Table of Contents
What Should I Major In If I Want To Work Remotely?
While the concept of being your own boss, setting your own hours, and working inside your own four walls has merit—and apparent benefits—it also comes with a few drawbacks for self-employed and telecommuting workers. When it happens in the shadow of a national health emergency, it adds an extra layer of grief and uncertainty. Three ideas to assist you in re-establishing a healthy equilibrium. Through Blue Sky Graphics’ online graphic design school, you may become a graphic designer from the comfort of your own home.
1. Adhere to a regular work schedule.
Every person who has worked from home will encounter a lack of comprehension from others who think that working from home is not really working, despite the fact that the pandemic has aided in changing that dynamic. It is your duty to set your working hours, to stick to them, to work during those hours, and to refuse to be convinced by anybody that you are really employed.
Unfortunately, home life comes with its own set of distractions that may squander precious daylight and lead well-intentioned home workers to fall behind on critical duties. Apart from the typical workplace interruptions (vendor calls, power outages, accidents, and pet or child requests), personal boundaries will continue to be tested.
Close family members must understand that you cannot help them in relocating or just spend an hour on the phone during the workplace. Boundaries may be especially tough to establish when you have children. On the other hand, demonstrating to youngsters that you can work hard at something you enjoy—even the portions you dislike—may have a major effect on their future career choices and attitude toward work.
2. Keep an eye out for signs of workaholism.
People want to work from home for a number of reasons, including increased productivity and flexibility, as well as shorter hours (imagine what you might do with eight uninterrupted hours of keyboard pounding, uninterrupted by emails or daily staff meetings?). However, much liberty may be detrimental. When your office is always open and waiting for you, and you have a deadline looming over your head, it is tough to close the door and pretend you have gone home for the day. Many home-based workers find themselves working longer hours rather than shorter hours, putting in work time on nights and weekends just because they have to.
True, many professionals who work from home have a five-hour workday rather than an eight-hour workday. This is not to say they work less hard. Hours are often assessed in terms of “billable hours,” which implies that for every hour spent doing a task for which they charge, several minutes are spent performing unpaid administrative tasks.
3. When it comes to money saving, do not put all your eggs in one basket.
Working from home may seem to be a cost-cutting measure, since it removes the need for a daily commute, necessary lunches, and the price of office-appropriate attire. Additional expenses, however, are possible. Laptops, printers, Internet connection, cell phones, business cards, web hosting, business services, and software are often included in the cost of office setup. If you want to deduct the full cost of each item as a tax deduction, forget about repurposing your existing equipment for your business. Personal and business purchases must be kept separate to comply with tax regulations.
To begin, you may deduct expenses for a home office only if you are self-employed or contract. If you are an employee, you may no longer deduct unreimbursed work expenses, including any home office deduction. 14 As such, it is critical to make every effort to convince your employer to cover any extra costs.
Therefore, consider twice before attempting to deduct half of your mortgage payment as “office rent” or the whole cost of your Internet connection. The deductions and credits that you may claim on your tax return are very restricted. You may deduct genuine business-related expenses, but only the amount that is actually used for business purposes. Thus, if you pay for an Internet service that is also used by your spouse, children, or even yourself for non-work-related activities, you may deduct only the (estimated) portion of the cost that is used exclusively for employment-related purposes. Likewise, office supplies, phone bills, and utility expenses also fall under this category.
As an independent contractor, you are responsible for your own Social Security and payroll taxes (an expense that most employers pay half of).
While you may deduct the employer part of your payroll tax as a business expense, a sole proprietor will not benefit much from this deduction.
4. Customer service representative
Customer service representatives answer customers’ calls and also handle complaints, process transactions, and provide information. While many individuals work in contact centres, these jobs are being quickly displaced by remote workers, with big firms such as Apple advertising for home-based customer advisers.
You must be computer savvy and have strong communication skills. Full- and part-time positions are available; representatives are often required to commit to blocks of time working in a quiet, distraction-free atmosphere.
5. Instructor through the Internet
Online education is gaining popularity as Skype and other comparable technologies allow teachers to communicate with students located anywhere in the world.
English tutors, math tutors, and science tutors, as well as those who can teach English as a foreign language, are in great demand. Online teaching may be highly paid, and tutors can create a schedule that works for them by working with students in different time zones.
You do not need to be a certified teacher to apply, but you need have at least a bachelor’s degree. Additionally, if you deal with children, you must have an up-to-date disclosure certificate. The majority are self-employed and will seek work via national networks and employment agencies.
Accounting services to small business owners may be a flexible work-from-home alternative if you have a knack for numbers. Bookkeepers are responsible for managing a portion or all of a business’s money and may be responsible for recording financial transactions and producing financial statements.
While there are no formal qualifications needed to become a bookkeeper, accounting knowledge is essential. It is highly recommended that you acquire a certificate from a respected accounting organisation.
