at home jobs

Has anyone had success with at-home job opportunities over the internet, i.e, on-line surveys, Google adwords ?

• at home jobs - denise
  • Search for comments and opinions on the net. Most don't get paid. nm - wanderer

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Is medical transcription one of the only legitimate careers available for people who want/need to be able to work from their home?  In searching for work-at-home opportunities it seems that so many things are scams.  I realize one can open any number of businesses that are based in their homes, but I'm talking about working FOR someone...for a company, and doing it from home.  I bought a book that supposedly gave lists of companies willing to hire people for work from home, but almost all of them either A.  Required a person to reside in a state I don't or B.  Had experience requirements that I didn't meet.  I'm just wondering if there is some big area of the marketplace that I'm missing that routinely hires people to work from their home, like medical transcription.  Can anyone help with this?  Thanks.

I am thinking of going back to school now, while I have a reasonably good job.  Problem is, because of medical concerns, I have to be able to work from home.  What other options are there for folks like me who find it a requirement to work from home?

Any advice appreciated. 

Thanks.

Like customer service or taking orders?

I started looking around and ran into a lot of ads and scams.

Any info would be appreciated, I want to get out of this field before too long.

This is to the person that posted about Diskriter and why she did not take the job. I am also posting on this board as well.

I do not work for Diskriter, however, I can say with complete accuracy (I have a relative that works as a private criminal investigator for large and small corporations) that the reason that a lot of companies (not necessarily just transcription companies, in particular,) that have at home or offsite employees are requesting a physical and drug screen and background check is because:

a) background check is necessary in some cases because the potential employee will have access to SSN#, credit info, addresses, DOB, etc on many many people.

b) physical and drug screens are necessary because the company may be partly footing the cost for benefits, health insurance, life insurance, etc. Maybe they do not want to pay for drug rehabs (think about it)

c) drug screens - let's face it, some of these companies are sending equipment, vital information on people in the US, paying for travel for employment, etc (i.e. carrying drugs on planes, stealing ID for credit card info, stealing and reselling computers and equipment that was shipped to the potential employee, etc)

You would be surprised the things I was told about, including arrests for identity theft!! In the last two years, a TON of arrests have been made by investigators and agencies on people working at home!! Police are making drug arrests at homes and low and behold, some of the arrests are people that work at home doing a "day job" while dealing out of their house. Nice little sideline income, don't ya think.

So think about this - if a company is going to pay for a physical and drug screen for you to be employed with them, don't be offended by it. They are protecting themselves and their clients from potential identity theft, druggies, and thieves.

I'm sure I will be slammed for this post, but I know what I am talking about.

You could easily be the victim of identity theft and guess where the source could potentially come from? Transcriptionists. Think about it - we have access to some hospital databases that require us to put in patient information from the patient database, that means addresses, ID#, etc.

I PERSONALLY knew of a transcriptionist from NYC that could barely function more than 2 hours a day because she spent the rest of her day stoned out of her mind! Did you read the thread about traveling transcriptionists and drug screening? Do you want somebody stoned or high or meth'd up typing your hospital records?  So what's to stop them from taking it a step further and commit identity theft. 

So we're considered a thing of the past, ah-hem!  Here are the 10 jobs. ~

Administrative Assistant
Also known as virtual assistants, home-based administrative assistants use office experience and computer skills as support personnel. Many skills easily transition into this position which offers many part-time and temporary opportunities.

Advertising Sales Agent
It's said that Americans are exposed to more than 3,000 ad messages a day. Advertising sales representatives sell or solicit advertising space in print and online publications, custom-made signs, or TV and radio advertising spots.

Computer Software Engineer
Computer software engineers are projected to be one of the fastest-growing occupations over the 2002-2012 period. Duties include design, development, testing and evaluation of computer software, and continual training is suggested for the quickly evolving industry.

Corporate Event Planner
Employed by a private company rather than a hotel or convention facility, a corporate event planner coordinates staff activities including group meetings, client presentations, special events, conventions and travel.

Copy Editor
Copy editors mostly review and edit a writer's copy for accuracy, content, grammar and style. This is a competitive field; however, the growth of online publications and services is spurring the demand for writers and editors, especially those with Web experience.

Desktop Publisher
Desktop publishers use computer software to format and combine text, images, charts and other visual elements to produce publication-ready material. Duties of this fast-growing profession include writing and editing text, creating graphics, converting photos and drawings into digital images, designing page layouts and developing presentations.

Data Entry Clerk
Like administrative assistants, job prospects should be best for those with expertise in computer software applications. By typing text, entering data into a computer, and performing other clerical duties, these workers ensure companies keep up with information and technology.

Insurance Underwriter
Insurance underwriters serve as the main link between the insurance carrier and the insurance agent. Underwriters analyze insurance applications, calculate the risk of loss from policyholders, decide whether to issue the policy and establish appropriate premium rates.

Market Research Analyst
Market Research Analysts gather data on competitors and analyze prices, sales, and methods of marketing and distribution. They often design surveys, compile and evaluate the data and make recommendations to their client or employer based upon their findings.

Paralegal
While lawyers assume ultimate responsibility for legal work, much of their work is delegated to paralegals. Paralegals not only assist in preparation for closings, hearings, trials, and corporate meetings, they also perform a number of other vital functions including draft contracts, mortgages, separation agreements, trust instruments and may assist in preparing tax returns and planning estates.

One on one with a kid is nice, too.

This summer has been absolutely crazy.  I haven't had a moment to myself for three months because all of my kids were home traipsing their friends through the house and yard.  My husband switched his work schedule, too, so he's around more than usual.  However, I like not having to do two loads of dishes and four loads of laundry a day.  There are no toys or clutter dragged out everywhere.  I can clean the house first thing in the morning, and it stays clean until everyone gets home at night.

I even got to relax with a cup of coffee and watch TV for half an hour this morning, something I liked for a change instead of cartoons or kids' movies.  I signed up for an online class that I've been wanting to take.  I can exercise without being interrupted.  Yesterday, I went to the mall and spent all my saved up gift cards.  I got some clothes, books, bath stuff, and a new coffee mug.  My work gets done a lot faster, too.  Call me nuts, but I've never had the luxury of being alone in the house for 14 years.  It's kinda nice.  I love my family with all my heart, but I love having a few hours to myself each week, too.

Except now the cat and dogs have been acting weird since the kids went back to school.  They must think that I need someone or something to clean up after and correct behavior on.  They're getting into everything and racing around the house behind me.

I have an interview today with a hospital...work in-house for 3 months, then go home, paid on production. I don't know as of yet what they pay production, so my question is to anyone who works for a hospital at home AND has also worked for a national at home...

Which would be the best to choose? The hospital offers great benefits, but the national I work for now also has benefits, not as good as the hospital, though.  Any input would be most appreciated!

I have always had my eggs in one basket.  I recently picked up a second job and so far I really like it.  When one job had no work, I just started my other job early.  My first job has a set schedule, but my second has a 24 TAT, so this is beneficial to me.  Originally, I was going to quit my first job after a couple weeks, but I'm going to keep both just to be safe.  I have to make a certain amount in order to pay bills and I can't have my account running out of work (which happened three times last week).  I just can't risk it.

Just an idea.  I might actually pick up a very very part time third job too.

I hear people complaining from the big companies that they hate their jobs or that they are low on work and etc.  So, it brings me to this question; I have been working for a small MTSO and was thinking about trying to get on with a big company, but then I read all of the bad posts about them.  What do you think is better?  Dont the Big Nationals offer benefits? 

Thanks tonz for all then INFO!!

I've been in the field for 25 years and been watching very closely what is happening with outsourcing, VR and EMR. I bought a VR program and became proficient with it to see if it can be done. I went to the hospital in the next town when I heard they had a VR program that in 30 days, had the docs doing their own radiology transcription, without proofing. I went to the EMR conferences to see what the programs can and cannot do. If you think you have 30 years of MT work left until you retire, you will be in for a big surprise...There is a huge push to automate. The only work left will be crappy ESL's that the machine can't understand. Oh, there might be jobs, but 1 job for every 10. Wages will fall, and it will be cutthroat. Only the most shrewdest MT's will survive. Dictaphone is a million dollar company that will only exist if they can convince doctors to keep dictating. Yet they know the cost has to be competitive. Solution: Speech recognition. They put their smartest engineers on task to find a way to make it work. They consulted with MT's to find out how to make it efficient for editing. And guess what? They were successful. As far as India taking the work, in a few years, there will be experienced MT's that can do the work.

Best advice I can give is to at least get a bachelor's. It will get you in the door somewhere doing something you like.  I'm getting mine in a field that is growing and can't be outsourced...nursing. I LOVE working from home  but I don't have my head in the sand.

i see where a lot of people are getting out of transcription and thinking about doing something else I was just wondering what else people were getting into knowing that MT will no longer exist in probably 5-8 years and the fact that we are getting older, etc.  Are you staying in the medical field at all or getting out all together?   Would like to know what some of you are doing to make up for the income that we seem have lost over the past 5-6 years and will continue to lose (as it sounds) to make ends meet???

It is hard doing it that way, I've done it before, although my full time job was out of the house, so I had the break for the drive.

I now work full time at home and also part time.  My part time position is a couple hours a day, but has a 24-hour TAT, which helps tremendously.  I have a couple of choices of when I can do the work, which really helps.  

Having a set schedule has its advantages though. When you are done, you are done, and can make plans for the times you don't work.  If you have to do it the way you explained, I would at least give yourself an hour break in between.