Is working remotely a possibility?

[pavoreal]

Hello everyone, I am looking at a change of career and hope someone might be able to give some advice. I live in a small, rather isolated town with no jobs available in my field (mech. eng.). I do not want to move because my wife has a great job and we have roots here. I am prepared to do as much studying as it takes to become qualified for an entry level position. My question is is it possible to work from home in the tech field in an entry level position? Does anyone know how to find companies that would hire someone and allow them to work from home? I am very motivated and organized. Thank you for the help.

[KDLA]

It depends on the area/country you're asking about, as well as the type of job.

It's been my experience that entry level jobs are really done "in house," and the upper management positions, which are more about decision making and monitoring, can be done at home.

However, you could become a contractor (either personal services contractor or a subcontractor of another company), not full-time employee, of a company and work from home. But, you would not have any of the benefits of the company you are working for.

KDLA

[LeeU]

I would also suggest checking all the online job boards, forums, and other places. I have seen reports that many companies are using telecommuting more and more. You might just find what you're looking for down deep in the midst of all the others.

Are we speaking of Web development? If so, I would start learning and creating Web sites for non-profits, churches, etc. for free to build your portfolio.

Also, be very wary of the "work at home" schemes.

[WebJoel]

This is generally called "tele-commuting". This is becoming a more popular option in larger cities for the IT crowd, insomuch as the 'tele-commuter' feels the 'savings' of not having to fight mass-transit, or own/maintain a vehicle so in addition to pay, there is that perk. I suppose an employer might think they can offer a little less pay for this type of position because it is rather attractive.

My wife 'tele-commutes' one day per week. Such is techinical writing/editor duties, but she does need to be 'in house' the other days. Firms that allow employees to do this require specific licensing of required software for work-at-home, which can be cost-prohibitive and thus, un-attractive for some companies.
'Freelance' however, -yeah totally. But caveats noted above. As much as I'd love to be tele-commute 100%, the reality is that an employer would probably expect entry-level to be in-house all or nearly all the time.

[pavoreal]

Thank you for the info. And I am looking into web development specifically. I'll keep researching.