To 2nd WFH job, that is the answer

Money has been tight lately. It’s the one thing in our lives, other than my health, that keeps haunting us. It got to the point where we’ve debated whether I’m healthy enough to work more hours.

We both agreed that if I were to find a new job, it would have to be a work from home (WFH) job. The reason being that I’m honestly not up to a traditional job yet. Sometimes just walking from my bed to my desk is tiring. I can’t imagine having to commute.

I have met a lot of people with chronic illnesses who leave their traditional jobs for WHF jobs because it was too much for them. There are some potential cons, depending on the position, but there are also so many benefits for people who want to keep working and feeling like capable human beings even when they don’t FEEL like they are.

In regards to our debate; I thought I should either apply for a higher-up position with my current WFH job or obtain a second WFH job to help cover our expenses. He thought I should let him worry about making more money and I should just focus on resting and getting better.

I hate to be an asshole, but worrying about how I’m going to pay off my credit card debt isn’t going to contribute to me magically achieving remission.

Ah, the wonderful R-word

It’s been at the forefront of our minds and hearts, the closest thing to a cure. Also, it’s what we have been striving for so I can once again become a thriving citizen. But alas, it’s been almost a year and a half and although I have gotten MUCH better over time. My flares are admittedly worse but occur less often. I just haven’t gotten where I want to be yet.

I put my foot down and started looking for WFH jobs when I realized that even after cutting almost all unnecessary costs out, I couldn’t afford to buy groceries, contribute to rent, pay my monthly credit card fee, pay co-pays for my visits, go to PT, AND save up to move. TBH, I never even started PT because it cost $60 each visit.

The home we are in now is lovely, but if the rent goes up, we are in deep poop. Also, we want to start a family. How the hell can we even think of starting a family if I have to decide between groceries and medications?

So I’m getting a second job!

I put thought into it and one thing I love about my current job is I don’t have to follow up on anything. There aren’t any long term projects or tasks. Once I’m done with the day, that is, I’m done.

This is super beneficial to me because I just can’t remember things like I used to. At my last (traditional) job there were so many things I had to juggle and it was honestly torturing. Brain fog is a bitch.

Since this new job would be supplemental income to an existing job, I worried more about finding something with a flexible schedule than high wages. My job right now has set hours that I can’t change. The new job I find has to allow me to work whenever I’m free, but also not overwhelm me.

Commence job search

All that being said, I say “hell no” to all customer service/call center jobs. I worked customer service for a few years and although I think every human should slog through it, I’ve done my time. Never. Again.

I also already struggle to keep my sleep schedule steady, so I had to say no to jobs that were not in my own time zone. If you are ok with teaching English to children at 3 am and the thought thrills you, do you boo!

The next opportunity that I saw was for personal virtual assistant work. It seems great, but those jobs tend to have strict deadlines and set schedules/hours. Some of them even require that you be on -call all the time. Did I mention deadlines? Nope from me on that too.

Just like Goldilocks

I stumbled upon some part-time, flexible, you work-your-own-hours jobs that did not require contact with anyone other than your supervisor. PERFECT.

I applied to one that was a contractor job but it seemed pretty sketch to me once I received the offer letter. The job wasn’t a scam at all. It just required access to my search logs in order to give me tasks and I wasn’t down with that at all. I value my privacy. If you don’t care about stuff like that, then I’m sure it’s a great opportunity!

The one I found and am REALLY excited about is a Search Quality Evaluator position. There are a ton of these jobs from a bunch of different companies. This one I did some research on and I’m really excited to start. Like REALLY excited.

I will start this month if all goes well. I already feel the stress of being broke starting to leave my constantly tight shoulders. I’m even sleeping a little more soundly.

I recognize that there is always the chance that it will suck and I’ll hate it. But that’s ok because it is supplemental and I can always just quit and find something else.

Some WFH job search tips, if you’re interested

• Before you start searching get a good idea of what would be best for you. Flexibility vs fixed schedule vs pay preference vs subject. Do you want fulltime or part-time? Do you want 100% remote work, or would you be ok with partial WFH and partial in office?
• Search in reliable places. I love using Flexjobs and Virtual Vocations. Disclaimer: Both sites are subscription-style for a small monthly fee, but they do the dirty work of checking that the job postings are actual jobs at actual companies and not just scam artists. I think that is worth paying a little bit for. BTW, I’m totally not sponsored by either one, I just really like that they show honest job posts. I prefer Flexjobs because of their multitude of search options.
• If you have never worked from home before, beware that you may have to compromise and go for entry-level positions. Not all companies require WFH experience, but the higher paying ones sometimes do, unless you are an expert in your field.
• If you decide to search for A WFH job outside of the two sites above, do your research!!
• Find companies that you like and search the website’s career page for potential remote options!

I believe in my heart it’s the right step for us. And if it isn’t, luckily, I have an amazing husband that will support my decisions no matter what. Plus, there will always be more jobs out there. There is more than 1 way to get momma a new pair of shoes.

Tip# 361: Find yourself a partner that believes you can do anything and doesn’t think any less of you if you can’t. <3

Gentle hugs always,

Lunabug