Are you better off working from home?

castibls · 07-17-2006, 02:59 PM

I might have the opportunity very soon to quit my full-time stable job away from home and work full-time at home. Although I don't have the job offer yet it is looking very good that I will have it by the end of the week. I am of course afraid to take the leap as my at home salary would be about 20% less than I make now. I feel that I could make up the income difference with my part-time wah jobs. While I am afraid of the unknown I am thrilled about the possibility of giving me the commute, car expenses, traffic time, etc. For those of you who have made the leap please give me some advice and experience. Thanks.

castibls · 07-17-2006, 03:02 PM

might have the opportunity very soon to quit my full-time stable job away from home and work full-time at home. Although I don't have the job offer yet it is looking very good that I will have it by the end of the week. I am of course afraid to take the leap as my at home salary would be about 20% less than I make now. I feel that I could make up the income difference with my part-time wah jobs. While I am afraid of the unknown I am thrilled about the possibility of giving me the commute, car expenses, traffic time, etc. For those of you who have made the leap please give me some advice and experience. Thanks

xBoobooKittYx · 07-17-2006, 03:49 PM

For myself I went from a very good paying job with excellent benefits to working at home & I would do it again in a second. Although I was terrified and when I actually quit I didn't have anything lined up it was the very best thing I could of done for myself and my family. As you said, if money is an issue just work a few extra hours with another job but I would definately go for it.

CherOnyx24 · 07-17-2006, 06:25 PM

Well you would probably be able to make up the difference since you would be working from home, you may be able to cut back on other things too! Im sure you will love it. Good Luck

momof5 · 07-17-2006, 07:17 PM

With gas prices the way they are, you're sure to make up the difference. I've been working from home for about 2 years now and I love it -- wouldn't have it any other way.

rctalmom · 07-17-2006, 08:44 PM

I agree with momof5. I think you might come out better working from vs. working outside the home. Here is a little calculating I done. Hope this helps for you

Let's say you find a wah job making $8 an hour.

All information is based on my sate

WAH Job vs. Outside the home Job

Pay: $8 hr

Expenses:

WAH Gas: $0

Out side the home Job Gas: $3840 for the year $80 wk

WAH Cloths: $0

Out side the home Cloths: $1200 a yr ($100 month)

WAH Lunch: $0

Outside the home Lunch: $2400 a yr (at $10 a day for 5 days)

WAH Child Care: $0

Outside the home Child Care: $3840 a yr based on $80 a wk 1 child

WAH EOY Total take home: $ 15,360

OUtside the home EOY Total take home: $4,080

WAH EOY Total after taxes: $11,980.80

Outside the home EOY Total after taxes: $1,141.92

WAH EOY for taxes is based on 22% from each check.

Outside the home EOY for taxes is based on after taxes
bringing home $258.79 per wk

wfhmommy2003 · 08-01-2006, 08:08 AM

I agree with the other posters here.

Working from home provides me the time to be home and keep my house work under control, no gas money, no sitter(which mine are old enough they dont need one now), and I can set my own hours and have no one nagging over my back...

buttaskiss · 08-16-2006, 07:25 AM

I am glad that you posted this. Reading what others respond is great. I know I am going to quit my job just don't know when. It will be about a $10,000 drop but at least I'll have flexibility that I need with 4 kids. If I get hired this week I will probably quit my job and work full time from home within a month. Everyone seems so happy working from home.

OU-soonermom · 08-16-2006, 07:44 AM

I have been wah for over a year now and I feel so blessed to have found the work that I have. It keeps me from putting my daughters into daycare. Although when I was working on the phone it was a balancing act and could get a little stressful it wasn't near as stressful as working outside of the home! I got my foot in the door w/ W like most I have seen and although I moved on, it took awhile but I found a wahj that worked best for me! So yes my family and I are much better off with me wah

pcwork · 08-16-2006, 10:16 AM

I am much better off working from home, no travel, flexible timings

jadall · 08-18-2006, 02:00 AM

right now our wahjobs are supplemental income but the less money spent on gas and other budgets. it might be ok if my wife works from home alot it's all clear money. with my car falling apart and spending huge amounts of money on the gasoline/ and my wife not feeling well I think she really likes it and so do i with our combined wah income (I don't work that much some weeks) we make a fair check.

MissDee · 09-01-2006, 09:28 AM

I am deeply confused about this issue myself. I currently work full time during the day and make about $14 p/h, but it doesn't matter, because it still doesn't cut it. My fiancee makes considerably less, and his hours are being cut starting next week. I'm really worried about our future. I currently work for 1 wahj, about to begin training for 2 others, and applied for another that I'm not so sure about. I feel confident that I can make it work, but I will be losing out on a lot if I leave my day job. I'm with a leading bank, I have 401K, me and my children are insured, and the pay is guaranteed, as long as I show up and do my job. However, I have daycare expenses, gas is costing me $60 - $70 a week, and I'm always edgy and stressed out. I'm so confused, I really don't know how I should handle this. I would really like to commit to my wahj's full time, because I really enjoy the feeling of being self-employed. I've ALWAYS wanted to own my own business and when you think about it, we all run businesses, our own telecommunications businesses! But my fiancee would be so disappointed if I leave my full time day job. I'm sure if I make good money, he probably wouldn't feel so iffy about it, but I'm currently pulling the most weight in the house, so he depends on me to continue on with my job, but I'm truly not happy. I feel like I'm trapped in a box that I can't get out of. Does anyone here have any suggestions for me?

Daisy · 09-01-2006, 06:24 PM

Deidra - In your case, I probably wouldn't give up the sure thing just yet. It might not be a bad idea if your fiancee did some WAH jobs to make up for the money lost from his hours being cut though.

However, for you, especially since you have children and are not married (yet), use the WAH gig to supplement. Just the insurance on your kids is a benefit you should think about long and hard about before you give that up. How will they be insured after?

I'm not saying it wouldn't work, it probably would. However, you'd have to pay for insurance privately and out of your pocket so the money you'd save on gas and daycare would probably go for that. Until you find a company that will pay you hourly, there are no guaranteed rates with many companies, no paid sick days, no paid holidays, no paid vacation. Take all of that into consideration and have a plan before leaving the corporate world.

Good luck to you. It's possible

Gypsywind · 09-01-2006, 07:04 PM

I agree with Daisy the benefits have to be taken into consideration they boost your pay at least a couple dollars an hour. I know companies factor that in when figuring cost per hour per employee.

MissDee · 09-05-2006, 11:51 AM

Thanks, Daisy and Gypsy for your input. I'm definately going to keep it as an option to commit to my wahj's full time, but only after I'm 100% sure that it will work. In the meantime, I'll just have faith that everything will work out. Maybe I'm just stressed due to circumstance, but it's nice to hear words of comfort and encouragement. Thanks again.

berrymorin · 11-01-2006, 09:52 AM

I had to stop working due to a chronic illness. Besides the money savings working at home has made me realize that I really do enjoy working alone. No distraction.

Jennm1484 · 11-01-2006, 10:17 AM

I'm a college student - I was working for MBNA American bank for about 2 and 1/2 years of my college career - one day I called up my boss and told him i could no longer come in - they're not very flexible when it comes to student schedules and I couldn't handle the stress of cold calling people to sell credit cards anymore... I feel much less stressed since I quit and can have something that works around my classes - no more late nights before an all night study session... plus before I felt like I was neglecting my parrot, lol - I love working from home

LILady · 11-04-2006, 12:03 PM

Miss Dee- If you currently work for a bank, why not look into working in the finance industry from home. Some really reputable companies have WAH jobs, w/great pay, benefits, etc. I looked into it, but I don't have the experience. I can give u some names if you pm me. Good luck!

girlboygirlboy · 11-04-2006, 12:39 PM

I consider that I have the best of both worlds. I work full-time as a teacher and I work part-time from home and I wouldn't trade either opportunity for anything. My kids are all in school so my hours are basically the same as theirs. My full-time job pays the mortgage, the bills and the insurance. Plus I was fortunate this year to get a job in a school literally 5 minutes from my house so the commuting expenses are minor.

My WAH pay goes for the extras like saving for a bigger house, summer camps, etc. I am so grateful that I am able to make some extra money whenever it is convenient for me.

If I ever had to give up my teaching job, I would have no problem going WAH full-time but hope it never comes to that.

sgr_girl · 11-11-2006, 09:06 AM

I'm just curious as to everyone who's working from home, what do you do?

I have been considering quitting my full time job, and working from home. However I need to find a full time WAHJ or 2 part-time ones, unless I found a full time one that is comparable to what I'm making right now where I work. I'm getting married in less than 8 months, and me and my soon-to-be-husband are going to start trying for a baby not long after.
I would absolutely LOVE to stay at home and work!! I've always had the desire to, but I haven't had any luck yet finding a WAH job.

thorpe4kids · Yesterday, 08:33 AM

I work from home as a medical coder. A coder is someone in the chain of health information between the medical transcriptionist and the billing specialist. We take the transcribed reports and translate them into codes that are used by the billing department to submit claims for reimbursement.

While it is possible to learn coding “on the job” in a medical records department, the vast majority of coders receive training ranging from certified correspondence courses to college degree programs. We need an understanding of anatomy & physiology, pharmacology, pathophysiology and medical terminology at a minimum. We spend our days reading physician documentation and working as detectives to determine what actually happened during the hospital visit and seeking further clarification if the documentation is not complete.

In this day and age of computerized records, it is simple to perform these tasks from home with the help of a high speed internet connection and a secure connection to the facility. I have been working from home for the past 4 years and it works wonderfully for me since I have young children. However, there are certain things to consider before trying to find a job coding from home:

It is nearly impossible to get a coding position without hands-on experience. Coding is very complex and requires a training period with mentoring and feedback. Educators do not have their own class of students without a “student teaching” period where they are mentored by an experienced teacher. Physicians do not go from medical school to practice without a period of residency. A coder should not expect to be able to go directly from “book learning” to working from home without a period of hands-on experience. I had worked in the Health Information field for 12 years and as a coder for 2 years before I transitioned to working from home.
Working from home with children in the house is not as easy as it sounds. While it is wonderful to be available for my children and no longer send them to day care, it is difficult to concentrate 100% on your work and care for your children at the same time. Coding requires intense concentration at times. It may require working early in the day/late at night or working around nap times or a spouse’s schedule. It may take a while to develop a schedule that works for the whole family but it definitely can be done.
Working from home can be very lonely and frustrating. If you are used to being able to bounce ideas off of coworkers as needed or just to shoot the breeze once in a while, being at home can be a difficult transition. However, you can keep in touch with others via e-mail or phone and a good employer will have resources available for those coding questions that you may have.

Some positive benefits of coding from home:

Home coders usually earn much more than “office” coders. Your employer is saving on office space, overhead, etc. so they are able to pay more to home coders that those working at their office. A good employer still offers health benefits, retirement, vacation/sick days to home coders, but there is still a significant cost savings to those who utilize home coders.
Home coding usually offers a flexible schedule. You are free to code at your convenience, within reason. You will probably have to submit an intended schedule for the week, but there is usually flexibility in that if you need to take a sick child to the doctor you can simply work later that day to make up the time or work on the weekend if you need a day off during the week. Of course there are client deadline to keep in mind, but there is nothing better than knowing that a sick child will not force YOU to call in sick and that an emergency call from the school about a forgotten lunchbox is no longer a problem.
The best of both worlds. I feel that I have the best of both worlds—I am a stay at home mom who also provides an income for my family. We have benefited in so many ways since I was able to come home and my children are much happier that mom and dad aren’t so stressed over scheduling child pick-up/drop off each morning. I used to work opposite shift from my husband (with some overlap) to minimize the need for child care and now we are able to spend much more time together as a family. Even when I am working late, my family knows they can come into the office and talk with me or that I am available to make a quick snack for someone if dad is busy.

My advice to anyone considering a career as a medical coder is that you must be committed. There is a lot of work involved in becoming a coder and the amount of information that you will need to absorb is tremendous. However, the payoff is worth all the work. This is a career choice that requires advance planning—you don’t just take a 6 month correspondence course and start working at home, no matter what the media tells you. For more information on becoming a coder, visit the American Health Information Management Association website at: http://www.ahima.org/careers/.

07-17-2006, 02:59 PM	#1
castibls Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 7 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Are you better off working from home? I might have the opportunity very soon to quit my full-time stable job away from home and work full-time at home. Although I don't have the job offer yet it is looking very good that I will have it by the end of the week. I am of course afraid to take the leap as my at home salary would be about 20% less than I make now. I feel that I could make up the income difference with my part-time wah jobs. While I am afraid of the unknown I am thrilled about the possibility of giving me the commute, car expenses, traffic time, etc. For those of you who have made the leap please give me some advice and experience. Thanks.

07-17-2006, 03:02 PM	#2
castibls Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 7 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Are you better off working from home? might have the opportunity very soon to quit my full-time stable job away from home and work full-time at home. Although I don't have the job offer yet it is looking very good that I will have it by the end of the week. I am of course afraid to take the leap as my at home salary would be about 20% less than I make now. I feel that I could make up the income difference with my part-time wah jobs. While I am afraid of the unknown I am thrilled about the possibility of giving me the commute, car expenses, traffic time, etc. For those of you who have made the leap please give me some advice and experience. Thanks

07-17-2006, 03:49 PM	#3
xBoobooKittYx Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: On my Computer Posts: 946 Thanks: 59 Thanked 86 Times in 80 Posts	Re: Are you better off working from home? For myself I went from a very good paying job with excellent benefits to working at home & I would do it again in a second. Although I was terrified and when I actually quit I didn't have anything lined up it was the very best thing I could of done for myself and my family. As you said, if money is an issue just work a few extra hours with another job but I would definately go for it.

07-17-2006, 06:25 PM	#4
CherOnyx24 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 350 Thanks: 0 Thanked 12 Times in 12 Posts	Re: Are you better off working from home? Well you would probably be able to make up the difference since you would be working from home, you may be able to cut back on other things too! Im sure you will love it. Good Luck __________________ Cher Work at Home Mom BEST KEPT SECRET TO WORKING FROM HOME!!

07-17-2006, 07:17 PM	#5
momof5 Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 20 Thanks: 7 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: Are you better off working from home? With gas prices the way they are, you're sure to make up the difference. I've been working from home for about 2 years now and I love it -- wouldn't have it any other way.

07-17-2006, 08:44 PM	#6
rctalmom Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 13 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Are you better off working from home? I agree with momof5. I think you might come out better working from vs. working outside the home. Here is a little calculating I done. Hope this helps for you Let's say you find a wah job making $8 an hour. All information is based on my sate WAH Job vs. Outside the home Job Pay: $8 hr Expenses: WAH Gas: $0 Out side the home Job Gas: $3840 for the year $80 wk WAH Cloths: $0 Out side the home Cloths: $1200 a yr ($100 month) WAH Lunch: $0 Outside the home Lunch: $2400 a yr (at $10 a day for 5 days) WAH Child Care: $0 Outside the home Child Care: $3840 a yr based on $80 a wk 1 child WAH EOY Total take home: $ 15,360 OUtside the home EOY Total take home: $4,080 WAH EOY Total after taxes: $11,980.80 Outside the home EOY Total after taxes: $1,141.92 WAH EOY for taxes is based on 22% from each check. Outside the home EOY for taxes is based on after taxes bringing home $258.79 per wk __________________ http://www.getrewardz.com/members/sig.php?i=191

08-01-2006, 08:08 AM	#7
wfhmommy2003 Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: South of Pittsburgh Pa Posts: 25 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Are you better off working from home? I agree with the other posters here. Working from home provides me the time to be home and keep my house work under control, no gas money, no sitter(which mine are old enough they dont need one now), and I can set my own hours and have no one nagging over my back... __________________ WIFE, MOMMY AND WAHA(IC)

08-16-2006, 07:25 AM	#8
buttaskiss Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 243 Thanks: 51 Thanked 33 Times in 26 Posts	Re: Are you better off working from home? I am glad that you posted this. Reading what others respond is great. I know I am going to quit my job just don't know when. It will be about a $10,000 drop but at least I'll have flexibility that I need with 4 kids. If I get hired this week I will probably quit my job and work full time from home within a month. Everyone seems so happy working from home.

08-16-2006, 07:44 AM	#9
OU-soonermom Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 242 Thanks: 45 Thanked 88 Times in 58 Posts	Re: Are you better off working from home? I have been wah for over a year now and I feel so blessed to have found the work that I have. It keeps me from putting my daughters into daycare. Although when I was working on the phone it was a balancing act and could get a little stressful it wasn't near as stressful as working outside of the home! I got my foot in the door w/ W like most I have seen and although I moved on, it took awhile but I found a wahj that worked best for me! So yes my family and I are much better off with me wah __________________ Thank you for the siggie Pamjeam!!!!!!!

08-16-2006, 10:16 AM	#10
pcwork Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 347 Thanks: 1 Thanked 29 Times in 29 Posts	Re: Are you better off working from home? I am much better off working from home, no travel, flexible timings __________________ Data entry, freelance writing, customer service, transcription, software and other computer work at home jobs and companies listed at http://www.pcworkathome.net . 100% free

08-18-2006, 02:00 AM	#11
jadall Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 18 Thanks: 2 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Are you better off working from home? right now our wahjobs are supplemental income but the less money spent on gas and other budgets. it might be ok if my wife works from home alot it's all clear money. with my car falling apart and spending huge amounts of money on the gasoline/ and my wife not feeling well I think she really likes it and so do i with our combined wah income (I don't work that much some weeks) we make a fair check.

09-01-2006, 09:28 AM	#12
MissDee Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 87 Thanks: 28 Thanked 5 Times in 4 Posts	Re: Are you better off working from home? I am deeply confused about this issue myself. I currently work full time during the day and make about $14 p/h, but it doesn't matter, because it still doesn't cut it. My fiancee makes considerably less, and his hours are being cut starting next week. I'm really worried about our future. I currently work for 1 wahj, about to begin training for 2 others, and applied for another that I'm not so sure about. I feel confident that I can make it work, but I will be losing out on a lot if I leave my day job. I'm with a leading bank, I have 401K, me and my children are insured, and the pay is guaranteed, as long as I show up and do my job. However, I have daycare expenses, gas is costing me $60 - $70 a week, and I'm always edgy and stressed out. I'm so confused, I really don't know how I should handle this. I would really like to commit to my wahj's full time, because I really enjoy the feeling of being self-employed. I've ALWAYS wanted to own my own business and when you think about it, we all run businesses, our own telecommunications businesses! But my fiancee would be so disappointed if I leave my full time day job. I'm sure if I make good money, he probably wouldn't feel so iffy about it, but I'm currently pulling the most weight in the house, so he depends on me to continue on with my job, but I'm truly not happy. I feel like I'm trapped in a box that I can't get out of. Does anyone here have any suggestions for me?

09-01-2006, 06:24 PM	#13
Daisy Owner Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: The Hills Posts: 3,026 Thanks: 136 Thanked 423 Times in 324 Posts	Re: Are you better off working from home? Deidra - In your case, I probably wouldn't give up the sure thing just yet. It might not be a bad idea if your fiancee did some WAH jobs to make up for the money lost from his hours being cut though. However, for you, especially since you have children and are not married (yet), use the WAH gig to supplement. Just the insurance on your kids is a benefit you should think about long and hard about before you give that up. How will they be insured after? I'm not saying it wouldn't work, it probably would. However, you'd have to pay for insurance privately and out of your pocket so the money you'd save on gas and daycare would probably go for that. Until you find a company that will pay you hourly, there are no guaranteed rates with many companies, no paid sick days, no paid holidays, no paid vacation. Take all of that into consideration and have a plan before leaving the corporate world. Good luck to you. It's possible __________________

09-01-2006, 07:04 PM	#14
Gypsywind Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: California Posts: 1,561 Thanks: 119 Thanked 216 Times in 148 Posts	Re: Are you better off working from home? I agree with Daisy the benefits have to be taken into consideration they boost your pay at least a couple dollars an hour. I know companies factor that in when figuring cost per hour per employee. __________________

09-05-2006, 11:51 AM	#15
MissDee Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 87 Thanks: 28 Thanked 5 Times in 4 Posts	Re: Are you better off working from home? Thanks, Daisy and Gypsy for your input. I'm definately going to keep it as an option to commit to my wahj's full time, but only after I'm 100% sure that it will work. In the meantime, I'll just have faith that everything will work out. Maybe I'm just stressed due to circumstance, but it's nice to hear words of comfort and encouragement. Thanks again.

11-01-2006, 09:52 AM	#16
berrymorin Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 127 Thanks: 0 Thanked 27 Times in 18 Posts	Re: Are you better off working from home? I had to stop working due to a chronic illness. Besides the money savings working at home has made me realize that I really do enjoy working alone. No distraction. __________________ Rona Stop by for a visit - Berrymorin Bits and Tips

11-01-2006, 10:17 AM	#17
Jennm1484 Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: State College, Pa for school - South Jersey during breaks Posts: 8 Thanks: 5 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: Are you better off working from home? I'm a college student - I was working for MBNA American bank for about 2 and 1/2 years of my college career - one day I called up my boss and told him i could no longer come in - they're not very flexible when it comes to student schedules and I couldn't handle the stress of cold calling people to sell credit cards anymore... I feel much less stressed since I quit and can have something that works around my classes - no more late nights before an all night study session... plus before I felt like I was neglecting my parrot, lol - I love working from home __________________ Myspace

11-04-2006, 12:03 PM	#18
LILady Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 130 Thanks: 29 Thanked 10 Times in 8 Posts	Re: Are you better off working from home? Miss Dee- If you currently work for a bank, why not look into working in the finance industry from home. Some really reputable companies have WAH jobs, w/great pay, benefits, etc. I looked into it, but I don't have the experience. I can give u some names if you pm me. Good luck! __________________

11-04-2006, 12:39 PM	#19
girlboygirlboy Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Deep in the heart of Texas! Posts: 734 Thanks: 22 Thanked 150 Times in 115 Posts	Re: Are you better off working from home? I consider that I have the best of both worlds. I work full-time as a teacher and I work part-time from home and I wouldn't trade either opportunity for anything. My kids are all in school so my hours are basically the same as theirs. My full-time job pays the mortgage, the bills and the insurance. Plus I was fortunate this year to get a job in a school literally 5 minutes from my house so the commuting expenses are minor. My WAH pay goes for the extras like saving for a bigger house, summer camps, etc. I am so grateful that I am able to make some extra money whenever it is convenient for me. If I ever had to give up my teaching job, I would have no problem going WAH full-time but hope it never comes to that. __________________ PTCs Treasure Trooper / Mavishare / Inbox Dollars/ OrderCash4Free PTRs: 1/2c - 5c emails & low payouts - NO TIMERS!! MV10 / Penguin Passion / CosplayMails/ MerryGetCash / TosunMail / Tulip520 Payment Processor e-gold There are no guarantees!

11-11-2006, 09:06 AM	#20
sgr_girl Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northwest Indiana Posts: 92 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Are you better off working from home? I'm just curious as to everyone who's working from home, what do you do? I have been considering quitting my full time job, and working from home. However I need to find a full time WAHJ or 2 part-time ones, unless I found a full time one that is comparable to what I'm making right now where I work. I'm getting married in less than 8 months, and me and my soon-to-be-husband are going to start trying for a baby not long after. I would absolutely LOVE to stay at home and work!! I've always had the desire to, but I haven't had any luck yet finding a WAH job. __________________ ~~~~~~~ http://www.itpaystolearn.com/default.asp?ref_id=ATP234 http://hits4pay.com/members/index.cgi?sgr_girl http://www.mavishare.com/27142

Yesterday, 08:33 AM	#21
thorpe4kids Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 6 Thanks: 5 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Are you better off working from home? I work from home as a medical coder. A coder is someone in the chain of health information between the medical transcriptionist and the billing specialist. We take the transcribed reports and translate them into codes that are used by the billing department to submit claims for reimbursement. While it is possible to learn coding “on the job” in a medical records department, the vast majority of coders receive training ranging from certified correspondence courses to college degree programs. We need an understanding of anatomy & physiology, pharmacology, pathophysiology and medical terminology at a minimum. We spend our days reading physician documentation and working as detectives to determine what actually happened during the hospital visit and seeking further clarification if the documentation is not complete. In this day and age of computerized records, it is simple to perform these tasks from home with the help of a high speed internet connection and a secure connection to the facility. I have been working from home for the past 4 years and it works wonderfully for me since I have young children. However, there are certain things to consider before trying to find a job coding from home: *It is nearly impossible to get a coding position without hands-on experience. Coding is very complex and requires a training period with mentoring and feedback. Educators do not have their own class of students without a “student teaching” period where they are mentored by an experienced teacher. Physicians do not go from medical school to practice without a period of residency. A coder should not expect to be able to go directly from “book learning” to working from home without a period of hands-on experience. I had worked in the Health Information field for 12 years and as a coder for 2 years before I transitioned to working from home. Working from home with children in the house is not as easy as it sounds.* While it is wonderful to be available for my children and no longer send them to day care, it is difficult to concentrate 100% on your work and care for your children at the same time. Coding requires intense concentration at times. It may require working early in the day/late at night or working around nap times or a spouse’s schedule. It may take a while to develop a schedule that works for the whole family but it definitely can be done. *Working from home can be very lonely and frustrating.* If you are used to being able to bounce ideas off of coworkers as needed or just to shoot the breeze once in a while, being at home can be a difficult transition. However, you can keep in touch with others via e-mail or phone and a good employer will have resources available for those coding questions that you may have. Some positive benefits of coding from home: *Home coders usually earn much more than “office” coders.* Your employer is saving on office space, overhead, etc. so they are able to pay more to home coders that those working at their office. A good employer still offers health benefits, retirement, vacation/sick days to home coders, but there is still a significant cost savings to those who utilize home coders. *Home coding usually offers a flexible schedule.* You are free to code at your convenience, within reason. You will probably have to submit an intended schedule for the week, but there is usually flexibility in that if you need to take a sick child to the doctor you can simply work later that day to make up the time or work on the weekend if you need a day off during the week. Of course there are client deadline to keep in mind, but there is nothing better than knowing that a sick child will not force YOU to call in sick and that an emergency call from the school about a forgotten lunchbox is no longer a problem. *The best of both worlds.* I feel that I have the best of both worlds—I am a stay at home mom who also provides an income for my family. We have benefited in so many ways since I was able to come home and my children are much happier that mom and dad aren’t so stressed over scheduling child pick-up/drop off each morning. I used to work opposite shift from my husband (with some overlap) to minimize the need for child care and now we are able to spend much more time together as a family. Even when I am working late, my family knows they can come into the office and talk with me or that I am available to make a quick snack for someone if dad is busy. My advice to anyone considering a career as a medical coder is that you must be committed. There is a lot of work involved in becoming a coder and the amount of information that you will need to absorb is tremendous. However, the payoff is worth all the work. This is a career choice that requires advance planning—you don’t just take a 6 month correspondence course and start working at home, no matter what the media tells you. For more information on becoming a coder, visit the American Health Information Management Association website at: http://www.ahima.org/careers/.