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infinitenull
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07 Jan 2018, 6:16 am

b9 wrote:
if i was at a workplace and people saw how easily i did it, i am sure they would have been ingratiated by my exorbitant fees.

i did as i pleased for all but 1/2 hour per month (usually)


Your story is great, except for the part where it's similar to mine, but as an FTE working in the office. I've optimized several tasks from 50+ hour tasks, to things that can be done in a matter of a few minutes... The problem is... it's always been from a full time job, while in the office, and everyone knew that I optimized it... :p

Then again, the output probably wasn't as important... and my automating things has been a big part of climbing the corporate ladder at my current job.


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Scorpius14
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08 Jan 2018, 6:37 pm

youtubers specifically gaming youtubers usually stay at home and play games or rate them which is working from home as is buying and selling online. they dont seem depressed as they all seem very content with their 'job'.

u might ask why don't i do it, and there are the most obvious reasons: lack of ideas to start up with as everythings pretty much thought up, don't want to be famous, usually need good personality and interpersonal skills which I dont have.

surveys never worked for me. although time is not a problem, they lie about how frequent they post them and most surveys end up saying you don't qualify after completing 30 min worth of questions. even on no income theres no point.

to update you on my chances of employment, i have no marketable skills, anyone can use a computer so that makes my skills obsolete, and i don't work well with people as demonstrated in retail positions in the past.



fluffysaurus
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09 Jan 2018, 4:09 am

^I had that with the surveys. I did eight hours before I gave up, not accepted as suitable on a single one.

There are still people who struggle on the computer, so don't rule out setting them up for people or updating them for people, if you're good at that sort of thing. I don't think poor social skills would be such a problem there, once someone's frustrated on their computer they just want someone to sort it out.



melanie25
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09 Jan 2018, 5:56 am

I've tried both working from home and at the office. When I work from home, I have the feeling that I lag behind. Behind the news, the people, the social development in general. That is why now I'm trying to combine, to find something which will satisfy my professional needs as well as personal comfort needs.



kraftiekortie
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09 Jan 2018, 11:44 am

I wish I could work from home......



Trueno
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09 Jan 2018, 11:48 am

Thankfully I don't have to work any more. But when I tried in the past it never worked. I just made a nice cup of coffee and watched my Thunderbirds DVDs. Then I end up a day behind...


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09 Jan 2018, 12:28 pm

FunkyPunky wrote:
Sometimes I think I would love a work from home job.


I can't say for me as I never had such kind of job but an ex-gf used to work from home for this huge international manufacturer and her life wasn't exactly bad. In many ways it was a very good job. She's got to walk her dogs in the park, jog twice a day, cook her own meals at home while enjoying a glass of wine and a movie, all these kinds of things. Heaven, really.

The only drawbacks were, she was supposed to have her cell phone close by 24/7. Should any emergencies arise even if she were in bed, she had to pick it up and check whatever was happening. Going out for a pizza was kinda tricky at times. But again to compensate this, she's got to travel to Switzerland once a year to talk to their bosses, everything paid for.

Other kinds of problems would have been ... there were no excuses such as internet down. She always had to have a "plan b" in those cases. Also, while working from home you'll really spend more from your own wallet. I mean the bills and everything.



hobojungle
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09 Jan 2018, 2:53 pm

FunkyPunky wrote:
Sometimes I think I would love a work from home job. I'd get away from the people I don't like at the office, be able to work in my pajamas, maybe watch Netflix while I work, etc. I'd save a ton of money on gas. But then other days I feel like being stuck at home all day would make me depressed. Like, home is where I go to retreat from the world after work is over. What happens when work and home become the same place? I honestly don't know anymore. Could you guys do it?


Working from home & being my own boss are my long-term goals. I don’t want to deal with workplace politics, dress codes, & commuting. It is important to distinguish between work & rest. I have a “quitting time” every afternoon where I set aside my “work” for the day & relax. I feel somewhat confident (barring unforeseen circumstances) that I might eventually be able to support myself.



starkid
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09 Jan 2018, 5:29 pm

MagicKnight wrote:
Also, while working from home you'll really spend more from your own wallet. I mean the bills and everything.

That's why I charge more than I would otherwise charge.



pineapplehead
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10 Jan 2018, 3:14 am

I would love to work from home. Once I finish my degree, that'll actually be a possibility down the road (most companies won't let you do that unless you've been there for a while). I've had one office job before, and I felt like there was too much down time. If I work from home, I could just stop after half a day if all my work is done instead of having to pretend to look busy.



Veggie Farmer
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13 Jan 2018, 5:39 pm

fluffysaurus wrote:
^This made me laugh, not at b9 but at the contrast. I'm a fiction writer, I work long hours and get paid nothing. Thank God it's better to fail as a writer than to succeed at anything else :D


Off-topic digression, but I felt a need to respond!

Oh, Fluffy, you haven’t failed! :D

I write too. I’ve also spent a lot of time hanging out with fellow authors who sell on the Ginorous Online Bookstore. They’re an awesome, wise, experienced group of people who have held multiple discussions on what constitutes a successful writer. Their consensus is based on sales data, and their experienced standard is much lower than what people outside the business seem to expect. Generally, a book is considered successful if it sells more than 500 copies in its lifetime, and you get respected author cred if you make enough monthly to pay the cable bill. Even traditionally published authors often miss that mark. I hit the top 2% in author rank selling just 5-7 books a day! Like any of the other arts, very, very few people make a full-time living with writing. So don’t make the mistake of conflating financial gains with success. If you have multiple strangers on a regular basis voluntarily reading your work and wanting more, you’re a success. If not, than you just haven’t hit success YET. Keep working and it will come.

Back on topic - keeping a daily routine helps a lot when working at home and staying on task. I have a structured daily to-do list I check in with hourly. Especially for writers, committing to at least an hour or two a day of work really helps with writer’s block and keeps each new book from taking years to finish.


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Turtleton
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23 Jan 2018, 2:12 pm

b9 wrote:
i hope i can get this out before losing people's interest....

i worked for a company for about 12 years and had my own office there.
i was the only programmer and the company was large so i took a lot on.
our company "infohouse" had about 300 customers.
they paid through the nose in their yearly invoices for the reports we tailored for them.
the turnover was about $20 million. great times.
they knew i had aspergers so i got a lot of accommodations (since i was valuable).
the company used free supermarket scan data that i analyzed and wrote forecasters around, as well as any tailor made requirements for each client.
then the government made it illegal to obtain scandata for free. we were providing our customers with not only their own product ferformance, but that of their competitors as well.
the company had to shut down because our free resource was now hideously expensive.

when infohouse closed, a lot of their clients turned to me to continue their service on my own as their employee.

i turned most of them down because it would have been too much, but i accepted a large distribution company's invitation to look at their system.
i did and said i would reprogram most of it to speed it up and make it more versatile and more powerful and easier to use.
i stipulated that i must do this from home.
it took me 3 months, and that project was over (i charged $130,000 for the job), and then they showed me a number of ideas that they wanted me to do for them.
they wanted me to write programs and generate reports every month.
so i wrote the basic programs and generated 430 reports every month with their suppliers data.
for this i charged $10,000 per month.
so i then was determined to automate my system so i did not have to do anything much.
people at work never knew the ease which i did the job and assumed i must be working hard all month to get the reports ready.

so, every month, i got separate emails with sales figures etc all in the same format (which i designed), and then when they emailed me the last file, they rang me and said "we are ready now".
i then fired up the system (on the last day of the month) and i programmed it only for my use so i had no interest in aesthetics.
there were 4 buttons.
1. impdata
2. rebate reports.
3. reconciliation reports.
4. oddities report.

it imported all the files automatically into a database that was sent through a complex error checking mechanism before incurring a myriad of procedures, all automated, that produced the reports.

the entire job took 10 minutes.

i then sent them the reports, and went back to bed (i took my phone to bed on that day due to possible problems).

they were always correct and that was it.
so i worked about 30 minutes per month on average.

if i was at a workplace and people saw how easily i did it, i am sure they would have been ingratiated by my exorbitant fees.

i did as i pleased for all but 1/2 hour per month (usually)

good stuff.

i am retired now because i have enough money.


Oh my, you make me so jealous. :P You are living the exact life of what I thought my freelancing life was going to be.

Now for OP's question. I hope my story could be of some help, too.

I'm a home-based Freelance Translator. :mrgreen:

When I finished college several years ago, I finally found out that i have asperger's because I quit my dream job on the first day. After that, I spent 2 years sending application letters, receiving or declining offers, landing jobs and then quitting after one or two days. Luckily, just when I thought I might as well jump of a bridge I landed a job that lets us work from home. Unluckily, that company laid our entire team off after just several months.

That really was a lot of struggle. :cry: So this time I decided I can't take that anymore.

I have been working as a part-time home-based Subtitler Translator for a local company since I graduated. So when I get "streamlined :skull: ", I talked to that company and asked for more workload. This happened about 6 months ago from now. Now I am a "fulltime" freelance Translator.

Since then, I have been underpaid, busy and constantly worried.

Underpaid:
This is due to a lack of qualification.
Unfortunately I graduated with an art degree. I made that decision when I still thought I'm gonna be a top-notch in the art industry. In other words, I have no translation-related qualification whatsoever. Clients will make sure to exploit you for this.

Busy:
There will be a lot of deadlines, marketing, applications and negotiations constantly going on.
Also, don't forget about all the accounting and data management. After all, you are running your own business now and you are the only employee. It is also essential to eg. keep blogs, update online profiles. Marketing is a never-ending responsibility for most freelancers.

Worried:
Workload is unstable and freelancers compete on an international level.
Freelancers living in Kenya may offer the market a super low rate, thus sabotaging the opportunity for freelancers living in the US, who has to offer a higher rate to make ends meet because they're living in a country with higher standard of living. Also, you established clients may not find you if their clients are not giving them any jobs. :(

Nevertheless, I am still satisfied with my decision. Here are some of the pros.

No more awkward socializing, business events or parties:
I have never had a single social situation-triggered panic attach since than. I can now focus on freaking out about other things.

More time:
This means a lot to me, because I am a learning how to draw and play an instrument. If there's something in life that you want to pursue, a freelancer's lifestyle will work great for you.

No more waking up at 7am:
YAAAYYYYYY :jester: :jester: :jester:

Last but not least, OP, I want to tell you that it IS impossible to watch Netflix while working. That is - yup you guessed it - translating for Netflix!

Overall I think this is a great lifestyle. It might not fit everyone, but if working full time doesn’t work out for you (just like me), you can always give freelancing a try. :D


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komamanga
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23 Jan 2018, 2:26 pm

I work from home now. Hope it will last forever.



fluffysaurus
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24 Jan 2018, 8:18 am

Veggie Farmer wrote:
fluffysaurus wrote:
^This made me laugh, not at b9 but at the contrast. I'm a fiction writer, I work long hours and get paid nothing. Thank God it's better to fail as a writer than to succeed at anything else :D


Off-topic digression, but I felt a need to respond!

Oh, Fluffy, you haven’t failed! :D

I write too. I’ve also spent a lot of time hanging out with fellow authors who sell on the Ginorous Online Bookstore. They’re an awesome, wise, experienced group of people who have held multiple discussions on what constitutes a successful writer. Their consensus is based on sales data, and their experienced standard is much lower than what people outside the business seem to expect. Generally, a book is considered successful if it sells more than 500 copies in its lifetime, and you get respected author cred if you make enough monthly to pay the cable bill. Even traditionally published authors often miss that mark. I hit the top 2% in author rank selling just 5-7 books a day! Like any of the other arts, very, very few people make a full-time living with writing. So don’t make the mistake of conflating financial gains with success. If you have multiple strangers on a regular basis voluntarily reading your work and wanting more, you’re a success. If not, than you just haven’t hit success YET. Keep working and it will come.

Back on topic - keeping a daily routine helps a lot when working at home and staying on task. I have a structured daily to-do list I check in with hourly. Especially for writers, committing to at least an hour or two a day of work really helps with writer’s block and keeps each new book from taking years to finish.

Sorry, I missed your comment. No I don't think I've failed, apart from anything else I have the huge satisfaction of not going where other people were constantly trying to put me, (uni, army, civil service, RAF, NHS) Basically, you name it and someones done their best to persuade me to join it, but I didn't, I'm still a writer :D. Luckily I like tinned fish and pasta.

Does your writing cover you or what do you supplement it with? I'm currently hunting for things I can do around my writing to bring in some income (preferably from home) but that won't hinder the writing ie take over. Anything to avoid going back into the workplace because my writing suffers when I get stressed and anxious.



Veggie Farmer
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24 Jan 2018, 5:17 pm

fluffysaurus wrote:
Veggie Farmer wrote:
fluffysaurus wrote:
^This made me laugh, not at b9 but at the contrast. I'm a fiction writer, I work long hours and get paid nothing. Thank God it's better to fail as a writer than to succeed at anything else :D


Off-topic digression, but I felt a need to respond!

Oh, Fluffy, you haven’t failed! :D

I write too. I’ve also spent a lot of time hanging out with fellow authors who sell on the Ginorous Online Bookstore. They’re an awesome, wise, experienced group of people who have held multiple discussions on what constitutes a successful writer. Their consensus is based on sales data, and their experienced standard is much lower than what people outside the business seem to expect. Generally, a book is considered successful if it sells more than 500 copies in its lifetime, and you get respected author cred if you make enough monthly to pay the cable bill. Even traditionally published authors often miss that mark. I hit the top 2% in author rank selling just 5-7 books a day! Like any of the other arts, very, very few people make a full-time living with writing. So don’t make the mistake of conflating financial gains with success. If you have multiple strangers on a regular basis voluntarily reading your work and wanting more, you’re a success. If not, than you just haven’t hit success YET. Keep working and it will come.

Back on topic - keeping a daily routine helps a lot when working at home and staying on task. I have a structured daily to-do list I check in with hourly. Especially for writers, committing to at least an hour or two a day of work really helps with writer’s block and keeps each new book from taking years to finish.

Sorry, I missed your comment. No I don't think I've failed, apart from anything else I have the huge satisfaction of not going where other people were constantly trying to put me, (uni, army, civil service, RAF, NHS) Basically, you name it and someones done their best to persuade me to join it, but I didn't, I'm still a writer :D. Luckily I like tinned fish and pasta.

Does your writing cover you or what do you supplement it with? I'm currently hunting for things I can do around my writing to bring in some income (preferably from home) but that won't hinder the writing ie take over. Anything to avoid going back into the workplace because my writing suffers when I get stressed and anxious.



Good for you, not letting others push you around!

I spent a period of about six months making full-timeish pay for writing, and ironically, it was an awful experience. I was so stressed trying to pump out books fast to please reader expectations, the rest of my life suffered. The problem for me in doing what I love for a living was that I didn’t love it anymore when it became a high-pressure job. I finally posted on my blog that new books will come out when I feel like it, and took the pay cut of lowered sales. Now I’m aiming for a book a year while working a couple hours a day. Much, much better life for me!

There aren’t many decent work from home jobs out there, sadly. My best advice for a secondary job is the same as for any first job. Make a list of tasks of what you can reasonably tolerate doing day after day, and see if there is a local or online demand for thar. I’m also a mini-farmer, which I honestly love doing all day every day. In my mind, its the perfect Aspie job - I have autonomy, I work with plants and animals, and I’m always learning new things.

What do you think of editing? If you have the credentials, I know there is a market for reasonably priced freelance book editors. A lot of authors would pay for an opinion before posting their books on the Zon.


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fluffysaurus
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25 Jan 2018, 3:12 pm

Veggie Farmer wrote:
fluffysaurus wrote:
Veggie Farmer wrote:
fluffysaurus wrote:
^This made me laugh, not at b9 but at the contrast. I'm a fiction writer, I work long hours and get paid nothing. Thank God it's better to fail as a writer than to succeed at anything else :D


Off-topic digression, but I felt a need to respond!

Oh, Fluffy, you haven’t failed! :D

I write too. I’ve also spent a lot of time hanging out with fellow authors who sell on the Ginorous Online Bookstore. They’re an awesome, wise, experienced group of people who have held multiple discussions on what constitutes a successful writer. Their consensus is based on sales data, and their experienced standard is much lower than what people outside the business seem to expect. Generally, a book is considered successful if it sells more than 500 copies in its lifetime, and you get respected author cred if you make enough monthly to pay the cable bill. Even traditionally published authors often miss that mark. I hit the top 2% in author rank selling just 5-7 books a day! Like any of the other arts, very, very few people make a full-time living with writing. So don’t make the mistake of conflating financial gains with success. If you have multiple strangers on a regular basis voluntarily reading your work and wanting more, you’re a success. If not, than you just haven’t hit success YET. Keep working and it will come.

Back on topic - keeping a daily routine helps a lot when working at home and staying on task. I have a structured daily to-do list I check in with hourly. Especially for writers, committing to at least an hour or two a day of work really helps with writer’s block and keeps each new book from taking years to finish.

Sorry, I missed your comment. No I don't think I've failed, apart from anything else I have the huge satisfaction of not going where other people were constantly trying to put me, (uni, army, civil service, RAF, NHS) Basically, you name it and someones done their best to persuade me to join it, but I didn't, I'm still a writer :D. Luckily I like tinned fish and pasta.

Does your writing cover you or what do you supplement it with? I'm currently hunting for things I can do around my writing to bring in some income (preferably from home) but that won't hinder the writing ie take over. Anything to avoid going back into the workplace because my writing suffers when I get stressed and anxious.



Good for you, not letting others push you around!

I spent a period of about six months making full-timeish pay for writing, and ironically, it was an awful experience. I was so stressed trying to pump out books fast to please reader expectations, the rest of my life suffered. The problem for me in doing what I love for a living was that I didn’t love it anymore when it became a high-pressure job. I finally posted on my blog that new books will come out when I feel like it, and took the pay cut of lowered sales. Now I’m aiming for a book a year while working a couple hours a day. Much, much better life for me!

There aren’t many decent work from home jobs out there, sadly. My best advice for a secondary job is the same as for any first job. Make a list of tasks of what you can reasonably tolerate doing day after day, and see if there is a local or online demand for thar. I’m also a mini-farmer, which I honestly love doing all day every day. In my mind, its the perfect Aspie job - I have autonomy, I work with plants and animals, and I’m always learning new things.

What do you think of editing? If you have the credentials, I know there is a market for reasonably priced freelance book editors. A lot of authors would pay for an opinion before posting their books on the Zon.

I don't have qualifications for editing but I have had to do a lot of research for my own work prior to submitting to agents so I will look into getting a relevant qualification. A degree in English Lit isn't feasible but there may be something shorter and at least I'd end up using anything I learnt. I haven't gone that way previously because I didn't believe my English (the rules) was good enough but I've realised from editing my own work that I can tell when something is wrong, even when I don't know why, which cuts down enormously on the time of checking things. Do you have any idea on the qualification level writers would begin to pay for editing at? Would any pay for just the reading with a review? I am well read and would be able to research what agents/publishers were looking for ie length in different genres.

I am looking into selling on Folksy, it's worth a try and it might be fun.