10 Reasons to GO FOR IT- Becoming a WAHM

I have to admit, when I talk with my girlfriends and see that little pang of jealousy wash over them as we discuss our jobs, there is a little part of me that just wants to shake them and ask why in the world they're not doing what they WANT!

Is it scary not having an actual "contract"? At times, sure.

Is it fairly unknown territory? Yes, I suppose.. but it's growing with a vengeance!

Is it completely awesome to set your own schedule, decide whether or not to put pants on and only have to brush your hair when you want to? ABSOLUTELY!

Here's a list of reasons I put together for a dear friend of mine who was struggling with getting out of bed in the morning because she had become so frustrated with her employment situation. It killed me to see her so upset knowing that she could be earning comparable income without having to deal with any of the frustrations of her workplace!

1. Life is short. When you look back at your life in 50 years, what do you want to see? I can tell you what I don't want to see- the inside of a cubicle where I spent 8-10 hours a day, 5-6 days a week doing work that I didn't even enjoy doing. When you work online, you have the freedom  to travel, spend time with your children and friends, plan and prepare for house parties, run errands when you want to, take a mid-day walk around the neighborhood, anything you want!

2. Expenses are minimized! It's actually cheaper to work from home! For my area, if I worked in an "on-site" job, I'd be spending approximately $200/week in childcare (and that's just for one child), about $40/week in gas (plus extra wear and tear on my car), money for work clothes (we'll be optimistic and say I'd only spend $20/month) and we all know that I (along with many others) don't have the willpower to resist stopping and grabbing a latte at the coffee shop around the corner on my lunch break at least a couple times a week ($50/month). Add it all up and by working from home, you're saving over $1000/month! That's a hefty chunk of change to keep in your pocket!


3. Your time is YOURS! Aside from increased freedom to do what you want when you want, you'll save so much time over the course of a week, month and year that would have been devoted to work. That hour every morning that you spend doing your hair and makeup, getting dressed, rounding up all your paperwork to throw in your briefcase and getting out the door? Eliminated. The 30 minute commute each way every day? Eliminated. The time you spend at home, off the clock, going over paperwork for your "big presentation" tomorrow? Eliminated. That's a lot of time that is now YOURS.

4. Peace of mind. Yes, peace. Put your mind at ease without having to worry constantly about someone else being responsible for your baby. If you're working from home, you're there with your little one all the time. There's no worrying about whether or not you chose the right daycare or if they're cleaning her teethers after she throws them on the floor.

5. Be there for the big moments. I have been able to be there for all my baby's milestones. Her first giggle, her first smile, the first time she rolled over, the first time she crawled, the first time she held her own bottle... all of it. I can't imagine experiencing the disappointment that so many parents do when the daycare informs them that their baby is growing up without them.

6. Lack of monotony. Working online, I have been able to land multiple part time jobs in widely varying industries. By doing this, I am able to keep myself interested in each job, because I'm not spending 8 hours/day doing the same thing over and over again and looking at the same reports day in and day out. While the underlying job responsibilities tend to be pretty consistent, working in various industries provides a mixture of challenges and plenty of different people to connect with!

7. Enhance your friendships and relationships. By not leaving the house everyday and being face to face with clients all day long, I have gained such an appreciation for the time I spend with family and friends. I feel like I am fully present when I'm talking with people and I can focus on being with them instead of half listening while I silently fume about something someone said or did at work.

8. There's no such thing as "vacation time". When I want to go visit my grandparents in Florida I'm not limited to booking my trip around my co-workers vacations and minimizing the length of my stay to fit my allotted vacation days. I work from my computer. I can take my laptop with me and work from anywhere, anytime as long as I have internet!

9. Under the weather? Don't sweat it! One of the things I hated most about working on site was having to pull it together and make myself look and act like everything was hunky dory to make it through the work day. When you work from home, if you're sick you can stay in your PJs, drink chicken broth and stay on the couch all day! *Side note- since I quit spending all my days in an office around 100's of other people all day, I have not been sick ONCE! Coincidence? Probably not.

10. Control Your Income. If you can land a couple of part time positions, you can control your income. You get out what you put into it. If you are really needing some extra cash, put in a few more hours with each job or even find some one time gigs to do! If you're feeling pretty financially comfortable, don't stress about putting in all the hours. It's as simple as that.

Now don't get me wrong, there are absolutely some cons to consider when it comes to leaving an on-site job to work online.
1. Many online positions do not offer benefits or retirement. We have taken care of this by putting the whole family under my husband's insurance plan (offered through his work) and opening an IRA account as a secondary retirement account (in addition to my husbands 401k).
2. Your kids will, at some point or another, drive you completely crazy! Kids will be kids. They will have days when they are going to cry and scream and want to be held all day. If you don't think you have the patience to tend to their sometimes excessive demands all day every day, working at home may not be for you!
3. Your income is up to you. It takes organization, drive and work ethic to be able to be successful in the online industry. There is no one to micromanage and make sure you're getting your tasks done.
4. Lack of interaction. If you are a real people person, it may be difficult for you to work online from your home everyday. If kids aren't in the picture, you could find a coffee shop or book store with free wifi and spend some time there each week working to get some "people exposure".


There are certainly things to consider, but I strongly encourage anyone who is wishing for something different to think about your options. Life is too short to be unhappy!