I've worked at a few different companies doing different types of work. There is one job that sticks out in my mind as the one job I really, really liked. I was a Field Engineer, working on automated equipment throughout the country. Wearing a pager (before cell phones), driving 60,000 miles a year, flying out on a Sunday night and flying back on a Wednesday … just to get a piece of equipment up and running again.
What I liked about this job:
I was on my own – my team was available to help if I needed them, additional engineering support was available through a phone call, but I worked alone. It was me, the machine and the customer. So, to a point, I was free to do my work without interference.
Travel – I love road trips, I hate to fly. Doesn't really matter where I'm going or where I end up, I like being on the road. So driving between 45,000 and 60,000 miles a year wasn't difficult for me. But I also like to see things at my destination. Sometimes I like being a tourist, other times I grab a local and learn about their area from their perspective. I hate to fly because I get motion sickness. Yeah, there are remedies – doesn't matter, I'm a double bagger…will use one bag going up and one bag going down. Watch out if there's turbulence – I'll be grabbing the bags from surrounding seats.
What I didn't like about this job:
Commuting – When I was in town I had to check in at the office every morning. The office was 51 miles/45 minutes from my house…and that's with no traffic. Didn't matter that my first service call was 75 miles in the opposite direction. I had to be in the office at 8 am every morning I was in town. Couldn't call in. Couldn't ‘Live Chat' or Instant Message.
Time Sheets – I was a salaried engineer, but I had to submit a time sheet every week for the hours I worked.
Where I Work Now
Anywhere I want to.
I have an office in the house and that's where I spend a lot of my time.
I take my netbook with me when I travel and have been known to work from inside my car:
We've awakened in the morning and said “enough of this cold weather! let's drive to Florida” and been on the road that day, with me working from the lanai of my sister-in-law's home:
I attended a national conference in Denver, Colorado and worked from the road – I spent a week driving out there and a week coming back. Stayed in Kansas City, MO with friends in between.
My husband and I are planning to move from the house into an RV, hit the road and explore the beautiful USA. This is what we're looking at getting:
I need, and have, the following things to work like this:
- Internet Connection
- Laptop
- Cell Phone
- A quality product or service to sell
If you have three of these things and are looking for a quality product, then learn more by clicking on the banner to the right or the one on the bottom.
Where Do You Want To Work?
- From your home – just steps away from your refrigerator with your own food in it? (no sharing the office refrigerator)
- From your boat – be it a schooner, houseboat or pontoon
- From your RV – changing the scenery when you want to
Your choice. Your life.
