MSCCN Blog

3 Things to Keep in Mind when Creating the Perfect Work from Home Space

7/30/2018

I love working from home. I don’t have a commute. I don’t have to get dressed up every day. My job goes with me when we PCS. On some level, I’m living the dream of many career-minded military spouses.

But as my family has PCSed a few times since I’ve begun my remote work adventure, there’s always one item that vexes me: my office space.

I imagine someday having a perfect space—an office of my own so to speak. I gaze longingly at Pinterest perfect office spaces. So, for me, the idea of creating a perfect work from home space is more a mental exercise than a reality. I always seem to be thwarted by my on-base housing’s design. Still, regardless of what you are working with, there are a few things to consider that can move you towards the perfect WFH space for you.

Consider what you your job requires. The work you do dictates what you need in your space. Lay out the tools of your trade in a way that promotes productivity. So, do a mental check of what your tools are and what your tasks are, and then identify layouts that can help you achieve your best work.
Incorporate what you need to be productive and happy. You know how you work best. I, for one, really can’t stand background noise (like the loudest intake register ever that is in the room that really SHOULD be my office). Whatever makes you happy, whatever inspires you—that’s what belongs in your office. Your perfect work from home space only has to be perfect for you.
Remember to work with what you have. I have office envy—I would love a bigger space with more natural light, but right now, I don’t live in a space like that. I can lament the space I have, or I can work with the space I do have to create an office that works for me right now.

Remember make your space work for you and the work you do.

To the extent that the space allows, make it perfect for what you need and what you want.

Happy remote working!

Story by Jamie Boyle

4 Blogs You Should be Reading this Summer

7/26/2018

If your job search has been on hiatus these summer months, there’s no time like now to slowly get yourself back into the game. Spending some of your time perusing the following websites and blogs is a great way to begin thinking about your job search again. These are some of our favorites:

The MSCCN Blog: We’ll just go ahead and get our shameless plug out of the way. We’re pretty bias, and our blog is still pretty new, but it is one space on the internet that is focused entirely on your training and career needs. So, check us out (which we assume you already do because you are reading this post), and share our blog with your friends (please and thank you).
The Fairy God Boss Site: This site is focused on women in the workforce, but their advice overlaps with issues military spouses (regardless of gender) face. Interested in work-life balance, confidence, and career progression? Check out this website for lots of good information and tips.
Flexjobs Job Search Tips & Blog: Raise your hand if you believe one solution to military spouse employment issues is flexible work! We’re right there with you, and flexbjobs offers lots of great information about working remotely and flexibly. Their blog regularly features resources specifically for military spouses too!
The Resume Place’s Blog: This blog is all about federal employment, a subject in which we as military spouses are particularly interested. There’s been a lot of change (with more to come) when it comes to federal employment, preference, and military spouse hiring, and The Resume Place tends to have its finger on the pulse of OPM. While you’re there, also check out their free resources.

Ease back into your job search by doing some summer reading. Do you have a favorite career-related blog? We want to hear about it. Join us on Facebook.

Story by Jamie Boyle

Customer Service—Job Opportunities for All

7/24/2018

A growing industry with remote positions, Customer Service offers opportunities to almost everyone.

Just starting your career?
Stationed in a small economy lacking professional opportunities in your field?
Looking for part-time or seasonal work?
Looking for a remote position you can PCS with?
Want flexible work?

Customer service can offer all this and much more.

Customer Service—Is it as simple as it sounds?
Yes… and no.

Customer service is essentially a label that covers any position that helps to serve a customer’s needs. However, the definition of customer service has expanded beyond jobs in brick-and-mortar locations.

Customer service positions may require that the agent provide general information to the customer, sales and ordering
support, activation support, troubleshooting support, customer care related to delivery of service or accessing services… you get the idea. Individuals who work in customer service are a liaison between the customer and the company, they exist to make sure that both parties get what they need in a timely, professional, manner while representing the company’s brand.

Customer service positions can also serve as a platform to build a host of transferable knowledge, such as working as a part of a team, time management, and the ability to communicate clearly, no matter the situation.

Why customer service?
Customer service positions have a lot to offer. If you are looking for a remote position or a potentially PCS-proof position, customer service might be right for you. Some positions offer flexibility, allowing you to choose which shifts you work. If you have other skill sets and experience, customer service positions are often available if you are stationed in locations where there aren’t many career opportunities. Companies often increase their customer service staff at the holidays, so customer service can appeal to individuals just looking for extra cash at the holidays too.

Where can you find customer service jobs?
The short answer is everywhere. Any organization that provides clients with a good or service will require a variety of service-oriented positions. Almost all industries have a customer service aspect to them—whether it be information technology, sales, higher education, or healthcare. Both large companies (like Amazon and Apple) and small companies (like your local shops) have a need for customer service representatives.

What do customer service jobs look like?
While customer service comes in all shapes and sizes, the jobs themselves tend to focus on aspects of the sales/service delivery process, including:

Ordering/Sales Support: helping customers make their purchase.
Activation Support: providing the customer with access to the product.
Problem/Troubleshooting Support: helping the customer with any problem along the way, including tracking a purchase, replacing a broken item, accessing an online platform, et al.
Customer Care: helping the customer in any general way, possibly providing triage to connect them with the right resource to resolve their problem, provide them support, or accept their compliments.

Customer Service Skills
Many of the skills required in customer service positions are soft skills. Depending on the level of technicality a position entails, employees may need a high level of proficiency in a product type or technical field. Still, many companies provide training to get their employees up to date on products and processes. So, for a starting position in customer service, it’s most important to have the following skills/traits:

Good communication skills, especially listening and speaking
Empathy and a willingness to “hear” others
Time management skills
Ability to learn
Problem solving skills

Sound like you? For additional skills, check out O*NET’s list at: https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/43-4051.00

Career Progression and Growth
The Department of Labor reports growth at a rate of 5% through 2026, which is on par with most other areas of the economy. Individuals interested in growing their
profession in the field can become managers who direct teams or whole departments. There’s also the opportunity to become a customer service trainer who is responsible for orienting new employees and providing additional training on best practices to current employees.

Training Requirements
Typically, entry-level customer service jobs require a high school diploma. Employees are trained on the job. However, you can gain additional training through IVMF’s VCTP program, which offers courses in Call Center Fundamentals and Customer Service Excellence. You can learn more about those courses here: http://onward2opportunity-vctp.org/course-offerings/

What Customer Service Can Offer Even if You Aren’t a Customer Service Professional
Even if you aren't a customer service professional, a role in customer service can provide you with a job in remote locations and portability. It can give you a chance to grow the soft skills that you often need in any career, and it can provide you with a professional life that many of us desire.

If you are interested in obtaining a position in the customer service field, speak with your employment specialist. CASY & MSCCN often have opportunities that may fit your needs.

Story by Jamie Boyle

Flashback Friday...er, Funny Friday?

7/20/2018

It's summer, and I am remembering last year when I lamented working from home with both children in tow. Things are a bit different this year, but I still look back and laugh.

Dispatches, Day 1
That haggard look—I’m hoping with the right amount of coffee and some good lighting, it’ll go away, and I’ll look like I’m keeping it together.

For those of you who don’t know me, I work from home all year with a bubbly, but manageable (most of the time) two-year-old. We get in a solid six to seven hours of work any given day thanks to a combination of naptime, strategic art time, Netflix-Nanny, and some late-night work from me.

But today marked the beginning of my elementary student’s summer break.

I swear as I drifted off to sleep last night, I heard a voice in the distance, “May the odds be ever in your favor.”

The Night Before
Now that school is out and we don’t have that weird “get the kid to school” rush in the morning, I think, “I will get up with the husband at PT time and I will exercise. I will get a start on my work before the kids wake up.”

The night before is the place where these things happen.

The Morning
I turn off the 5:00 a.m. alarm and walk into the hallway to find the dog guarding the little one’s door—a symbol too portentous for me not to “just” pop my head in and take a peek.

Child was fine and asleep, but not for long. Rookie mistake, and I am, sadly, no rookie.

So, we bound down the stairs after it becomes clear that no amount of “nuggles” will in fact result in returned slumber.

One breakfast made, Pandora “cardio” station turned on, and… newly freed from the shackles of school, child number one joins us. (Why do children not sleep in?)

Breakfast number two made, and I step onto the exercise apparatus…“I finish. I down.” Cardio becomes an exercise in mediation, during which I usher child one and child two from trampoline to step to resistance bands to the tune of “my turn.”

It is now 7:20 a.m.

We settle into a calm, if not idyllic, rhythm, during which I check and respond to emails, apply edits to a press release, and complete research on industry certifications. More than an hour goes by.

I receive a chat message from my boss, and I call her. Nothing could possibly go wrong. Three minutes into the call, thing number two screeches at thing number one, “I want it. My turn. My turn. My turn. MY TURRNNNNNNNNNNNNN.”

I apologize to my boss and finish our conversation through a muffled refrain of “stop it” and “be quiet” hand signals.

It is now 9:05 a.m.

I hang up the phone and ask my darling children, “Ok, what can I do for you?”

Only seventy-five and a half more days until school starts.

Do you work from home with little ones? Are you trying to keep your job search afloat while your kids are home on summer break? We’d love to laugh and learn with you about your challenges and successes.

Author’s Note: The rest of the day went much better. Child number one made it to the two-hour summer camp. Both children were fed and had quiet time, and we didn’t rely on Netflix Nanny until the afternoon. We will survive.

Story by Jamie Boyle

Spouse Success

7/18/2018

Congratulations, Kassy on your job with Fairfax County Schools!

After working with an Employment Specialist for one month, Kassy had a resume that helped her land an interview and job!

Problem: I needed assistance re-vamping my resume as it was overly wordy.

Assistance: My employment specialist helped me re-work my resume, clean it up and make it more relevant to my career field.

Results: My resume looked more stream lined and I was called in for an interview on a position that I applied to with the updated resume. I will be able to utilize the updated resume format in the future. I have a better understanding of how to make my resume look more attractive to employers.

Are you a military spouse with employment goals? Register at https://www.msccn.org/job-seeker-registration.html.

Why (and How) Your Resume and LinkedIn® Accounts Need to Work Together

7/16/2018

Gone are the days when you can type up a resume, submit it to a job posting online or hand it to a recruiter at a hiring fair, and know that your work is done.

Now, if you want to be competitive in the job market, you need a self-marketing plan that includes your resume and a well-crafted LinkedIn® profile.

These tools are the two most common ways a recruiter or hiring manager will get to know the professional you and understand the value you can add to their organization.

I know, it may seem like you should be able to do one or the other and call it good. However, in this case, it’s helpful to think of these tools as parts of the same whole—interrelated representations of the PROFESSIONAL YOU and WHAT YOU CAN DO.

But to be successful in the job market, you also have to understand the best ways to use each of them.

The Targeted Resume
The good, old, sturdy, and reliable targeted resume—not much has changed here. Yes, there are a thousand templates out there from which you may choose, and sure, you can create a functional or chronological resume depending on your needs. But the targeted resume remains mostly what it’s always been.

The targeted resume is the tool you use for a specific job. It’s crafted to connect your experience to the needs laid out in the job description. It includes the standards—your contact information (now including your LinkedIn® URL), your education, your professional experiences—as well as your summary or objective, qualification summary, and whatever the job posting requires.

The targeted resume takes time. It requires job posting analysis as well as resume revision to turn your professional self into the ideal candidate for the job.

It is accepted anywhere and everywhere (after you reenter it into the Applicant Tracking System).

But here’s the thing, it’s not the only tool in your toolbox.

The LinkedIn® Profile
I like to think of the LinkedIn® profile as an expanded targeted resume, or perhaps a targeted master resume.

Not all jobs are created equally, and if you are in a hurry to submit an application, but not so committed as to spend the time targeting your resume, you can often submit your LinkedIn® profile through the Applicant Tracking System. So long as your LinkedIn® profile is targeted to the general job or industry, it gives you a good chance. It’s not the same as a specifically honed and targeted resume, but if it’s the eleventh hour and you just don’t have it in you to revise your resume, this is a good option.

If you have submitted the targeted resume to your dream job, your LinkedIn® account still has a role to play.

Story by Jamie Boyle

Resume Design: Simplicity isn’t a Dirty Word

7/12/2018

In the job market, more often than not we hear people stressing that you must stand out, that you must present that “wow factor” that will make an employer give you more than a second glance. This is true--you do have to “wow” them. However, “wow” doesn’t mean you need to reach for the neon, glitter, and fonts that are legible only if you happen to carry a magnifying glass.

When it comes to your resume, sometimes it’s best to think simple, and not just because today is #NationalSimplicityDay. If it weren’t, I might have to invent National Cut the Comic Sans Day, or National Resume Razzle Dazzle Don’ts Day (though I do like the sound of that).

Have you ever heard the saying, “presentation is everything?” You could be the most educated and experienced individual for the job, but an employer’s first impression of who you are, what you value, and what you have to offer will always be your resume and how you’ve chosen to put it together.

With fantastic drag and drop graphic design tools that are readily available for more than the professional design crowd, it can be tempting to jazz things up a bit. After all, you just want to make your resume stand out.

But when is a creative resume too creative? Where should we draw the line? Why are simple resumes generally the most successful, what should you avoid putting on your resume, and what are the red flags for recruiters in terms of your resume design?

These tips and tricks will answer all of these questions and more!

Step 1: Let’s determine what is (and isn’t) acceptable for the industry you wish to enter.
This first step is vital, it is the key to understanding why what makes your resume a “yes” in one industry will land you in the bin in another. Before you design your targeted resume, you need to understand the job you’re applying for and the industry standards at play.

The more creative the job, the more creative you can make your resume. For example: If you are a graphic designer, do your thing. Let the employer know your style, how you can expand their brand, and enjoy the fact that you can be daring… as long as you keep it clean and legible. If you are applying for an accountant position, keep it as simple as possible. Think clean lines, visually suggest your ability to keep tidy spreadsheets. If you are submitting your resume for a clothing sales management position, use a layout and design elements that fall somewhere between the two, keeping the company brand aesthetic in mind.

Step 2: Let’s chat about fonts (and how everyone is silently judging your choices)!
Serif, sans serif and script… oh my! Fonts, fonts fonts! How we love them, but oh, how dangerous they can be! When it comes to designing a resume, the typeface your choose will be a direct reflection on your personality, professionalism and work style. More importantly, your font choice can make or break your first impression with the recruiter. Think I’m kidding? Try talking to hiring managers about Papyrus or Comic Sans… it can get ugly. When choosing a font, keep these questions in mind:
Is it easy on the eyes?
Will it show up well in print and on the screen?
Is it a universal font that will be recognized by automated tracking systems?
If your answer to any of these questions is “no,” then you may want to rethink your font choice(s). Some great options for ultimate resume simplicity are Arial, Calibri, Cambria, Didot, Garamond, Georgia, Helvetica and Times New Roman.

Step 3: Let’s explore headshots, beautiful!
In the past, we were always told to avoid placing images on our resume. But we’re not living in the past any longer. This is the age of LinkedIn®, and including a headshot on your resume can add a professional touch and leave a lasting impression on the recruiter (without being too obnoxious). That being said, check your industry, know what the standards are. If you’re applying to a global company, a headshot may be a welcome addition. If you’re applying to a local mom and pop business, a headshot may stand out in all the wrong ways.

If, however, the headshot route is the right one for you, know that a photo and a headshot are not the same. A cropped selfie simply will not do. Neither will a shot of you in dim, grainy light, or with a distracting background. Make sure the image you choose is professional, represents the version of you your industry expects, is high resolution, and coordinates well with the colors and layout of your resume as a whole.

Step 4: Let’s be clear on borders, accents and swirly, little do-dads.
Just … no.

Step 5: Let’s take a stroll down the paper aisle.
Your resume paper color, texture, weight, and size matters, and much of this goes back to Step 1--it all depends on your industry. If you’re entering a design field, you may want to be bold and fierce with your options. However, for most industries you’ll want to practice simplicity by using the following tips.

Color: Use an off-white paper color. It will make your resume stand out without being too loud.
Weight: Use a paper weight that fall somewhere between your typical printer paper and heavy cardstock (make sure to check the watermark when you load the paper in the printer). You want to keep things professional without breaking the bank!
Texture: If you want to add a bit of texture, go for linen paper. The lines on the top of the page provide your resume with a more formal appearance.

In this complicated world, it’s easy to make ourselves believe that if something is too simple, it simply will not do. But this is one of those moments where simplicity is the good news. The job application and hiring process is complicated enough without adding extra hoops and clutter that won’t ultimately help your case with a recruiter.

Need more help with your resume? We offer assistance and FREE trainings for that! Click below on the resource of your choice. We can’t wait to see how your next resume turns out!

RESUME RESOURCES

Story by Kellie Gunn

Confessions of a Lonely Military Spouse

7/11/2018

Loneliness. It is by far one of the strongest and most common emotions shared by military spouses. For a long time, I thought that “being lonely” was just part of the job. I was serving my country by supporting my husband and, in the end, that just meant being alone was something I would have to learn to live with. But without telling you my whole story (because ain’t nobody got time for that), I want to let you in on a little secret:

After 15 years of service - including nine deployments and countless schools for my service member - I have made the decision that loneliness coupled with suffering is not a mandatory state for a military spouse. When it comes to engaging with our community and taking care of our mental health, we have a choice to make. It’s not always an easy one, and there may be more than a few setbacks, but there is a different path.

These are my top suggestions for overcoming loneliness while you’re far from family and your service member is away (or, working so many hours that they might as well be far away).

1. The first step to solving any problem is recognizing that a problem exists. Being a military spouse can be a lonely life. Once I was able to admit that the loneliness I was feeling was a real, valid emotion, my life began to change. I felt empowered to tell loneliness to take a hike. Doing so made loneliness feel like more than a default fact of life.

2. Stop bullying yourself. When I was lonely, my inner critic became my own worst enemy. I used to cry myself to sleep, feeling unloved, forgotten, fat, lacking in talent and ambition. It took several very dark weeks to realize that these negative thought patterns were holding me in a damaging, painful place. To stop that self-talk and self-bullying, I had to dig deep to find the source of these thoughts, and what could trigger them--for me, it was isolation and boredom. So, I began replacing my fears and self-talk with meaningful phone calls home to friends and family, intense workouts that challenged me, and more time outdoors. Something as simple as sipping my morning tea on the back porch had the power to change my perspective. When I have negative thoughts, I need to distract them. As it turns out, positive experiences are a great distraction.

3. Reach out and cultivate new friendships. Being a military spouse is, without a doubt, a tough job, and it’s hard to summon the energy to reach out when you know you’re always going to move (again). But our community is supportive, strong and definitely not lacking in numbers. Once I learned that the voice in my head telling me that I would never find the right group of people, that it wasn’t worth trying, was a liar, I hit the internet in search of a group that was right for me (Trust me, they’re out there). My husband’s frequent urging didn’t hurt either. If I could give you one piece of advice, it’s that friendship is the key to surviving long periods of time without your significant other. Best of all, I never needed to break down and tell any of these amazing women what I was going through, because they were going through the same thing. As military spouses, we are always stronger together.

4. Be aware of the needs and feelings of others. If you aren’t in a lonely place right now, great. You are in a place where you can become more aware of the resources available for those who are having a tough time. When you’re in a place where you can give to others, you’re also forging bonds that will be there when you need a helping hand. On those good days when I could help more, I became more resilient and empowered not only by the resources that I found, but also by the people that I met.

5. Do your best to show up, even when it’s hard. Isolation can be destructive during a deployment, and the digital age makes it so very easy. Hello, Netflix? If you’re tempted to cancel plans and stay at home, ask yourself why you’re trying to cancel. Are you really tired, or are you afraid? Do you have a friend you could bring along as a supportive presence? Is this a chance to make a friend who could support you in the future? Yes, sometimes you’re still going to want to cancel--and some days that might be the right choice. In some cases, it may also signal that you need a little more help with where you’re at with your loneliness, like talking to a counselor who can help you make a plan for taking steps outside your comfort zone. It can feel scary to try out a new place of worship, visit a military spouse support group, take the kids to a playgroup, or have a dinner date with new friends. But the more you say “yes,” the easier it becomes (and The Handmaid’s Tale will be waiting for you when you return).

6. Ask for help--even (especially) if you’re afraid to ask for help. This was probably my tallest hurdle when it came to overcoming my lonely days. I have always been terrible at asking for help. I’m not sure when this changed for me, but when I began to find my voice I discovered that my support network had been there all along. Friends and family don’t always know what you need. Sometimes, you have to tell them. And sometimes, you need help beyond what friends and family can provide--there’s no shame in that, and the sooner you reach out, the sooner you’ll feel capable to do more rather than less.

7. Focus on your education, professional development and/or a new career. When your significant other is away, this is valuable time to find new ways to create meaning in your life… and not just as a military spouse. Yes, you are a military spouse, and yes, you are a part of a powerful community, but your status as a spouse is not what defines you. Go back to school. Pursue the dreams you never thought you could. Find some dreams if you find that they’ve grown a little dim over the past few years. Reach for the career of your dreams, and if you find that you need help with that… we’re always here for you.

8. Learn to enjoy your solitude. Once I was out and about, making friends, keeping myself busy and loving life, finding those quiet moments to reflect in a positive and healthy way became so much easier. Take a bubble bath. Have a glass of wine. Read a good book. When you can find joy in the most calm moments, you’ve made it.

Remember: Being a military spouse does not mean your life must be a lonely life. Overcoming loneliness is a battle you can and will win, should you choose to enter the fight.

Story by Kellie Gunn

3 Chocolate Dipped, Work From Home Careers

7/7/2018

The idea that the only work-from-home careers out there come in the form of medical coding and billing, customer service or direct sales is enough to make many of us “creatives” want to dunk our heads into giant-sized bags of M&Ms and hide from the world for a while. Because if there is anything that millennial marketing techniques have taught us, it’s that social media, blogging and the internet have provided us with the ability to make a career out of… well… anything!

These are just a few ideas on how you can use the tools, available right at your fingertips, to turn your love for chocolate into a chocolate-dipped career! (Keep in mind: Chocolate is just an example; a metaphor, if you will! You can use these tips & tricks to spin any passion into the job of your dreams!)

So… lets cash in those “golden tickets” and get started!

THE TASTE TESTER

Don’t wait for Cadbury to select another few hundred people to taste test their Easter eggs. Opportunities like this only come along around the holidays and they are extremely limited. It’s time to make magical opportunities happen for yourself!

Did you know that YouTube is the second most popular search engine in the world, only falling in line behind Google? This is because the world loves videos! So why not start a Youtube channel? Show off different chocolates, test them on-screen and give your professional, yet fun feedback! Once you build a following, those big chocolate companies may even pay you to promote their products OR to place ads on your channel or website.

THE ARTISAN

Do you love to create, build, cook and make your ideas come to life with your hands? Well, why not head for the kitchen and start working on your own chocolate recipes? The “American Handmade” movement has been taking the states by storm. From raw jewelry and hand-stitched handbags to small-batch sauces and wooden artwork, why shouldn’t American Handmade chocolate have a place amongst the creative entrepreneurs of our time?

To get started, you’ll need a knack for cooking and/or creating. Put in a little cyber-sleuthing and research chocolate making. Then, be sure to put your own, unique twist into the recipe! It may take a few batches to get it right, but you have plenty of friends and family willing to test it out and give you meaningful feedback! Then, it’s all about the packaging. Lastly, stand up an ecommerce website, using a platform like Shopify, and start registering for vendor events! You’ll be on your way to chocolately-greatness in no time!

THE CHOCOLATE-COVERED BLOGGER

Love to write? Love chocolate? Then you are ready to dive into the creamy, rich world of blogging and affiliate marketing! What you’ll need is basic knowledge of website design, a creative mind for developing fun and engaging articles and access to… chocolate! Capture followers using social media and use Amazon affiliate marketing to cash-in on the sales that are a direct result of your articles. Who knows? Maybe you’ll become the next Lady Godiva!

Story by Kellie Gunn

5 Ways Remote Freelancing Lets Me Be Independent

7/4/2018

In honor of the 4th of July, I want to talk about the advantages of being a remote freelancer. While we all have our own career goals and needs, remote freelancing gave me my freedom back after a more traditional job left me feeling chained to a desk and the clock.

Schedule: As a freelancer, I set my own schedule based on what work I need to do and when it needs to be done, but I also get to work at convenient times for me. I can work around my life instead of living around my work. Doctor appointment? School event? Family time? I have a flexible schedule that can accommodate both my professional and personal goals.
Location: I hate fluorescent lights. I also despise the modern office cubicle setup (and have been packed in a small room like sardines). Now, the world is my office. I can work from home. I can work from the coffee shop or local remote working site. I can work from a hotel room (and have during PCS). I can choose the lighting, the scenery, etc.
Time: Are you a night owl? Do you work better in the mornings? Maybe short bursts of productivity are more your thing. Day to day, I can work when I am most productive, not necessarily when a time card needs to be stamped. As long as I deliver the product and service, the client is happy.
Vacation: Because I determine my schedule and the time I work, it’s become much easier to detach from the daily grind. My family and I can vacation together, and my spouse and I can enjoy our children’s youth with them. I can schedule my vacation during my husband’s leave, making us a more cohesive family unit.
Work: Freelancers don’t have to accept all assignments that come to them. As a freelancer, I can choose the projects I devote my time to, and as a result, I feel more fulfilled by the work I do.

If you crave an office environment or a set schedule, remote freelancing may not be for you. Over the past four years, I have found that this work setup allows me to be the professional, parent, and spouse I want to be.

Happy Independence Day!

Story by Jamie Boyle

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