I spent $20,100 to work! That equaled an income of $7,900
per year, $152 per week... a full $3.80 per hour!
How much do you pay to work outside the home? Use the
list below to calculate how much you pay to work.
Actual contribution to family income (salary - total work
expenses = family contribution):
What did you discover? Is one-third, one-half or more of
your income going to pay expenses just so you can work?
It can be pretty depressing to learn you work hard but
reap little reward for it. However, if working outside
the home is costing you a lot of money, working at home
may be the answer. But don't quit your job yet.
Before you quit your job, you need to determine how much
your family needs to survive. This requires making the
dreaded family budget but it's a necessary hassle if you
are serious about wanting to work at home.
Now you can calculate how much money, if any, you would
need to earn from home if you quit your job. Take your
Total Expenses and subtract the amount of money that
comes into your home without your income. For example, if
your monthly expenses are $2,500 and your spouse earns
$1,900, you would need to earn a net amount of $600
($2,500 - $1,900 = $600). Or would you? While $600 isn't
that much to earn it isn't that much to save either.
Look over your budget again and see if there are areas
that you can save money. Can you survive with one car or
a cheaper car? Can you cut your grocery bill? Can you use
the library to borrow books and videos for free instead
of paying for them? Once you stay home, you will have
more time to bargain shop for clothes, repair services,
and other needs cutting costs on those items.
After doing this exercise I sold my $350.00 per month car
and bought a $188.00 per month car that also saved me on
insurance and personal property tax. I cut my grocery
bill by 20% and my utility bill by 10%. I joined barter
and swap clubs on the Internet for books and other items.
With my new budget makeover, I saved about $700 per
month.
In the end, I discovered I could work outside the home 40
hours per week to take home less than half my salary or I
could work from home part-time, be with my kids, and earn
about the same amount of take home pay. It wasn't too
hard to decide that working at home was a better option.
By now you should know how expensive it is for you to
work outside the home. Perhaps you were lucky and
discovered that you pay more to work outside the home
than to stay home. But even if you found that you would
still need to earn an income from home, the amount should
be significantly less than what you would have to earn
working outside the home. You can now begin to search
for work that will allow you to earn that amount from
home.
This article may be reproduced providing it is published in it's entirety, including the author's bio.
A CEO Shares Her Journey From Humble Beginnings To Great Success...
by Tory Johnson
My career began with communications positions at ABC News, NBC News and Nickelodeon where I helped promote the work of network superstars like Barbara Walters, Jane Pauley and Maria Shriver.
After several years of that, I decided to turn my attention to a group of people who I thought could benefit from my hard work a whole lot more: young women entering the workplace.
I founded Women For Hire in July 1999 for two reasons.
The first was to give bright young women from all colleges and universities (not just the biggest ones) who are serious about professional careers a place exclusively for them to feel comfortable and confident while meeting face-to-face with top recruiters. In essence, giving them that foot-in-the-door.
I also wanted to offer leading employers the opportunity to meet in one place with a diverse group of terrific female candidates, including college seniors, grad students and experienced professionals.
I left the safety of my steady career in PR to make a go of it. For the first year, until last summer, it was just me--in the corner of my Manhattan bedroom, cold-calling college recruiters at major companies I wanted to target for participation. I recruited my own army of volunteers--my mom, my husband, a dear old aunt and even my 76-year-old father in law--to help me plan and execute our first two events. (Never underestimate your family: mine came through for me at a time when I needed them most. Even my three kids were pretty helpful.)
How'd I get the idea? A while ago, I was hanging out with my brother David's college friends, many of whom were women. This was right before their senior year of college at NYU. I expected tremendous excitement and enthusiasm about finishing up and getting out on their own.
Instead, I learned they were most anxious about how they'd land jobs.
These were smart, sophisticated women: no lack of egos among this group. They were genuinely concerned about their ability to get in front of employers, to beat the competition and to begin their careers.
They now have a place of their own five of them, actually, in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta, where we now host career fairs several times a year. (Upcoming events in 2001 include New York on June 19 and Oct. 23; Dallas on Oct. 2; Chicago on Oct. 10; Boston on Oct. 30; Atlanta on Nov. 6.)
An amazing roster of leading companies in nearly every line of business--from IBM, Motorola, Sun Microsystems and PricewaterhouseCoopers to iVillage, Lifetime TV, DoubleClick and the CIA--participate. (Since the participants vary in each market, please check our website at http://www.womenforhire.com for a complete list of companies and their job descriptions.)
The media also picked up quickly on the Women For Hire concept. We were featured four times on NBC's Today show, among other coverage, which led to an overwhelming national response from women asking how they could tap into our services.
One thing that's critical when looking for a job is maintaining and exuding self-confidence. Really being your best. I think women appreciate an environment that’s supportive of them and conducive to making them feel their best while learning about career opportunities and interviewing for jobs. Women For Hire events also level the playing field for lots of amazing women--regardless of the school they attended.
We also attract candidates with up to seven years of professional experience, as well as those interested in securing part-time, work-from-home and other flexible arrangements.
On the side of employers, we know one of the greatest challenges is finding truly qualified candidates in a time-efficient and cost-effective manner, especially in a competitive environment. We’re very successful on this front.
While the Internet will clearly play a more important role in recruiting in the future, it's impossible to underestimate the value and importance of "real world" interaction. While technology seems more amazing every day, the best employers don't rely exclusively on online services for recruiting. It's just one piece of their overall program.
Employers and candidates are out to develop lasting relationships. And all relationships demand personal contact and interaction. That's why job fairs work.
Furthermore, diversity is not a cyclical issue or a meaningless buzzword. It's a necessity that makes good business sense, and most companies wrestle with it. We help employers fulfill their important diversity goals.
My professional goals are still a work in progress, and I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished. From a one-woman at-home operation to a great office with a fabulous team that’s committed to producing the best career fairs.
Nothing's more rewarding than getting an email from a young woman who attended one of our events thanking us for helping to jumpstart her career. We also get great feedback from those who don't land jobs, but who say it was worth the experience because it improved their networking skills, which is invaluable.
The greatest lesson is knowing it’s possible to start something big from nothing more than a solid idea. Very limited financing, basic office equipment and most importantly a huge desire to succeed were and still are the key ingredients to our great success.
--------------------------------
Tory Johnson is the Founder/CEO of Women For Hire.
Reach her by email at tory@womenforhire.com.
This article may be reproduced providing it is published in it's entirety, including the author's bio.
This Momma Gets Paid To Party!
Can You Afford To Work?