How I Get to Work From Home

Woo Hoo!!! I have the ideal work situation - a real career position that pays well and I get to do it from the comfort of my own home! What more could I ask for? Maybe the better question is - what less could I ask for? Well, to start with - stress!

While I've always worked in the IT industry for different companies, I've only worked from home the past few years. As the WFH concept became more accepted over the years it was a benefit that I desperately wanted. I'm not a morning person and I hated to drive to and from work. My husband always teased me saying good thing I never had a job where I had to punch in by a certain time. I would have been fired several times over. Being a good, consistent employee is what has kept me employed through the years. I saw commuting as not only a waste of my valuable time, but also dangerous for me and for those within two lanes of me. Many days my husband had to "talk me home" by cell to keep me alert on my drive home. Put me behind a steering wheel and the sand man wants to visit.

It's no secret that a good number of IT jobs are going offshore. That, along with so many companies' philosophy to do more with fewer people is where the stress comes in. The worker bees in my industry (that would include me) are having to work under extreme stress situations to meet nearly impossible deadlines with ungodly amounts of work. Our reward is maybe a pat on the back, more budget cuts and additional systems sent offshore each year. So in essence, we're working our way out of our jobs (thank you Bush)! What's wrong with this picture?!? Don't bother to complain, because there are several lined up at the door that have already been laid off looking for work and would gladly take your miserable place.

As we go through our yearly cuts and layoffs, I wonder to myself, "who are the lucky ones?". In the early years I would breathe a sigh of relief as I made it through yet another downsizing. Now I get sick to my stomach thinking of the extra work that will be placed on those left standing.

So, yes, I still consider myself very fortunate to have a "real" job that technology and virtual teams allow me to do from home, but when people ask, I usually say I love the "from home" part but the "work" part is a killer. Right now, being able to do this job at home is the only thing keeping me sane. I'm constantly looking for better work situations. Anything that looks halfway promising would require me getting back into that commute rat race and sitting in an office all day long - not a pleasant visual after being home for two years. I'll rather be miserable in my PJs at home than in an office wearing clothes that need to be dry cleaned.