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| My Home Office |
Last year, I reentered the work force after 3 years of
getting my 2nd degree. I did temp work for a while but I was always
on the outlook for a full time job. I got laid off from my temp job and I
managed to find a tech support job that I can do from home.
Working from home is great especially that means we don’t
have to have a sitter for Emily. I usually work from 7 am to 1:30 pm, which
works out very well because my husband works 2nd shift and leaves
for work at 2 pm.
I've worked from home for almost a year now. There are a lot
of advantages to working from home, but some disadvantages too.
Because I have chronic pain issues, working from home is
much more comfortable than working in an office. I can turn off all the lights
in my office, wear comfortable clothes and adjust the temperature so it is
perfect for me. I also only have to walk a few steps to get to my bedroom and
am able to take naps because I have no commute time.
Also because of no commute, I spend a lot less on gas money
and extra food. When I working outside of the home, I’d spend a lot of money on
fast food and it would add up fast. I also save money on child care since Emily
is very good about being quiet even on the days that Todd has to go to class.
I’m lucky because my job is a regular job. I get a paycheck
with taxes taken out, which is pretty rare for work from home jobs. I make a
decent hourly wage and I make extra for any sales that I make. Even though my
hourly wage is $3 less than what I was making with the temp job because I have fewer
expenses.
Because I work a tech
support job that’s open 24/7/365, I have to work Saturdays every week. Working
6 days a week, even though I only work 6 ½ hours a day can be draining. I do
get the occasional weekend off but that means working a lot of extra hours
throughout the week.
Since I’m home all the time, I get a little stir crazy. I
don’t have a lot of local friends so I end up going to the store a couple times
a week just to get out of the house. The stir craziness and my chronic pain
issues do make my anxiety and depression worse some days.
The job I work isn't the best job. There are a lot of angry people and a lot of stupid people who end up calling in to get tech support. I can handle most issues and I do have supervisors that I talk to via a chat program if I run into problems. Some days are better than others, but that’s pretty standard with any job.
For now, the advantages of working from home outweigh the
disadvantages. It works out really well now that Emily is small. When she’s a
little older, I might want to work outside of my house but for now I’m happy
with the situation I’m in now.
Working from home is a mixed bag, but I like it too. Same with tech support. A friend of mine in college supported the computer lab in the dorms. She got frantic 2 a.m. call about the computer, actually the printer, not working. She did the routine over the phone trouble shooting, but that didn't fix the problem. So she put on her bunny slippers, went downstairs to the lab. Walking in, she immediately saw the problem, turned on the printer, grumbled something incoherent, and went back to bed.
ReplyDeleteI worked at the computer lab in my dorm - best job ever because it was so easy. All we did was sit in the computer lab and play on the internet while sometimes unjamming the printer.
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