AntiSpam Guide
Work-At-Home Scams? Or Opportunities?
from: Lloyd Decker
It seems like my spam folder is always full of wild work-at-home opportunities. If anything apparently trumps the American dream more than weight loss pills and sexual enhancement, at least according to our junk e-mail, it may be the holy grail that is the work-at-home income.
Because, really, we don't tend to have enough real work to keep us occupied from 9-5, do we? Of course, it depends on what one does. I remember back in high school when I might have been sick or, ahem, suspended. My classmates would be holed up in class from 8 until 3, but I could get up at 10:30 and have all my work done by noon. The same principle seems to be consistent with a lot of office environment work. We are there from 9-5 so we can get paid those hours, and also because that is simply what's expected. Does the boss really care about productivity? Sure. Of course. But if a productive employee consistently takes three hour lunches or leaves at 4:30? Heaven forbid. It's really not a matter of getting done what's required. Most adults are able to work within deadlines and to know how to do what needs to get done, especially in a work environment. But one is also expected to put in the same grueling hours as everyone else. Sit in your cubicle or office or whatever. No exceptions.
Which may be the appeal of all these different enticements: Be your own boss! Work at home! Because we know that, within the confines of our own home, we can easily accomplish all the output with half the time (or less).
Naturally, the most promising work-at-home ventures are not going to be what comes across the junk filter on the e-mail or comes up in job classifieds or random internet browsing. It's going to be to come up with some sort of telecommuting arrangement with your current employer, if this is possible. Most experts agree that, during the early days of telecommuting, it is wise to get dressed up and come in for an hour or two on a regular basis. Don't let them forget about you. And, of course, get the same amount of work done as you normally would. Or more.
The other side of the coin is that there really is money to be made over the internet. Sure, people have struck it rich by setting out on their own. That's the good news. But will you? You can't realistically quit your job to focus on another much-less-reliable source of income. Some people have a knack for opportunities such as this, but do you? If you want to find out, I would recommend seeking out a free affiliate program that works with a reputable business that you've heard of. Here's one example: http://www.vmcsatellite.com/channels/affiliates.cfm?aid=250726. It's absolutely free to join, the product at stake is Dish Network which everyone is familiar with, and you are free to put in as much or as little time as you want. There's no reason not to sign up, at least see if something starts to happen. Who knows? Maybe with an hour or two on the weekends you can start to roll in some extra income. We can all use it.
Just avoid so-called opportunities that require a start up fee or make you buy in to the organization, unless this is money you're just completely willing to blow. Sure, these may not be scams in the sense that they're lying to you, but there's still a large chance they'll never pay off for you and that money is just down the drain.
What we really want to do, of course, is to sit around on our bums and watch soap operas all day. For that, you must become a soap critic. And you have to know how to write well. And there may not actually be an opening for one in your area. I know. It's tragic.
About the author:
Mr. Decker lives in Chicago with his daughter and two dogs.
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