I've Been Working at Home Since...
1995...technically I wasn't a WAHM until 1996 when my first child was born.
Before I Worked From Home I....
worked as a reporter for a magazine in NYC.
What I Do From Home
I'm a freelance writer and editor. Besides running this website, I edit a local visitor-oriented magazine, plus I write the occasional article for the media and advertising trade magazines and some local publications.
How I Got Started as a WAHM (or WAHD)
Shortly after we were married, my husband received a job offer in Orlando, FL. We were living in NYC at the time and knew we wanted to have children soon. Though I loved NY, Orlando seemed like a much more affordable place to start a family.
In fact, moving allowed us to buy a house with just my husband's salary. And that took some pressure off me. It allowed me time to build my freelance writing career.
After we moved, I began freelance writing right away. I didn't even bother looking for a full-time job because I knew I didn't want to work full-time once we had kids. I freelanced for my old employer back in NY and picked up local jobs writing a column for Orlando Magazine and some other travel writing. By the time our first baby was born, I had established a part-time freelance writing career--exactly what I wanted.
We now have three kids. And we've moved a few times since then. Often with the moves, it felt like I had to restart my career because so much of the work I did was local. But moving allowed us to scale back expenses until I could bring my income up again.
Some years I worked more than others. Now that my kids are in school I work full-time. But it was nice to only work part-time when they were home with me all day.
Advice
- If working at home is going to earn significantly less than working outside the home, try to figure a way to reduce major expenses. For me it was moving.
- Don't feel too anxious about a slow start to your at-home career, especially if it's not a financial strain. Enjoy the time with the kids.
