I’ve been a work-from-home military spouse for 13 years now.
From working for a small publishing company to leading a pitch-and-query life
of a freelance journalist and content writer, to starting an on-phone health
coaching practice, I’ve done an assortment of work. Like many military wives,
I’ve worked from bases in the boondocks most of the time, with erratic
internet, too many social commitments and odd
comments about this strange work-from-home life that I lead.
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| Create a work-from-home career on the move! |
Here’s a bucket list of everything that you stumble across
as a military wife, who works-from-home:
1. Spotty or non-existent internet: While fast
internet connectivity is taken for granted in “big cities”, when you’re in the
boondocks, this is a rare commodity. I’ve spent countless hours tearing my hair
out when I’ve missed my deadline just because the internet refused to boot up.
I’ve also had to take sabbaticals because either it took too long to get an
internet connection at a new base or because the internet cables got cut &
it took ages (read: 6 months) to mend them.
2.
Power cuts: Almost every small town base you’re
based in has a regular schedule for long periods of power cuts. “Load Shedding”
as it’s called, can play havoc into your work, especially if you don’t yet have
an inverter or, even when you have one, the battery’s given up because the
power cut has spilled into the next day.
3.
Social commitments: Parties, welfare meets and
coffee mornings are woven into the fabric of the military life. Some of it is
fun, or at least, doable, but when you have to spend hours at social
commitments instead of getting your work done, then it can be challenging.
4.
Lack of understanding or ignorance about the
work-from-home lifestyle: Working-from-home can seem elusive to those who don’t.
And even though more military wives are opting from the work-from-home life,
there’s still a major lack of awareness about what it involves. In my
experience, working-from-home is considered to be super-flexible, with the work-from-home lady having to drop everything at a moment’s notice to attend to social
commitments. Work-from-home is hardly considered as work, with more value given to work
that’s done at brick-and-mortar offices and schools.
5.
Frequent postings: Postings or PCS are a biggie.
You have to drop what you’re doing and start packing when your husband comes
home with his transfer orders. If you’re lucky and have some time in hand, then
you have to create a body of work to tide you through the posting phase. Either
ways, lots can change in the way you position your business and offerings when
you move from one corner of the country to another.
6.
TDs: When the husband has to go off on a Tour of
Duty at short notice, it can impact your work too, especially if you’re a
parent. When you suddenly don the sole parent role, how much work you can fit
into your days can change (unless you have excellent fulltime household and
childcare support). I always take on less on the work front when my husband is
away because I cater for more time with my son.
So, why work-from-home as a military wife, you may ask?
Well, in spite of all the things that you need to juggle when you’re determined
to carve out a career for yourself rather than go from job to no-job,
working-from-home on your own career is as satisfying as it gets. You’re getting
to use your skills, learn new ones and create a body of work that you’re proud
of – this really counts for something.
Grab my new #Amazon #Bestseller ‘The Work-At-Home Military
Wife’ to know more about building a work-from-home life on the move! And this
week, I’ve put up a HUGE discount. It’s up for sale for just Rs 70 (otherwise
Rs 213). Do check it out here:
If you're in the US, you can get my book for just $0.98 this week, here:
(You don’t need a Kindle device to read it; read it via the
Free Kindle app on your phone, tablet or computer.)
And hey, if you’d like to explore work-from-home career
ideas that you can pack and carry, download my FREE ebook '25 Work-from-home
Careers for the Military Wife’ by signing-up for my email updates, here.
Connect with me:
Twitter @ChandanaMilSpo
Instagram @chandanamilspo
Facebook @chandanabanerjeewriter
#workfromhome #theworkathomemilitarywife #workathomejobs #workfromhomecareers #militaryspouse
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