In this post: We take a look at IT or computer work at home possibilities. You have many great opportunities to consider.
Information technology, or IT, is one of the fastest growing career opportunities right now. Businesses and organizations rely more and more on technology to thrive, which means there is a greater need for technology development, setup and maintenance. Whether you’re already rooted in the field or see it as a bright new horizon, there’s a great opportunity to work from home “on the computer.”
Starting a computer job from home
If you want to take your technical skills and turn them into an online or telecommute job, you have two basic options: work for a company (whether traditional or not) as an employee, or go freelancing. You have to make a lot of decisions around what you want in your homework.
If you want the pay and stability of a “regular job” that you do from a home office rather than a free-standing job, you may be more interested in going the traditional employment route (working from home rather than in an office with its “modern” twist). However, if you want to mold your work around your life and you’re looking for something more flexible, freelancing may be right for you.
How to find a home IT job
First let’s talk about finding an online tech job in the conventional employment sense, as many take this route.
Landing a job at a traditional company, even if you’re looking for a remote position, will “look” a lot like a normal job search. Your search terms may be slightly different, but your approach will be the same.
First, if you’re currently working in an IT position and don’t mind continuing your work if you’re able to do it at home, you should put together a proposal to convert your current office job to telecommute. One. You should focus your proposal on explaining how working remotely will benefit the company — leave out the part about how much flexibility and 20-foot commute you want.
Some potential selling points might include higher productivity (because you’ll be working in a quiet, secluded environment), using fewer company resources, and making faster progress on your projects because there are fewer distractions. These are all things that will ultimately save the company money, while still allowing you to contribute productively.
If converting your current position to a remote position isn’t possible, it’s time to fire up the job search engines. Your first task will be to update your resume. I want to create a big, long resume—a “meta” resume in a sense—that includes all of my relevant work history. Then, for each job application, I can create resumes to highlight my strengths related to that particular job. I cut out the parts of the long resume that show why I’m a great candidate and scrapped the rest. This makes it much easier to tailor each resume for a specific job.
Next, you need to prepare for your job board search. When you visit a job board, you can search for keywords like “telecommute” or “remote” and your city. Try searching with and without the city to see what kind of results you get — some businesses will want to work with someone local even if the job telecommutes, while others are truly open to anyone from anywhere.
Job boards include Indeed and FlexJobs, and you can find some interesting opportunities on LinkedIn and even Craigslist. (If you’re applying for jobs through LinkedIn, make sure your profile is as up-to-date as your resume.) Here are a few companies we know that offer computer work from home:
Another important factor for your success is your network. If you’ve worked in IT for a long time, you may already know people who can help you in your job search. Even if you’re new to the scene, you never know who in your “crowd” could be your next job link. Write personal notes (email is fine) to people you know who might be in a position to hire someone like you or who can connect you with someone who can. Post on your social media that you are looking for a remote job in IT and ask for any referrals. Mention it to your friends and acquaintances when you can work it into conversation. You just don’t know!
Keep track of your submitted applications and set calendar reminders for yourself to follow up after an appropriate interval. Job hunting can sometimes feel like a slog, so know that it will take some time and try not to get too discouraged if it does.
Freelancing in IT
I have already written a lot about how to get into freelancing. Being an IT freelancer is great because you’ve already got a built-in niche, and there are many people who need a web presence but have no idea how to manage or maintain the related technology. The key to your success will be reaching out to those people (in Facebook groups, at conferences and events, etc.) and making your services known.
Last thought
The great news about working from home is that there is no universally “wrong” answer, and you can always change tracks if you choose one that isn’t quite right for you. Working for a company can give you a lot of stability, but going freelancing can give you more flexibility and the option to choose only the clients and projects you want. Either path can be satisfying and successful.
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