Telecommuting is becoming a way of life for a small number of people. High gas prices, a desire to reevaluate the work/life balance, and the recognition by some companies that work accomplished is more important than time spent in the office has given some people the chance to work from home, without the stigma of a guy sending e-mails from home while in his pajamas.
Joel Durham, Jr. is one of those guys, and he shares his experiences, both as a telecommuter, and as someone trying to get work as a telecommuter. It's a good story.
An excerpt from his job search:
I spent quite a few years as a freelance tech and gaming
writer before Loyd Case and Jim Louderback decided to hire me. Although
I loved the freedom of doing my own thing, I missed some aspects of
full-time employment: mainly, regular checks and benefits.
I
surfed the tech job sites, looking for something in media, knowing from
experience that I could do a fine job working from home.
Ad after ad concluded with the depressing proclamation: NO TELECOMMUTING.
Not
only had I written for magazines and Web sites all over the globe, but
I'd also spent a full year working on staff at Gamecenter, CNET's
sadly-defunct gaming site, as the technical editor.
Telework can be extremely successful and gratifying, both for the employer and the employee. I knew it from experience.
Puzzled, I contacted a few of the hiring directors behind those no telecommuting ads with a simple question: Why not?
Each reason they gave now seems silly to me in my current capacity.
There's a lot more to the story, so if you're considering telecommuting, or looking for a job that has some flexibility, read on. And in the meantime, you can also check out a friend of ours (and client) who writes a blog about working from home called WorkShak.com.
