I'm a work-at-home mom, here's how you can become one too

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posted in Pregnancy

From the moment I laid eyes on my first child 8 years ago, I knew I wanted to be a work-at-home mom. Before she was born, I figured I’d give birth, go on maternity leave, and then be back at work, climbing the corporate ladder in no time. Motherhood was not going to stop me from slaying my career goals.

It didn’t take long for my goals to change.

Instead of trying to get to the C-suite, I decided that I wanted to create a work life that included, and maybe even benefitted, from me being a mom. I had no idea what that could be, but as I fell more in love with my sweet newborn daughter each day, I knew that I had to figure something out.

I wanted to be there for her as she was growing up. I didn’t want to miss her firsts. A single mom at the time, I was all that she had, though. Not going back to work after maternity leave wasn’t an option. I needed to find work that would allow me to earn a living and be at home. I was willing to do anything, but was hoping to find something that was in my field. After a lot of research, trials, and a few fails, I was finally a full-time remote worker by the time she was 3.5 years old. My son is 6 months, and I’m fortunate to be home with him the entire time so far, too.

A lot of moms ask me how I did it. Becoming a work-at-home mom is going to be a different journey or every woman, but I do have some general tips that can help anyone.

Let people know that you want to work from home.

Soon after my daughter was born, I started letting people know that I was looking for remote positions. I put it on my Facebook page, and I sent an email out to my friends. I also updated my resume on job boards online and when recruiters contacted me, I let them know that I wanted to work from home. Eventually, an email to a friend at a marketing company landed me a part-time position (that I worked at the same time as my full-time role) that eventually turned full-time.

Look for positions using the right keywords.

If you’re looking for positions online, make sure you are using keywords like “remote,” “telecommute,” “contractor,” and “freelance.” Those words typically pull up the types of positions that you’re going to be looking for.

Be open to working in a new field.

I was working at a non-profit when I started looking for a work-from-home position. My first remote position was as an assistant at a marketing company. Within a year, I was back up to manager status and once again on the way to meet my career goals. A lot of major companies like Amazon have work-from-home positions that will give you an in to the company. Once you are employed with them, you can find out more about upper-level remote positions they have available.

Beware of get-rich-quick schemes.

If something sounds like it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Be careful when you’re looking at positions. Work is work, even if you do it from home. If someone promises that you can make thousands of dollars while your baby is napping, they’re probably not being completely honest about what it takes.

I’m a blogger making a full-time living, but that’s after nearly 8 years of hard work. I would never tell someone that they could start their own business and be profitable after a few months. It’s just not possible.

Understand that you might still need help.

Even though I chose to work from home to be close to my babies, there are still times when I need help. I have conference calls to take, deadlines to meet, and projects to complete that require my undivided attention. You might be able to do a little bit of work while your little one sleeps, but the more money you make, the more help you’ll need with them.

I don’t think anyone could offer me enough money to go into an office at this point. Work is work no matter where you do it, but I’m grateful to be able to do it and watch my children grow up at the same time.

The post I'm a work-at-home mom, here's how you can become one too appeared first on BabyCenter Blog.