Freelancing

There seems to be plenty of advice and information out there on how to transition from an office environment to working from home, but what if you're thinking about going in the other direction? Whether you've tried the home thing and hate it, or are a freelancer struggling in this economy and crave a steadier paycheck, there are a few key steps to making the change from home to office as seamless and painless as possible:

• Make a list of pros and cons associated with each option, i.e. home office = no commute and a flexible schedule while employment at a company makes for easier networking and separating of 'business' from 'family,' so you can minimize unpleasant surprises and know what you're in for.
  
• Talk it over with your spouse, family, and anyone else who will be affected and see what concerns, opinions, and thoughts they have -- try to troubleshoot potentially difficult adjustments ahead of time to reduce stress on everyone.
  
• Be sure to allow enough time for a smooth transition so not only can you make sure to take care of all the details from a business perspective (don't want to rush and leave clients frustrated) but also on a personal one -- changing your work environment is changing a big part of your life so give yourself as much time as is reasonable to transition slowly and smoothly.
  

Temporary workers come with an obvious stigma. There's this thought that rather than find a "real job," these temporary employees mozy from workplace to workplace, but I don't think that's true. I look at temping as the best way to make ends meet while still looking for that mythic "dream gig," and I myself am about to head down that path.

For me, I've been on the freelance / temporary circuit this year, and while I'd absolutely love to find the ideal gig for myself, it's really difficult. You see, I sort of paint myself into an ideal-career corner, as I've got a very specific set of skills that aren't exactly in demand right now. (I'm a technology video producer, and I do a show called TechVi which is brilliant and amazing, but doesn't pay the bills.)

As the bills pile up, I've started to realize that relying on my sugar momma isn't going to cut it. TechVi doesn't exactly take up all of my time, but since I'm aiming to be an extremely credible journalist, I can't go the tried-and-true route of journos looking to jump ship and head to PR. That puts me square in the sights of temp agencies. Right now, I've started to check out some agencies in my area (New York) but am only in the beginning phases.

Seeing as how you, mythical reader, and I are going through pretty much the same thing, are there any pitfalls you watch out for when moving temp? Any resources you love? I'm going to be documenting the process thoroughly here on Emurse, so expect the resources to pile up as we go through this together.

Oh did I mention, I'm looking for work? Yeah, I know you are too, but there's gotta be someone out there looking for the smartest, most interesting yet-to-be-discovered technology writer of his generation, right?

It's definitely on the mind of most anyone who has been laid off, fired, or is otherwise out of work from their job: Should I start freelancing? While the appeal of setting one's own hours, not to mention the flexibility of working at one's own pace sounds alluring, the numerous pitfalls, personal and otherwise, make freelancing a choice that isn't perfect for everyone.

There are numerous question and answer sites devoted to the question, but we'd love to get your take on freelancing. Is it something you've tried out and liked? Hated? What would you recommend people know before taking the leap, and what would you avoid?

One of my favorite links on the question has a full rundown of questions you should ask yourself before taking the plunge, and also questions you should ask about continuing to freelance. Among them:

• Do you have a marketable skill?
  
• Do you have enough discipline to work unsupervised?
• Do you have savings? (To offset the initial jump into freelance life)

Do you have any other questions you'd ask? Freelancing is one of those love-it-or-hate-it kind of gigs, so I'm sure you've got an opinion to share. Be sure to sound off in the comments and let us know what you think.

During your job search you are bound to get a call about or discover jobs that are contract positions. Whether 3, 6, or 12 months long it seems that these positions are only temporary fixes to your major problem: finding stable employment in an unstable economy. Maybe you know a little about contract work or maybe you know nothing at all; either way, we're here to describe the nuances of contract work and why it can sometimes lead to something better than you would have imagined.

With companies trying to cut costs at every corner in this economic down turn, many are looking to offering employees the ability to work from home or remote. This saves the company costs in many areas -- power, HVAC, telephone lines, real estate and more. But this change also brings up a lot of new challenges for employees of the company such as how to stay connected while out of the office and how to manage (or be managed) while away from your team.

There are many tools out there to assist with these problems. Screen casting, whiteboards and synchronized file stores are just the tip of the iceberg. Here are 5 tools that may help you in your time of need.

In every defeat there is opportunity.

If you've recently lost your job and are thinking about freelancing or finally starting that company you've always dreamed about, why not?

There's no better time than the present.