Telecommuting Jobs

The trouble in corporate America is that too many people with too much power live in a box (their home), then travel the same road every day to another box (their office).
   - Faith Popcorn, The Popcorn Report, 1991

Many aspiring nomads never fulfill their dreams because they think they don't have the money.  Perhaps, at one time or another, these questions have crossed their minds: If I hit the road, how will I earn money. If I keep my job, when will I ever get to see the world? 

In the past decades, perhaps, this might have been a trivial issue.  But with technology shrinking the world every day, the issue has already started to shift.  It is no longer a choice of whether to stay for your job or to leave your job altogether.  It is now a choice of whether to stay in the office or take your work with you.

This concept is called telecommuting..

Telecommuting

Telecommuting is doing work which you would normally do in the office at another location.  It makes use of technologies such as the Internet, VPN connection, email, chat, phone, fax and video conferencing.  It is usually considered working from home, but it doesn't have to be that way.  You can telecommute from anywhere these days.  With the Internet, it's just as easy to telecommute from Tahiti as it is from Topeka. 

One way to make money almost anywhere in the world is to talk your current employer or client into becoming a global telecommuter, a computer nomad.  A global telecommuter is someone who can set up an office anywhere in the world there is a telephone and electricity.

To achieve this, you must convince your clients or an employer that telecommuting is feasible.  Telecommuting is growing by leaps and bounds, and for good reason: studies show that not only do telecommuters have a 20% productivity increase over their office-bound co-workers, but they cost less to employers because of reduced overhead such as office rental expenses. 

It's not hard to imagine why, if you get down to thinking about what percentage of an office day is spent on non-essential discussion.  The meetings around the coffee pot discussing the football game or West Wing the night before is one thing, but a lot of time goes into talk about office issues such as politics and procedures that do not improve productivity.  The communications methods employed by telecommuters, like telephone and email, tend to foster more efficient, thoughtful and to the point exchanges.

Many office workers already telecommute several days a week, coming into the office for meetings and consultations.  Some businesses are even utilizing Conference space rentals and virtual offices to help expand into other markets and give their company that big city appeal without having the high overhead associated with running a large office.  Indeed, the cultural and social need for personal meetings is probably the biggest factor keeping businesses from having much more aggressive telecommuting programs.  Millions of employees around the world telecommute at least part of the time.

How to Persuade an Employer to Let You Telecommute

If your company doesn't already have an active telecommuting program, or is highly skeptical about its benefits, offer yourself as a test model.  Explain in a written proposal the benefits of telecommuting which boil down to improved employee moral, increased productivity and reduced real estate costs.  Jack Niles, author of several books on telecommuting, thinks that nearly 50% of all office workers are potential telecommuters.  The number is actually higher.  That means that if a business takes full advantage of its telecommuting potential that, in theory, it could reduce nearly half of its expense for rental or purchase of office space.

Not only should you explain the overall benefits to your company of telecommuting, describe how your particular position and responsibilities can be handled through communications technology.  Make use of all the technology resources necessary.  Explain how you will use each one to replace face-to-face meetings.  If your responsibilities do require face-to-face interaction, you may have to propose a redefinition of your responsibilities. 

Study your own field of work to determine if it can be done without having to be physically present in your workplace.  This is fairly important if you are planning to stay in Belize for a few months, and you intend to move to Okinawa after that.  Your job must be able to move with you, without affecting your output.

If you see that your present position is already a tested telecommuting job, or has chances of becoming one, but your present company has not embraced the idea of telecommuting just yet, don't lose hope.  You can introduce the concept to your employer.  Start by listing what she needs, what kind of output she requires.  Since you have already been doing the job, you know that you can already supply the output and you can deliver the required results.  The important thing here is convincing her that you can produce the same, if not better, output by doing it “at a distance.”

Find out if your company has a telecommuting program.  Ask human resources if you are not sure.  If they do, get the documentation and read it.  Prepare a thoughtful, detailed written proposal.  Don't just stroll into your boss's office and tell her you want to start telecommuting from Goa next week.  Put together some articles that explain the benefits of telecommuting.  Research other companies, particularly competitors, and their use of telecommuting.  Arm yourself with the appropriate information.  Describe how the tasks you perform in the office can be accomplished telecommuting. 

If you are a highly skilled and valuable employee, you are in a good bargaining position, especially in the current employee's market economy.  Your employer may just prefer to have you part-time or with modified responsibilities than lose you to a competitor.  In fact, if you are serious about becoming a computer nomad, with all the planning and extra work it takes, then you will probably need to reduce your work hour commitment.  You want to enjoy your nomadic lifestyle, not just work all the time.

Obviously, not all job positions can adapt the concept of telecommuting.  Those that require face-to-face meetings with clients do not count, such as hotel receptionists or waiters. 

There are also telecommuting jobs that may not require you to be at the office most of the time, but would require you to report for work twice a week or a few times a month.  An architectural project may be an example of this, wherein the initial meetings will be held with other people, but the drawing stage may done somewhere else, and the rest of the job needs to be done at a specified location.

If it isn't feasible for your present job to be done from your home, it's not likely it'll get done from halfway around the world.  At this point, you can either try to apply for an overseas job in the country of your choice in the same field of work, or you can search for another alternative – a telecommuting job.

Office work can, by and large, be done from anywhere.  We don't even need paper.  Paper is still used widely, especially so considering the success of UPS and Federal Express, but it is dispensable in the computer age.  It's just a matter of changing human habits — not something that can be taken lightly or done overnight.

Jobs Suited to Telecommuting

Most computer jobs are suited to long-term telecommuting for several reasons.  If you spend most of your time working at a computer, you are a candidate for telecommuting.  Employees of hi-tech firms should have the easiest time of it.  First of all, the people you work for and with tend to be accustomed to working with technology.  They have used email, chat and video-conferencing to replace face-to-face meetings.  Computer professionals naturally spend a lot of time at their computers, and many are used to the lonely pursuit of all-night sessions at their computers.  They often use email more than personal conversations. 

The companies most likely to allow an employee or consultant to work exclusively via telecommuting are the companies that are most comfortable with computer technology.  Managers in fast-paced hi-tech companies are more willing to try new things.  They aren't shy about using all the latest communication technologies — video conferencing, chat, email and fax — to replace face to face meetings.  Technology companies are also the most desperate for personnel.  If they want you to work for them, they're more likely to find a way to get you to produce for them and still keep you happy.

Some technical positions require much more time interacting with other employees. For example, system analysts must conduct extensive in-person interviews with staff at all levels to determine design a computer system.  Other positions that may require face-to-face meetings include trainers.  Even training and analysis can be done using technologies such as video conferencing.  Many people still prefer to be in the same room with people they are working with, but that attitude is changing rapidly.  Technical support engineers typically spend much if not most of their time on the phone with end users and direct access to a variety of computer systems.  Their phone bills could be astronomical trying to do this function telecommuting from overseas, although Skype now gives us an inexpensive alternative.

The jobs most suited for telecommuting are the ones that require the fewest face-to-face meetings.  When you really think about it, there are few office jobs that require you to be in a certain place at a certain time.  It's mostly a matter of habit and workplace culture built up over decades of pre-digital office operations.  Virtually all activities one thinks about that really require a physical presence are things that can't yet be done efficiently by robots, like moving and shipping boxes, food preparation, or health care.

How to Find Telecommuting Jobs

If it's not feasible to telecommute for your present employer, try looking for a telecommuting job.  A Google search for telecommuting jobs will turn up hundreds of sites listing job openings.  Many jobs, though, are for temporary or contract work.  These are often jobs such as programming or writing that are well-suited for telecommuting even though they are not advertised as such.  Telecommuting jobs are now everywhere in the Internet, and many Internet businesses don't even have their own office.  All the employees are telecommuters.

The sites that advertise telecommuting jobs do not take responsibility on the authenticity of the jobs being offered.  Get background information on the company you are applying, since you will be working for them from a certain distance.

The payment involved may also be an issue with regards to telecommuting: will the employee be earning wages set in the location of the company or the location of the employee?  This arrangement will have to be set between you and the employer, or you can conduct further research on the rates for your services.

There are many jobs that can become acceptable telecommuting jobs. Here are a few of the most common:

Programming and Design

Computer programming is a popular telecommuting job.  They are some of the most knowledgeable in this technology and they can make the most out of it.  They spend most of their time glued to their keyboards and computer screens, which is perhaps why companies often let computer programmers telecommute.  Programmers are like doctors – they have to keep on learning in order to keep up with the fast pace of developments in their field.  To be a programmer, you must know computer languages, and keep on learning the new ones as they come along. 

Although many programmers have a degree in computer science, others teach themselves out of sheer enjoyment.  Either way, those practicing in this field have opportunities all over the world.  Top-notch systems engineers and programmers are in such demand that employers and clients will do just about anything to keep their talent. 

Web Page Design

Anyone who has learned to use the Internet and develop a basic web page is in an excellent position to market their skills from anywhere in the world.  Using the programs necessary for developing web pages is not as clean and easy as using a word processing package like Microsoft Word or WordPerfect.  The main problem is still with HTML, the basic language used for web ages.  Even the best web page design programs like Microsoft's FrontPage require you to occasionally go into the HTML code itself and do some tweaking.  You never do that with word processing programs or desktop publishing programs like Microsoft Publisher, Quark Express or PageMaker.  In general, though, it is easier to learn to develop web pages than become a computer programmer.  The most popular web creation software packages are Microsoft Frontpage and Adobe Dreamweaver.

You don't need too many clients to make a living as a freelance web page designer.  Once you have designed their page, they nearly always need maintenance.  For the computer nomad, this type of Internet work can be done from anywhere.  Relationships can be built via email and reinforced using online chat programs.

Writing

Writing has always been one of the all-time favorite telecommuting jobs. Since writing does not often demand much presence in the office, and is geared toward producing output instead of attendance, this is a perfect job to be done anywhere – for as long as the writer can gather up inspiration. In fact, traveling goes hand-in-hand with writing, because experience gives the writer more ideas and experiences to write about.  There are numerous magazines and publishers accepting freelance writers from all over the world, and the most basic requirements are simply to possess great writing skills and an access to the Internet.

Some publishers and magazines require you to be knowledgeable in certain fields of interest, such as sports or environment.  It is just a matter of finding out which topic interests you and which you can write about.

Another form of writing that is in demand is technical writing.  Typically technical writers produce technology documentation or user manuals.  It requires technical know-how, as well as the ability to write.  Writing is excellent for a computer nomad.  Writers have a great tradition of writing from and about places around the world.  From Ernest Hemingway's experience living in Cuba came the classic novel, The Old Man and the Sea.  Travel writing and free-lance journalism are time-tested careers for journalists living around the globe.

 You can make a lot more money and find a lot more work as a writer with computer experience by working as a technical writer.  Native English speakers with writing skills can be in great demand in prosperous non-English speaking countries like Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.  Businesses in these countries often have to produce computer documentation in English, for both in-house use and for the computer products they market overseas.  This is also the kind of work you are more likely to be able to get a work permit for, since the company will find it difficult to find local native -English speakers.

Many growing economies such as those in South America have needs for this type of skill besides the established economies in Asia.  Once you have worked for a while for a foreign country as a technical writer, you are in a good position to persuade your employer to let you conduct your work by telecommuting, either on a part- or full-time basis.

Photography

Some magazines and publishers also need photographers, and being on the road actually gives a photographer an edge.  He has the freedom to move about and capture scenery or incidents by his camera. 

If you are an aspiring freelance photographer, all you need is a strong eye for good detail, be able to capture scenes in still shots, a good digital camera for creating computer images, and access to the Internet to send it.  Of course, it's not that simple.  A good background in photography and some experience will be a good backbone for you.

Internet Research

It is becoming more and more difficult and confusing to navigate through the sprawling Internet.  But thanks to the work of Internet researchers, we can actually just follow links and find what we're looking for.

Internet researchers go through web sites and find information.  They are usually given a topic to research on, and find out which sites are most informative with regards to the topic they have been assigned.  They have a job of trying to make surfing easier for Internet surfers.

Some companies require that Internet researchers have writing ability as well.  Others have a questionnaire which the researcher needs to fill out.  The latter requires less time for writing to give more time to research.  The former requires even attention on both.  Either way, researchers need two things: one, unlimited access to the Internet; and two, a lot of patience.

There are numerous other jobs that can be done via telecommuting.

Video Conferencing

Video conferencing is a viable substitute for personal meetings. 

This method is, I think, a waste of resources.  I see no need to have to see a person, in most cases, to have a meeting.  A group telephone conference, Internet messaging and chat are all preferable for the same reasons.  I prefer written communications to personal meetings for most business communications.

But some are smitten with video conferencing, and the technology exists.  The easiest way is to just hook up a web camera, or webcam, starting at as little as US$10.  That cheap device, and an Internet connection through Windows Messenger, gives you video conferencing.  Of course, there are companies that market high-end, dedicated systems for megabucks.  Why spend thousands when you can video conference with an Internet telephone system like Skype for free?

On-line Internet chat rooms, also, are free.  Messenger services from Yahoo and Microsoft, too, are free.  Formulating ideas into written words makes for more productive, efficient and less time-consuming meetings. 

How to Work Alone

Not everyone is suited to telecommuting, even one or two days a week.  There are many distractions and temptations.  It's easy, in a moment of boredom or exasperation, to head for the beach for a fifteen minute break then find you've been there for an hour or two gawking at girls in bikinis.  You may have children at home to distract you.

Telecommuting, or working without having to be confined within the four walls of the office, is a tempting idea.  It is the ultimate freedom from stress and pressure.  Telecommuters are expected to possess more self-discipline and concentration than regular commuters.  This is not as easy as it sounds, nor is everyone cut out for it.

Your personality has a lot to contribute to being successful in this endeavor.  If you are a procrastinator, then it's time to change that attitude, even before you start thinking about separating yourself from your supervisor.  Also, if you're prone to being tempted by television, friends or a cupcake, then it's time to develop some self-control.  Setting aside quality time for work will give you enough time to enjoy your life as a nomad, taking those unnecessary stresses off your mind when you should be sunbathing.

Putting up a workplace, away from temptation, will help you maintain concentration.  Being able to shut the door behind you when you're off to have a good time will help you to leave your work behind.

Getting used to this set-up while you're still at home will prove helpful when you get to Mozambique.

Many people, though, take to telecommuting – and working alone – with gusto.