Does anyone have advice and experience regarding work from home jobs? I'm currently laid off from a factory job and would like to take this as an opportunity to look into working from home in some capacity. Are all "assemble products", "stuff envelopes" etc. bogus? Whatever I've seen on the internet asks for up-front money or seems "too good to be true". The volume of "opprtunities" is mind boggling and leaves me frazzled. Does anyone have good (or bad) experience with these companies? Any feedback will be most appreciated. T. in Wi.

-- Tim Boudreau (lattebug@msn.com), January 04, 2002

Answers

Tim,

Get yourself educated at writing software, etc. Jobs like that allow you to "telecommute" and work from home. I'm a money manager and can work anywhere that there is a phone and my laptop. Look into that type of work. If you are serious about working from home, and want to be able to make a decent living, it will take some serious commitment to get educated so that you have something to offer. My sister-in-law works from home as a graphic designer, one friend does voice overs from a studio in her home, another sells collector pens (of all things) on ebay and makes about $3000 a week. How about designing webpages for folks? I know another person who transcribes medical records from home. Not sure how one gets into something like that. The best idea I can think of is to become adept and fluent at a computing language like MS Visual Basic. It's not that difficult (as compared with other computer languages) and the guy that taught me makes $90 an hour, and works from home designing (and maintaining) databases in Microsoft Access.

These things aren't the sort of thing that you just do for a little while until the next factory job comes along...(with the possible exception of ebay). This is your chance to get out of the "factory" mindset (my wife's family is from WI, so I know what it's like) and give yourself the chance to embark on a new profession.

How about a freelance writer? Can you do research? Write articles about arcane subjects (educating yourself in the process) and sell them to publications.

NEVER send money to any of the things that you mentioned, they ARE scams, to be sure. Maybe these suggestions weren't exactly what you had in mind, but they are the best that I can think of!

Good luck!

Chuck

-- chuck in md (woah@mission4me.com), January 04, 2002.

You can also check into the associate programs available on the net. To begin with check with the ezine Associate Programs. com. There are a number of businesses that are looking for people to set up mini websites and sell their products on a commission basis. It takes awhile to learn to set up the websites and choose what type of site you're interested in, but it can be done on free web hosts and cost nothing to start but time and effort. Also check into the free five day affiliate mini course offered by Ken Evoy at www.sitesell.net. It explains alot about the associate program business and clues you in to the pitfalls.

-- Sandra Nelson (magin@starband.net), January 04, 2002.

Tim:

Probably 99.9999+% of those offers are either bogus or won't return any of your investment.

You are welcome to a free e-Book copy of my book: How to Earn Extra Money in the Country. Just send me a request to my e-mail address separately. Offer is open to anyone (sorry, no hotmail.com accounts). Double your money back guarantee if not satisfied.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), January 04, 2002.

Tim I have Ken S. eBook it's got some pretty good ideas in it. If nothing else it may spark some idea you've been overlooking.

-- Kenneth in N.C. (wizardsplace13@hotmail.com), January 04, 2002.

Definetly get the free E-book from Ken. We did and have started our own business using some of the information.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), January 04, 2002.

I'm surprised but not really at what the government gives to farmers. I recognize some of the local farmers on my list of government payments. Some of the farms I said to myself.."what farms??" They have dairy cows and plant corn...I don't get it. Maybe I should buy a couple hundred acres of land and throw a handfull of corn out there and get $40,000 over 4 years from "our" government. But.....then you would be...beholding to them. Sometimes you wonder what it all about. How did all of this seem to get out of hand ?? I remember a few years back when we were having a time with a big electric company putting power lines up in the fields near our homestead. I went to court with some of the neighbors asking why they couldn't put them somewhere else..etc. I was the only one who took the stand in defense of not having them near me...I was the only one that has to live with them...not one farmer helped me out...I wonder why ?? One farmer told me to my face he didn't want to "rock the boat"..or did he mean the pocketbook ?? Afraid to get involved with big business..government. Guess I would rather have a few dollars of my own in my pocket (and it's getting fewer and fewer thses days) then having Uncle Sam hand me money and do what he thinks I should. What has happened to this country ??? It can almost make you cry !!! God Bless America !!

-- Helena (windyacs@npacc.net), January 05, 2002.

I currently have experince with work at home jobs. Here is a great and legitimate site with tons of jobs that I was directed to once www.homeworkers.org/index.html

-- Chris (infocs8@netscape.net), March 20, 2002.

In the other message Chris started here on work at home jobs, he said he has no experience with them, but just likes that web site that we should check out... Just a waning to others. Do not ever send money to someone to try to 'find' you a job. It appears that that is what Chris' web site asks for. But I have no actual experience with it. Just doesn't seem to be legit when you try to add it all together? Same old tired schemes that have been run for decades...

Is it a good idea to send someone money who says he is offering you a job? Rather shouldn't you be the one being paid for doing the work?

--->Paul

-- paul (ramblerplm@hotmail.com), March 20, 2002.