Do you work remotely to avoid gas prices? Looking for 15 minutes of fame?

Hmm...if I type everything out coherently, it'd be way too long to post here (I know, because I started doing it)...so I'll just stick to bullets.  

• I signed up first as a buyer
• I had a full time job that I hated
• I relocated out of state to take another full time job that I didn't hate as much
• When we (my husband and I) moved, he sold his car and bought a motorbike because we would be living right across the street from the new job, and there was no need for two cars
• After moving, the company couldn't give me the job
• Because my husband quit his job and relocated for me and my phantom job, he was also unemployed
• Panic ensued
• I remembered oDesk, and spent a week working on my new provider profile
• My husband also signed up here and started working on his profile
• Within a week he got hired for his first job
• I got hired for my first job a few days later
• I continue to apply for select jobs and continue to receive interview request
• So does my husband
• We are both working from home now (although, he substitute teaches sometimes) - something we had wanted to do for a long time...but it took extreme circumstances for us to get motivated enough to do it
• Now, I don't buy gas hardly at all, and he pays $10 to fill up his bike that gets 60 mpg...so even though our combined income through odesk doesn't add up to what I would have been making had I actually been given the job I moved for, because I'm not filling up my gas tank every 4 days at $50 a pop, it's still enough to pay the bills, and that is a relief!

- Danalyn

--the last institution where I worked required day and night shifts

--got stressed eventually due to conflict schedules

--found a great hobby that got me thinking I can also be paid for doing it

 --applied online til someone hired me

--quit my old job for good and start fresh with the new one as freelance

--work was great, pay was better! and dont even have to stress about work schedules... only deadlines.

 --  there was tough competition against other companies... we closed 3 years after that

-- joined few contests to earn a little.. posted on the net that I'm available for freelance work (dont want to go back to old job)

-- my hematologist advised me to stay healthy and not sleep late and do stressful jobs... so no night shifts anymore

-- googled freelance jobs on the net, and chose oDesk

-- 1st interview.. turned me down

-- got a few hourly and fixed jobs after that

-- gas cost is fast increasing, so have to beat that by earning home-based.  Other than that, I still want to stay healthy even while doing what I love doing... and still have time left for loved ones

It's more convenient and practical to work from home. I joined oDesk because of the rising prices of gas, groceries...everything! You can have the freedom you want if you telecommute. You can manage your own time, look after your kids, the dog, watch or listen to the television, and you don't have to worry about what to wear. The drawback is that you have to learn how to manage the little distractions, like the mailman knocking, kids who beg for your attention, and handling the occasional telemarketers. All you need is time/task management. It might not work for some, but it works for me.

My name is Doreen I run a resell hosting company among 5 other divisions of our business. I am tired of hiring people that either don't show for work, or don't produce while at work. So I thought that outsourcing would cut down on some of the burden for my company. I have looked for a couple of years for a place I could find Techs and other positions to fit the company. I was very pleased when I ran across O Desk. Unfortunately it was at a time when everything is so tight.  I always have some type of projects that I need help on, so I thought I would start with this small project and build a relationship with some techs and other professionals. I look forward to working with a few of the people I have as candidates. 

Sincerely
Doreen Leonard
 

Well, I joined to find more work. I live in a remote area in Eastern Colorado.  There are simply no jobs and I currently work for one company and love it.  I wanted to expand my hours and take on some more work.

I worked as the administrative assistant for an accounting firm for 7 1/2 years and suddenly, they decided that I wasn't right for the job.  I started there 3 months after they opened for business and set up the office with little guidance.  Two other employees who happened to be accountants became partners and things changed.  I guess I was a victim of office politics.  Anyway, I came across O Desk on a message board for office professionals and I am excited to get to work.  I have no expectations but I know that whatever opportunities there are out there for working at home, this is the best and most legitimate I have found.  I'm also looking for work in my local area but jobs are scarce right now.

I'm a professional SEO writer and I work from home fulltime. I added oDesk to my private clients because it's a nice way to fill in when I have free hours, and I'm enjoying the people I've met through it.

While I didn't join oDesk just to cut costs, I do charge a good deal less here than I do privately, because oDesk doesn't have the overhead -- I don't have to invoice people, have my accountant look after things, meet personally with them (with attendant costs in gas and/or coffee, not to mention dressing properly), buy software to match their needs, provide free services during the courtship stage, or any of the rest of the extra costs of doing business. 

I figure my oDesk clients get a great deal and I can even out my income, so it's win-win.  

I joined oDesk to find web and graphic design work without having to hit the road or spend big bucks on advertising.

I wanted to find something I could do from home. Most companies still operate on the premise that you have to be physically on their property.

oDesk is the first real site I have found that is a legitimate service. 

I have only been with oDesk for a short time but already have one assigment and an interview for another.

I work from India, and I bought a bi-cycle more than a year ago.

As communication bandwidth becomes cheaper, the need to travel would dramatically reduce. Most travel in the world is for work I shall like to assume ( I am not sure ).

I have lived at Bombay for a decade, I think telecommuting with or without oDesk is a good option. Though I do not know how it will replicating bonding, and other group activities which form at the workplace.

Hi: I am a newbie-My first post in the forum-Still need to learn the oDesk process for applying, but to answer the question.  I added oDesk to my other tools to help find WAH jobs. 

• I couldn't afford the gas for my 1 1/2 hour commute (one-way)
• Couldn't afford to purchase new corp clothes
• The stress of the commute was getting to me
• My mother started to die of breast cancer
• Took some time off work to take care of her at home and eventually my job was eliminated
• Spent my savings taking care of Mum (I'd do again in a heart beat) and taking care of myself while looking for a WAH job
• So, here I am - no money for gas at all and now it's time to learn all about this exciting website!

Regards,
lnolan

I joined after watching GMA today. For a long time I have looked for work that I can do from home that isn't a scam.

I'm a SAHM and a volunteer with an educational non-profit group. It's important for me to be at home with my kids with our circumstances. I have 2 kids in middle school and during winter months my husband works nights. I want to be a contributing member to the household financially but need to be at home.

While at home I have time to devote to work but I am available for the family as needed. I'm hoping that this site will be the answer I have looked for, for so long.

I enjoyed the last post.....I also joined today after watching GMA this morning.  I have worked in the financial services arena for some years now, but I have always sought home business opportunities.  With the financial situation we are currently facing, I hope to apply my skills in a productive manner and become self-reliant. I wish myself and you all the best. 

I have been a nurse for over 14 years. The field work is back breaking. The director of nursing, and other authoritative figures insist you work twelve hours, (usually over this). You get the privilege of actually being seated for 30-40 minutes during your one lunch break, and approximately 8 minutes per chart. So, if you have 25 medicare patients, that averages to about 200 minutes you are entitled to be seated. I've seen some nurses spend 6 minutes on a chart, and it's not advisable. If you have an emergency at home during this time; your child broke his arm, and you are single. (This happened to me). You must stay at your shift until it is over. The broken arm can wait. I do not choose to be part of that hyarchial corporation.I work at home,and I audit medical charts sent digitally. It is seasonal, but lasts about 10 months out of the year. During the season, they travel me out of state, or wherever they need me to go.While working at home this year, my dad has fallen very ill. I am an only child, and I donot mind visiting him at the nursing home. It is rough, but nothing I cannot handle.

  I'd not be able to see him, nor leave if I needed to, if I worked the floor.

Hi... I'm a real estate agent in Phoenix (and yes, the market is really that bad) with a background in journalism and marketing, so I am looking for writing assignments on Odesk.  After figuring out that i didn't want to wait for them to eventually mke the Pioneer Room accessible again, I went ahead and took the readiness test and seven other tests, so now I'm job hunting on Odesk.

What I find interesting is that my resume has been rejected a couple of times, and in one case the buyer said it's because I submitted a "spam cover letter."  Thing is, I wrote the cover letter specifically for that job and even referenced the specifics of the job in the letter.  Are these buyers on the up-and-up???

Hi all... as many of my fellow freelancers here, I am rather new to oDesk. I must state, however, that this site is by far the most complete and comprehensive one in every sense. Ever since I started applying to jobs (and be assured that I am yet to be happy 100% myself with my profile's readiness level!) I have landed and delivered 2 illustration projects, both of them in Australia, and I already have a new interview from a prospect in Londond. The biggest thing in both cases was the time difference (17 hours, different day!) but aside from that, and from a few small "cultural shocks" initially - I live in Mexico -  things were quite well and I brought both projects to completion and got paid.

I would say that the entire experience was fulfilling, and I have little or nothing to say about the way oDesk functioned. I would dare to affirm that, if anything must be "shaped up", is US - the freelancer him/herself. If we abide by the agreed upon terms, deadlines and quality of our work, we will be just fine in finding more and more clients every time. The ONLY thing I would request from oDesk (wishful thinking!) is that, once we bill the client and get paid, we didn't have to wait about a week to see our gainfully earned cash! In some cases, after receiving our funds in oDesk, we still must wait 4-5 days for the funds to be transfered to non-U.S. accounts. Other than that..... right on! Thanks everyone, keep oDeskin' ...

Hello,

I'm fairly new here and is just now working on my profile.  I decided to join for extra money to cover what's left to pay after the mortgage, etc.  With the way the economy is going now, it's pretty hard for a single mother, even if she has a  9-5 job.

I've applied for a few jobs.  My skill set was perfect for each of them, even perhaps a bit over qualified, but not from an oDesk perspective (my oDesk = 90%).

I received a rejection notice with a reason and I quote "I'd rather hire someone that does NOT live in the US."  Can Buyers say that?

Signed feeling discriminated against and sad,
lnolan

PS I won't give up that easily....