With all the uncertainty of what quarantine restrictions we will be under, many people have not only lost their jobs and livelihood but also have been forced to stay at home “for their own good”?  While that policy is debatable, we shall not touch on that in this column.  What we will talk about is what you can do from home to be able to make some money so you have something to live on.

Undoubtedly, your ability to work from home to make a living depends on your particular background, education, experience, and available resources.  Many employment opportunities are simply not possible in a work from home basis for construction workers, laborers, janitors and skilled personnel such as electricians, plumbers, security guards and so on.  You have to reinvent yourself in this case.

However, there are many opportunities that you can earn a living from home.  Here are some that I am actually able to do and those that I know some friends are able to do as well.  Of course if the company you work for allows you to work from home (WFH) then you don’t have a problem.  I have been able to try other things that allows me to WFH, these are teaching, trading and teleconferencing.

Since physical classes are not allowed, classes are conducted online which is perfect for me since I don’t have to spend time travelling and the distance to the school is irrelevant.  An online education has its challenges such as the difficulty of a proper interaction, lack of monitoring of the students attention, and the unreliability or unavailability of an internet connection.  It also has advantages such as the time and money everyone saves from not having to physically go to the school, not to mention avoiding catching COVID.  For you to be a teacher or professor, you need academic credentials, relevant experience and the right communication skills.

Trading in the stock market has been something that I have been doing since I was in college more than 40 years ago.  You will need to know what you are doing and it forces you to read up on current events, the economy, banking and finance and of course politics.  Most successful traders have the ability to see the interaction of events with the movement in the stock prices, and a little bit of luck doesn’t hurt either.  Get an online account with one of the big banks or a reputable PSE broker so you can execute your trades on your own.   This is something that I find better done using a PC or Laptop than a smart phone and having a fast internet connection will make your life easier.

Teleconferencing seems to be the new norm in Board and Committee meetings.  If you are fortunate enough to be involved in companies as an Independent Director, member of the Board, consultant or adviser, you will be typically be paid a Per Diem for attending these meetings.  Depending on the company, the Per Diem could be a modest amount to as much as a generous figure as if you were a regular executive working full time.

Many people buy and sell, bake or make things from their home to sell to their neighbors or online.  Others are paid as Bloggers or Vloggers to be able to promote or endorse products and influence public opinion.  The amount they get paid depends on how popular or how many followers they have.  Just in case you were wondering the origin of the word, it came from weblog and the word was first used in 1997.  Bloggers are those that write articles while Vloggers are those that create or produce videos.  There will always be opportunities to make money, you just need to be willing to adapt, learn and take a chance.

 (The views and comments of the author are his own and not of the newspaper or FINEX.  Comments may be sent to [email protected])