Paula Williams
Our Must Have Resource
Do you ever wonder if there
are people out there that actually make it
in the telecommuting industry? When getting
started in this industry it is easy to get
frustrated when you are waiting to get your
first job. Let’s take a look at the work
life of one telecommuter who as made it –
Paula Williams.
Paula decided to give telecommuting a try
back in March of 2005 because she wanted the
flexibility to care for her aging parents
and to be able to travel at a moments
notice. Both of these are important aspects
of her every day life and make working in
the regular 9-5-office environment
impossible. Telecommuting was the perfect
solution for her. She is able to work from
home and can step out of her office at any
time to take care of Mom and Dad. If she
decides to pack her bags and travel for a
few weeks, she just stops accepting work for
that period of time. When she gets back
home, she picks up where she left off.
Being able to contribute to the family
income is important for Paula. While the
money she makes
telecommuting isn’t the sole
household income, it does help to pay the
bills and allows her to remain flexible
about where and when she works at the same
time.
Like many people starting their
telecommuting career, Paula didn’t find her
dream job right away. In fact it took her
two months of applying to various
telecommuting companies before she landed a
job at all. She took it to get a foot in the
door, even though it wasn’t the job she had
hoped for. Nevertheless she worked hard, did
her best and quickly moved to a more
challenging position with better benefits.
If you are just starting out, it’s important
to remember that you have to start
somewhere. If there’s a job out there that
you are qualified to do, don’t decline and
wait for the perfect opportunity. Get your
feet wet and get some telecommuting
experience on your resume. New doors will
open that may just lead to your dream job.
Paula now works 30 – 35 hours in a position
that she enjoys. She takes several weeks a
year off to travel and gives herself most
holidays off. She also spends some time each
week to build her own business. This can be
a bit of a challenge at times, since she has
to decide whether to spend time on her
business, which will eventually become
another stream of income for her, or to put
in more telecommuting hours, which pays her
right away.
Paula is a successful at what she does
because she the reasons why she wanted to
telecommute kept her motivated when she
didn’t find work at first and then worked in
a position she described as “not something I
really wanted”. Her best advice for someone
interested in telecommuting or just starting
out is this:
“My advice for potential telecommuters is to
open yourself up to multiple opportunities.
Apply to
several companies, and update your
information frequently. Always maintain a
professional demeanor in all correspondence,
just because the position is from home,
doesn’t mean it’s not a real job.
Finding a telecommuting position isn’t
likely to happen overnight, but there are
many legitimate companies offering reliable
positions. Keep at it!”
Paula has built her reputation as a great
telecommuter one step and one job at a time.
The “secret” to her success is to treat
every job as if it was something you really
enjoyed. Put time and effort into it, and do
a great job. Just like Paula you will start
moving up to bigger and better
opportunities. She now lives the life she
always wanted, working from her home,
traveling several times a year and being
able to take care of the one’s she loves,
both financially and time wise. And so can
you.
