too.
I know my fiance wonders what the hell I’m doing all day typing on the computer in my sweatpants. He probably doesn’t think I’m really working at all, but the bills are getting paid so I’m obviously doing something, right? People are very skeptical about this business so when he or anyone else asks about my day I often just change the subject. Gotta keep the negativity away. 🙂
I agree with you that once you start working from home full time you end up working more hours than when you worked a 9-5. I somehow caught a cold a few days ago but I still wanted to work. Yesterday I worked from 8 am until about 10:30 pm (with a few short food and restroom breaks in between) even though I had a stuffy head, a killer headache and a runny nose. In my previous job (which I hated by the way) I probably would have taken that opportunity to use a sick day. And even after I turned my laptop off and got in the bed, I still ended up grabbing my iPod to check emails and add on to my Squidoo lens. THEN, after I finally fell asleep around 1 am, I dreamed all night long about the articles I planned to write the following day. It was a rough night! But I got up this morning and got to work because I love what I do.
It definitely is important to balance work and family time. It’s hard for me to put my work aside if I’m really into what I’m doing, which is all the time. But even if I have to put it down, it’s awesome knowing that no one is going to harass me about making sure I don’t go over my 15 minute break. I can do whatever the heck I want, and there is nothing like having that kind of freedom!
Deanna,
Thanks. Reading your comment was like looking in the mirror. LOL
It was nice to hear from someone else that loses sleep over article ideas. You explain that someone outside the industry and they look at you like you’re crazy. lol
So I totally feel you. You should sit your fiance down one day so he can see what you do and explain it to him. My wife now knows my industry very well because I actively pulled her into it so she could understand why I was always on the computer. I think when they understand what you do they have a better appreciation for it. Although my wife always appreciated it regardless because the bills were getting paid and the vacations we would take. lol
In any event, thanks for chiming in. I appreciate hearing from another person that lives a parallel life.
Really good article
Interesting info about the taxes. My wife and I do our own currently and it works out fine. (Neither of us works from home.) Good to know that would likely need to change if one or both of us went the solo route.
Kinya,
Thanks for the kind words. Obviously you know very well the downsides of working at home but like me see there is far more value in the pros. I just think it’s important for folks to have realistic expectations because you go in to the industry better prepared. So hopefully this article and your upcoming book enlightens more people.
Mad,
Reading your comment is almost like looking into my own life regarding your hours and the passion you have for you work. Thanks for chiming in. Thank goodness for our dogs huh? lol
Jim,
I’m sorry to hear about the end of your corporate career and the bumpy road you’re currently on regarding work at home. I think the one important lesson you’ve learned from your experiences in this industry thus far is the importance of research and healthy dose of skepticism. Both are great characteristics to have as long it doesn’t make you so jaded that it leads to in action or the lack of an open mind. So just be mindful of that as you continue to go through this journey. I agree there are a lot of training programs out there that merely tease you and fail to provide the additional information needed upfront to know what you’re really going to need to invest to succeed. But I find the easy way to get around such lack of omissions is research. So as long as you continue to do that, you’re fine. In any event, I hope there is a day you’ve become successful working at home you’ll be back here whining about working at home as I’m doing. lol If you continue to do your research and read blogs like this, I believe you will be there soon enough.
Gary,
Taxes are definitely much easier when none of this work at home stuff is involved so I definitely suggest getting a professional when you’re successfully working at home and making some decent money. Trust me when I say it’s worth every dime to have a pro at this to help you with your taxes. I initially didn’t see the value and was trying to be cheap. But it ended up costing me more money in the long run. Once I found the right people, it was easy sailing because they knew everything I didn’t nor wanted to learn. So I look forward to the day when you and your wife are in that position where you need to consider these type of tax considerations. =)
Really enjoyed reading your article! My corporate career came to an end almost a year ago after I ran into some health difficulties that required some extended time away from work. Since then, I’ve tried (unsuccessfully) to re-enter the work force but was either over-qualified or the position offered offered a salary that was significantly lower than my unemployment earnings.
Because of these reasons, I decided to look into the possibility of working from home at the start of the new year. The simplest thing I can say is “HOLY COW!” There’s a never-ending amount of information on the ‘net revolvong around this simple concept. Like many others choosing this career path, I quickly discovered that working from home means WORK, and if you’re not willing to put time in, the reward will indeed be small.
I also discovered that there are several different ways to make money, and that there are infinitely more scams out there than real opportunities. After losing several thousand dollars in my first foray into the home based business world, I am now very wary about “paying to work.” This has made me research all opportunities in detail, and kept my hand very close to my pocket book. I have a very difficult time with the concept of giving someone else my (almost non-existent)money so that I can make money. I’ve subscribed to a couple of work-from-home sites that advertise no-fee employment, but once again, careful research has revealed that true “large” money-making opportunities are slim, although affiliate marketing appears to be popular at the moment. Once again though, most marketers charge some sort of “fee” to utilize their services and neglect to mention that there are more hidden fees involved in order to see any monetary return at all, and any actual profit is negligible.
OK, now I’m ranting. Bottom line, I’m working from home, but not very successfully (yet). Also, I intend to stick with this pursuit of working from home and am very determined to be succesful at it. However, since I’ve been unemployed for so long, my ‘fall back’ finances are in dire straits, which (naturally) call for exra caution in my research
Eddy,
I know exactly what you mean when you say you work longer hours then working for the man. I was working as a full time web designer for a company until recently when economics finally caught up to them and let go of contractors. I would do most of the administrative work during the day, like contact the client to get information on how they would like their website set up then do the design work at night. Of course I would make time during the evening to spend with my family and exercise but the night would be mine. I would start from maybe midnight to 3-4-5 even 6 in the morning to get these websites done. I loved what I did and the creative freedom and freedom from the corporate environment for sure. At times I would be lonely and usually chatted with other lonely designers through gtalk and facebook. Also from not being from the town where I found the online opportunity I didn’t know anyone but I did at least find a couple friends at the gym. But you know what… I wouldn’t trade working from home making good money for a corporate job! Love the freedom and I have 2 dogs and they like me to walk them and play ball too. LOL
I’m actually writing an e-book similar to this subject where I outline the reality of working at home. People think it’s a picnic/walk in the part. It’s not. It’s actually pretty hard to do, especially if you have no idea what you’re getting into beforehand. But like you, even with all the downsides, I still wouldn’t