Just curious as to how many STers are working from home and what it is you do. As I contemplate my next career move, I keep coming back to doing something on my own and working from home. During some discussions with the wife, we were slightly disagreeing on the number of people who do this. So, I thought I’d take an informal LR poll.
I don’t work from home but a HUGE consulting company that I used to work for implemented a work from home strategy to reduce the costs of unused office space that is dedicated to employees that may not use it that often or can work from home. I think the number they threw out at the time was something in the neighborhood of $10K per year per employee for dedicated downtown chicago office space.
I have since left the company but I know a good deal of my former co-workers only go into the office when they have to, or at most 2 days a week, if their old school managers require them to make an appearance.
I work overtime from home, or some days with no specific schedule…
I think you will see this trend continuing.
I work from home. I sell software. I travel about 50% of the time.
I run my own company and use our dining room table as my main office space (much to my husband’s dismay). I actually do have production space outside the home which I use about 20 hours a week so it does get me out a little bit (much needed) but otherwise it’s me and the dogs running the company from home.
Two friends of mine - not STers - also work from home. She is starting up her own business and wanted to do something that she could do from home so that she could be home with her kids and her husband is working as a consultant for a company out of the family’s spare room.
The only problem with working from home is that it means “work” is always there. Be it at 6am, 11pm, or on the weekends, work is always right there staring you in the face versus when I worked in an office it was sometimes easier to leave “work” at the office and truly take time off. Otherwise I highly recommend it.
I plan on working from home in about five years. My business now has about 2,500 SF of pure overhead which I am going to dump and work by myself out of my bedroom. Somehow I think my bottom line we be about the same.
.
That’s funny as I sit here working at home with Cedric the cat on my lap and Patty the dog sleeping at my feet.
more and more people work remote, from home. independent consulting is an excellent business for those who are motivated; or a maverick personality (or both, like ! :). i would probably choose to work out of a closet then have to go work for someone else again. if you can go on your own, and make money–you will wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.
Have been for the last 6 months. Software development, but it’s pretty much because the little outfit I work for(3 guys) has no real office space. Has its ups and downs. I find I work too hard :p, but I am pretty productive. Miss the social interaction though. Don’t miss commuting. Overall, I’d recommend it.
I am pretty much based out of home. I am an independent contractor pediatric physical therapist and see kids in an office 2 afternoons a week, and babies in their homes 4 ams per week. I do my paperwork at home and starbucks 
I agree with what Kittycat says. I was an independent contractor for 2 years when I took a supervisory position in an agency and saw people in an office, now I have gone back to working for myself. I hate working for someone else and following their rules, dress code, forms, etc.
I work from home. I sell software. I travel about 50% of the time.
Ditto- but not softwear
Add me to the list of people who work from home. I have my own small(one employee - me) software development company. I think the biggest benefit for me is that it gives me the flexibility to work when I want and gives me a very flexible work schedule. If I want to go out for a morning run or bike ride, I can. If I have a big race coming up, I can adjust my workload accordingly.
I’ve been working from home for 10 years now. I do custom software development and consulting.
I work from home about 75% of the time. I don’t think my boss knows this.
I’m a retail exec responsible for a large, geographically diverse division. Travel about 50% and work fr home the rest of the time. Be careful what you ask for. While it’s nice not to have to worry about a commute, or how you dress (I’m in shorts and a tee shirt right now), or who’s gonna walk in while you’re screwing around on ST, but you also never leave the “office”. If you have any kind of work ethic at all, you may find yourself working a heck of a lot more than you would in a traditional office setting. Not much on the tube at night, or a nice quiet Sunday afternoon…you can hear it calling your name, and you’ll be surprised at how often you’ll answer!
I’m a business analyst for a large bank and work from home 4-5 days a week. Right now I have office space at work that is solely mine. At the end of September I’ll move to 100% telecommuter status and will have “hotel” office space that I can sign up for when I want or need to be in the office. I expect that I’ll continue to go into the office on Fridays, which is what I’ve been doing for over a year now. My time spent working in the office has been decreasing gradually over the last 5 years or so. All of my immediate co-workers work from home at least some of the time, too. In my group of about 10 people, there will be 3 of us that are full time telecommuters.
This might be of interest to you.
I am lawyer and work from home. I have an office (and a secretary) in another city, but rarely visit. I do almost all my work over the phone and computer.
At my firm, probably less than 2% work at home to the extent that I do. But, quite a few, maybe 20% or so, work at home one or more days a week. The miserable commute in DC is the biggest factor.
I work from home, but I travel about 10 nights per month.
I am in sales.