I've been quite busy lately to the point that I didn't even have time to update anything throughout this weekend. Last weekend, I went out again with Nesia and Jean, my go-to partners when it comes to exploring places around Bandung. After we hit off the road to Stone Garden last year, we decided to go to Ciwidey last week.
Don't get me wrong, I love my current job more than my previous one(s). But then again, not everything in life sparks joy because life isn't that fair like that. There are times when you have a hard time, sometimes it has something to do with what you do, with whom you have to do it, or even how you do it.
As it is holiday's seasons for some of my cousins who are still at school, they come to Bandung to spend their holiday here. Long story short, as someone who's not exactly a big fan of kids, I couldn't really stand with all the crying or the yelling. Especially not when I have to catch with the deadlines.
I know some people who currently work from home, they usually decide to do it intentionally. I know some people out there who even had to work several jobs before settling into work from home. As for me, I didn't end up working from home with a purpose to feel liberated to work in my sweatpants.
But hey, the next thing I knew, serendipity is everywhere. And for me, I'm one of those guys who have the privilege to find it at home. Hence, working from home situation.
I started everything from zero, as a few years back I earned next to nothing after I decided to quit my last office job. I got too frustrated with my last company's management, but I had an ego big enough to quit without any back-up plan.
Initially, I tried to get into some kind of entrepreneurship. That, only to find out that I probably wasn't born for this. I got a remote job from one of the local startups. And even though I know I'm underpaid, I still try to do my best as I have bills to pay. At the same time, I tried to develop this blog to the point that I could actually monetize it. I feel blessed now. But looking back, I know that there were times when I got frustrated by how little I earn in a month.
It took me a couple of years until these days. I'm not saying I get my shit together right now, good lord… I'm still sorting the price from low to high whenever I go shopping online. But at least I pay my bills on time, while I get a chance to work with my cats around. Plus, I just decided to hire my cousin and my nephew to be my leprechauns.
If I could compare myself with me 3 years ago, I'm truly content with how I live right now.
Some Things You Need to Know About Working From Home (Before You Decide to Jump into the Bandwagon)
Well, whenever I told my friends that now I work from home, they'd go… “Wow, you must live a good life!”
If only they knew that I started this life with some unpaid bills and the shame of having to borrow some money from my parents.
I'm not gonna romanticize my life 3 years ago to tell you that I was in debt years ago and now that I could live off of my blog, then you could do it too. Nope. I believe everyone has their own way to make them feel like their lives fulfilled.
But if you think working from home is so easy, then I'm here as your wake up call. I'd like to share some things I know and I've been through when it comes to working from home. I mean, I'd rather jump on some nice trampolines than jump from one job to another, but here I am…
Source: Pxhere.
1. Working from home is super challenging, especially when you come from an Asian household.
You've probably seen some memes somewhere about how growing up in an Asian household could only mean one thing: you need to be either a doctor or an engineer if you don't want to be a disgrace to your family.
You'd probably cringe if you're not Asian, but when you're one then you would start wondering… Where's the lie, though? Because there isn't.
When I decided to quit my job because I got frustrated with my last office job, I was a total bump. And I'm not too ashamed to admit that I was. I had bills to pay, and I only had my freelance copywriting job that didn't pay much. It didn't help that when some clueless relative came to my house, they'd look at me as if I was a disgrace in the family.
Lucky for me, as I only had to deal with this disgusting thought through my external relatives who simply know nothing about me. And good for me that I was too busy growing myself into not fucking with whatever they think about me.
Even luckier, as I got the privilege to have my parents who support me both mentally and even financially when I got short in cash at the time. For that, at least I know that the people I care the most actually gave me a chance to get used to the learning curves without making me have a mental breakdown along the way.
2. Some people (mostly from the older generation) will look down on you as if you're a failure in this little thing called life.
Speaking of which, when I mentioned how it is challenging when it comes to being a part of Asian household… Despite I told you that my parents were quite supportive, it was still hard to explain to them what I actually do. Or how I could earn money while they see me getting around the house all the time.
Source: Pxhere.
My mom literally just answered my relative's question about what I do this way, “I don't really understand what she does. You may see her like slacking her ass off, but there are times when I have to question myself how she could afford to get all the packages from online shopping too much.”
So glad that my mom is so naive that she didn't know there's a lot of things you could do on the internet to earn money. But then again, at least I didn't take a pic of my calves for some food fetish out there to sell on Craiglist. That way, I didn't have to feel guilty that I was, in fact, a disgrace in the family. HAHA.
3. You'll be hesitant to go out, because why wasting time and money outside your home when you could look like slacking off while earning dollar at home?
I mean, seriously… One thing you need to be aware of working from home is that sometimes you feel like you always have something to do almost 24/7. No wonder so many people who work from home always act as if they lack social interaction. Because they do lack social interaction when they're almost in front of their computer all the time!
Let me tell you the secret behind a freelance job. Since it's a freelance, the monthly income is inconstant. It's like, you never know how much you could get in a month to the point that you want to take every single job available for you. The FOMO when it comes to the available job is real, and that reason alone is something that makes you choose to stay at home to earn money over going out and socializing.
4. With all the downsides of working from home, once you get to it, you sometimes can never look back.
During the dark ages when I struggled with money when I just started working from home, there were times when I actually considered to go back to my office job. No kidding, going back to fly once came across my mind too because I was so broke that life in Saudi Arabia suddenly felt so enjoyable.
But maybe that's the good thing about doing what you love.
Source: Pxhere.
As much as I thought going back to Saudi Arabia enjoyable with the money I could possibly earn, I enjoyed blogging a little too much that I prioritized developing my blog instead of sending my resume to a lot of companies out there. I'm glad I did.
Now that I reap what I sow, I'm quite happy with how I live right now. Even once my former boss in the previous job contacted me as she's now in a new company and offering me a job. I literally had to refuse as I personally don't like the idea of working an office job (again) in Jakarta.
Got Your Own Perspective About Working from Home?
The good or the bad? We'd like to hear from you!
I know we might have a different experience when it comes to working from home. Your insight would be super helpful for those coming across this post as they consider to quit their office job and work from home.
Got something to say on your behalf? Drop me a comment below, and cheerio!
