Can anyone suggest a legitimate work from home opportunity? Thanks.

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Let's begin with the skills you do have and go from there. What is your education, training, and/or professional experience. Your question is far too open as there are MANY small business / freelance opportunities you can do from home. Would you mind sharing more so we can answer more specifically for your needs? Thanks.

What skils do u have??

I too, would like to find opportunities to work from home so I can keep caring for my mom. A year ago, I completed a Master's in Public Administration with an Environmental Policy concentration. My undergrad is in Geography. I have also recently completed a Master's certification in Geographic Information Systems (analysis of data that can be mapped).

I have 20+ years in the public and private sectors in the transportation and land planning fields with seven of those in a project management position.

I would also like some suggestions on "at home" work opportunities. I take care of my 91 year old mother. I lost my hearing about 5 years ago(started to go in my late 20's) and I now wear a Cochlear. I use to work for physician's as a receptionist, insurance clerk, records clerk, and operator. I can use a closed caption phone, but not easily. I think that people are understanding of this, however, I also think that it annoys them. I cannot hear well enough from a tape to do transcription. I think the best kind of job is something that is task oriented or research, something like that. I decent organizational skills. I tried to go back to school to learn billing and could not finish the program because it was too difficult to interact with the instructor and the students, which was vital. I can read, so whatever I can learn by reading would be the best route. I would love some suggestions that fit into these perimeters of my hearing disability to earn a living or supplement my SS. I do not have a degree, only college courses that were work related. All of which was in dental/medical field.

Sorry, some of the words that I typed were deleted, as I really did edit this before I hit submit. This happens to me on Yahoo, too.

Perseverance, you stated ... "there are MANY small business / freelance opportunities you can do from home". Where do you find them? I need to work from home, too. Thank you for any information.

I used to do quite well on ebay,,,,,the trick is you have to have some sort of product to sell. But it was very lucrative to me when I had antiques from my parents to sell. My mother's Alzheimers is too advanced now and my own health is too poor now for me to do it, but it more than sustained us for a long time. And I never left the house.

Casbago22WI, how do you ship the items you offered on Ebay? My sister gave me a lot of items for me to offer on Ebay & make an income but I don't know how to do it successfully. Any info would be helpful.

You do not say what your education and skills are, and I thought this was a forum for those of us who are caregivers with someone with dementia. Perhaps contact your local Department of Economic Security in your city as there are not too many legitimate "jobs" where you work at home. Of course if there were, mostly everyone would prefer to work "at home". I do all the time but I don't get paid for it except with an occasional smile from my husband.

This is the kiss slap phenomenon

Hi Palamino, this is my first time posting, I just joined a couple days ago. When I was caring for both of my parents at their old house, I found out they had taken a reverse mortgage on it and blown the money in a year. I had been bedridden for several years and in another world from seizures/brain damage, so didn't know what was going on. So I started selling on ebay, we did have alot of antiques,,,I hired a woman to take the packages to the post office, I shipped everything USPS, got the supplies from the post office,,,,they delivered them, My father died (at 102!) but I was able to make enough to move my mother and myself into a condo, And now I take care of her, though I am quite sick myself. But we are still a good team, despite her alzheimers,,,,,though it is crazy here alot of the time,,,I have to keep an eye on her 24/7 she is never out of my sight. Never. Ebay is not perfect but it is flexible enough I think for me anyway it was the best way to go. And I met alot of very nice people doing it. From all over the world. You CAN arrange for the pos office to pick up your package, I never did it but I do know it is a service they offer.

ferris1, I realize I may have misunderstood what you meant by "I thought this was a forum for those of us who are caregivers with someone with dementia" -- but it sounded as if you think the original poster's question was somehow inappropriate or off-topic? If so, I'm not sure why? From what I've read on this board, many caregivers of dementia sufferers find it increasingly difficult to work outside the home in a regularly structured/scheduled job ... either because they can't afford what it would cost to hire a caregiver in their absence, or because they have to leave too often to deal with crises at home. But they also can't afford to give up bringing in some income ... so they look for some more flexible job that allows them to work for themselves rather than an employer who is losing patience with the unpredictable nature of their lives and the constant, non-work-related demands on them. I don't see how it's inappropriate or a misuse of this forum for a person in this situation to ask others who are or have been in the same position to suggest alternate jobs that have worked for them? I'd say asking for this kind of insight from people who know what you're going through is exactly what a support forum like this is for ... and I agree with you (and your husband! :-) ) that there is no "work at home" job like a home caregiving job!

Emadrisp, all depends on your skills/background. I have worked from home for 15 years as a freelance writer/editor/proofreader. My educational background is in print journalism, but I never worked in that field. I worked as a technical writer in a large company for five years before striking out on my own, and was fortunate to land contracts at companies over the years from people with whom I had worked in the past, and who were familiar with my skill set and abilities. I find some jobs by scouring the net. I have a portfolio of work and references that I am able to provide to new potential clients. This is an example of a work-at-home opportunity that requires a particular skill set and body of work as well as references.

My sister-in-law works regularly from home as a medical billing specialist. Again, she worked for a number of years in a billing setting for a local hospital, and when she quit that organization, she found her skill set in demand by a number of facilities who were willing to contract the work out to someone with the experience and skill set.

I have another friend who has built a successful home business on eBay. She regularly goes to estate sales and auctions on weekends, and advertises her services (she will sell your unwanted stuff on commission) in local papers. She is good at what she does, and gets the best price available for the items she sells, as she has some knowledge of antiques and is good at writing descriptions and taking pictures.

I know artists who make wonderful things and sell them via etsy. Generally, what they earn supplements rather than replaces regular income, but every little bit helps ... so take a look at that site and see if you can think of anything you could make to sell?

These are all some thoughts ... do beware of non-legitimate work-at-home opportunities that want you to pay money to find out more about how to stuff envelopes or other such things ... you are likely to find that these "opportunities," once you've paid for them, are instructions for selling the same bogus work-at-home plan to others that exploited you. I've seen this happen too many times with people who start searching for "work-at-home jobs" on the Web, so just be careful.

Good luck!

When shipping on Ebay, try to use the pre-paid boxes - or carefully weigh the boxed item, so you don't lose money on shipping. Decide whether you need to insure the item or have a tracking number. I think that the PO will pick up the boxed items form your home.

I thought this forum was for any kind of caregiver, not just those with dementia, but anyone who is under the stress and duress of daily care of someone who needs it, that's my take.

I say that "work from" is an advantage from a convience standpoint. ONE QUESTION HERE IS: are you able to accomplish the tasks without distractions? Will you still have to hire a licensed caregiver to cover for you while you are actually working, taking your breaks, lunch, etc.? What is a better savings for you: board-and-home care or stay at home care?

Correction: "Work from Home". option. Pat

I, personally have very few distractions that would keep me from any work. I have to stay close to home to keep an eye on my mother to keep her from getting into any trouble or to steer her away from any thing that might cause a problem. I, also, have other things, such as yard work, house work, doctor visits (approx. 1 x week), an hour workout, and animal care(3 cats, 1 dog). The dog has to be bathed every 3 days due to allergies. What I am looking for is something that I can do on a part time basis, meaning a few hours a day.

This forum is to talk about ANYTHING we want to! This subject is a good one. Thanks for posting, and for those of you that gave good answers!

Seabean61: Yes, but as your mother is no longer able to independently care for herself and you cannot adequately help her alone or even with family or friends available, expensive help will be required at home. Ask a geriatric care manager to evaluate and help your mother decide what is the best eldercare option. You did not say how old your mother is, but now is the time to look into possible eldercare before it is actually required.

i cut firewood and sell it. yea it dont pay much of anything just makes your back hurt.. could grow some great weed but im just getting too old for the tazers and the biting dogs and all that. i sell an occasional phsycadelic toad, legislation hasnt caught up with that yet.

Hey Cap'n, thought you'd have a still cooking in the backyard. Har har

Yes, I agree with, "There is no dumb question" and what I was trying to point out was the "work at home" jobs can be a rip-off, so make sure you check things out thoroughly emadripsp. I would not deny anyone trying to make a living honestly, and BoniChak is right. We can talk about anything, even about those who try and bully others on this site with their nasty comments. I never take comments about myself personally, because I know my intentions are honorable.

Well if the shoe fits, then wear it. If it applies use it, if it doesn't let it fly.

There are jobs you can do so let people on here help u. I also do surveys. I get points and get free meals movie tickets and cash and I take my niece places with the things I get. If anyone wants to know ask me.

What you need is a good postage scale & the internet. Once you know the weight & the dimensions of the package, you can go to usps.gov & the post office will figure your postage & print out a label. They will even schedule a pickup at your house, under certain circumstances.

And you can print out the postage yourself from post office site and eliminate going for stamps, and schedule a pickup too.

I work from home doing customer Service. I work for West @ home but you can also apply at Alpine Acess. They are both legitimate companies and very flexible. Just apply. If you search work from home in google for your state all the companies that hire people to work at home will come up. New Corp is another one and I use to work for Afni. A lot of these companies only hire in certain states so do a search by state. I hope it helps and message me if you have questions.

Hard to suggest without knowing a bit about your skills.

Someone mentioned eBay, good idea, but you also need the out of home time to hunt the treasures you would resell.

Online universities have online professors, not sure if you may qualify.

Call centers can hire at home workers, they set you up with an ip phone and scripts, these can be legitimate, I once had a tour from a form that was trying to sell this service to the company I worked for. The tour actually included going to some homes. Check out companies like QVC.

Tax preparation, bookkeeping.
Resume preparation

I work from home. I am in sales for a major company. I visit customers frequently, but when I am not at a meeting, I am home. My colleagues work from home as well, so we rely on conference calls and internet meetings for collaboration. This requires a certain discipline and environment. The TV in my house does not turn on until after 7 pm. No barking dogs, no children or elders requiring attention. While I have flexibility because I do not work in an office, I still need a professional work environment. I could never have done this job from my mom's house, with them calling for my assistance, I did however camp out in the hospital with my cell and computer when I needed to be there for extended periods. My customers were kinda s understanding when they overheard the hospital noises, or when I interrupted because an elusive doctor had just walked in.

I love being home based. My point with my personal description at home opportunities can be very different.
Do you have a quiet environment where you can interface with people via phone.
Are you looking for a set schedule?
Are you just looking to be based from home so you have the flexibility to look in on you parent?

When it's possible, I plan to get into medical transcription....you can take all the classes online, and work from home, or out of it. The pay isn't bad either.