One of the things which sets home – based work apart from traditional work is that home – based professionals are often largely in control of the role that work plays in their lives. While this is not always the case, it is much of the time, especially in situations where the home – based professional owns his or her own business. If one or more of the adults in a household have the freedom to make choices about when and how much to work, it can help the entire family to achieve many things.
For example, if one person wants to leave the world of traditional work in order to pursue a college education or advanced degree, that person could work from home part of the time if their course load permits. Many home – based businesses or jobs can be adjusted as needed, so if the course load is heavier one semester and lighter the next, the student can work more or less as meets their needs.
Sometimes families decide to home school their children, either from the time that the children are old enough to start school or after they have trouble finding a private or public school that they feel is a good fit for their children. Home based work can enable one or both parents to homeschool their children while still earning an income. Also, there is the “unintentional” education that the children of home – based professional parents receive. Home – based professional parents serve as role models that can expose their children to a way of life where work and family life support each other in a complementary way instead of competing with each other.
Home – based work which is done over the internet can give a family incredible freedom. Families who love to explore the world could possibly incorporate home – based work into the globetrotting lifestyle that they have always wanted to have. I have not actually tried to do this, but it seems like a lot of fun. I might start smaller, though, with something like a cross – country family road trip.
What kinds of things has home – based work enabled your family to do? At my house, I am able to live my dream of being a full time stay – at – home mom while satisfying my desire to work part time doing the things that I enjoy doing, writing and practicing law.
Photo by natureworks on morguefile.com.