Is Working At Home Right For Me? Part 2

One of the greatest benefits of working at home can also be one of it's greatest challenges, at least in the beginning: what do I DO as a work at home mom? The benefit of having so many choices in a variety of occupations is thrilling but also very daunting for most people.

Taking It Home
One obvious thought you may consider is:
Should you make your 'home' work just an extension of your current/past work life or should you branch off into new territory.

Taking your current or former occupation home with you is a definite possibility and could be a 'baby step' into the wahm world. If you are a good worker at your current job and have a good relationship with your manager, try approaching him/her about using a couple of days a week to work from home. If you can show that your work is still consistently high quality, you may be able to transition your position into a permanent work at home occupation. Since this is more practical with certain jobs than others, creativity may be necessary in hammering out a solution in allowing you to take your position to the home.

Your Hobby, Your Work
Maybe doing the kind of work you are currently doing is not something you relish. Then look to your hobbies and pastimes. What is it you can't wait to do when you have free time - gardening, sewing, decorating around the house, all of these can be avenues to investigate for possible work at home ideas.

Go To School
None of your hobbies seem to fit the bill for your work at home needs? Consider training in an area you've never worked in before. You can get certified in fields as varied as health care, computer technology, business management and many others. Going to the school campus for your classess is optional. Most schools now allow you to take you classes online, making it a smart choice for adults whose varied schedules may not make campus learning a practicality.

If you're having difficulty pinning down just what you might really be interested in doing or what type of training you should take, spend some time taking career testing and personality assessment tests or speaking with a counselor at the local college to help pinpoint what areas you may be suited to work in.

Here are some online assessment tests to start you thinking:

• Tickle - offers tests on What's Your Dream Job and What's Your Nightmare Career as well as a Classic IQ Test.
  
• Human Metrics - this site offers a few different tests to help you categorize yourself. Of particular interest to the wahm will be "The Entrepreneurial Profiles in Small Business". According to the site, "as a result of the test you will obtain your business type description, its strong and weak points, an indication of the business types that are the most favorable for partnership with you and a list of the most typical successful businesses for your profile which were started individually and in partnership. A listing of some franchises favorable for your entrepreneurial profile will be presented as well."


• The Princeton Review Career Quiz - this is an abbreviated version of the actual test but may still give you some useful suggestions on career choices.