More and more people are wanting to work from home these days. As someone who does work from home, I really can’t blame them. No alarm clock, no commute no (insert 100 other things here). BUT, the big question is: “Are there any real, legit work at home jobs?”

While they do exist, they can be extremely hard to find. There are more people looking than there are available work at home jobs. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities to work from home if you are willing to shift your thinking a little. In this article, I will cover a few work at home opportunities and help you weigh the pros and cons of each one.

Start An At Home Call Center

I’m sure you’ve seen those late night infomercials. Maybe you have even ordered from them yourself. Did you know that many times, the operators that are “standing by” are just regular people working from home? There are many companies that use home workers to answer phones, take orders or even dispatch roadside assistance.

The problem with the majority of these jobs is that most of them are outsourced to countries with very low wages. There is a company who only hires home workers from the 48 continental U.S. States however. That company is Liveops. Liveops pairs companies who need telephone workers with work at home, independent contractors.

This is not like a traditional job in a sense where you swap dollars for hours. You are an independent contractor but, there are many situations where you can be guaranteed a certain of money for a certain “block” of time and there is an opportunity to earn commissions on top of your base pay.

Pros

It Is A TRUE Work From Home Opportunity
Some Positions Pay Whether A Sale Is Made Or Not
Flexible Schedule
You Are Likely To Earn More Money As You Gain More Experience
Some Training Is Provided

Cons

$65 Fee For A Background And Credit Check
You Cannot Earn While You Train
You Will Likely Need To Purchase Equipment
You Need A Separate Land line For Your Phone
You Cannot Use Wireless Equipment (Computer, phone or headset)
The Best Paying Jobs May Require Licenses Or Special Skills

Become A Freelancer

Freelancing has become a popular way to get paid by completing computer based tasks for companies. The projects range from article writing all the way up to complete website builds. As I write this, there are almost 6.5 million available projects on freelancer.com!

One of the challenges of providing a service such as Freelancer.com, is assuring that the people who are paying for work are actually having their projects bid on by qualified free lancers. To provide some assurance,  people who are looking for work can prove their qualification by taking exams. There dozens of available exams available in several different languages. Each exam costs $5 U.S.

While taking these exams is not a prerequisite for bidding on jobs, you may find yourself at a bit of a disadvantage by not taking them since other’s who have taken the exams will likely be bidding against you.

Pros

You Can Earn High Pay For Certain Short Term Projects
Vast Number Of Projects To Bid On
Can Be Done From Home
Can Be Done On YOUR Schedule

Cons

You Are Competing With Many Bidders
You May Need To Pay For Several Exams To Be Hired
You May Need To Build Trust With The Community To Win Good Paying Jobs

Turn Your Passion Into A Business

Anyone can turn their passions, hobbies or interests into a thriving online business. This is not necessarily this easiest route to go, but it can the most satisfying and rewarding. This is how I choose to make a living at home. I am talking about learning to build websites of course.

I was fortunate enough to find a great community of like minded, online business builders where I can get all of the help and support I need. I’ve made some wonderful friends and I’ve learned a TON about online business. Building a business online takes work and it takes time to earn a steady income.

What I like best about building websites is the fact that I am learning skills that I can always use to make money no mater what goes on with the economy. It’s great when you no longer have to rely on other people to earn a living! To learn more about this community, and it’s pros and cons, see my #1 recommendation.