Working from home
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When I first
graduated from a local university, I started looking for a stable and
well-paid job. Armed with a degree in business studies, I went through
numerous ads in the newspapers and attended a few interviews. I finally ended
up as a business executive in a well-established firm.
At the interview, I
was told that it was a 9 to 5 job and that it would entail little traveling.
However, it ahs been more than 7 years since I started working and there has
not been a single day when I left the office before 7 p.m. True, it was a
well-paid job, but there was little else. A typical day for me began at 5.30
in the morning when the alarm clock rang. Then, after a quick shower and a
hurried breakfast, I was trudging off to work. Working for a strict
boss who was quite firm regarding working hours was not easy. Deadlines had
to be adhered to as he would not hesitate to take disciplinary action. Work
demands were taking a toll on my health and I was feeling really stressed and
strapped for time. Juggling home life with work life has never been so
complicated. Working at the same job for years with no promotion in sight, I
finally gathered my courage to say goodbye to my four-figure income. I wanted
more from life and decided to do something different. I longed to get away
from set routines, domineering bosses and impersonal working
places. I dreamed of a way to escape the drudgery of an office job.
That was when I
decided to work from home. It did not take me long to find a job that
required me to go to the office only once a month. Thanks to computers, fax
machines, cell phones and the Internet, I could work from the comfort of my
home. Working from home was such a relief from the grind and
monotony of an office job. I determined my own working hours and I had
greater control of my time compared to the traditional 9 to 5 schedule.
Setting my own working hours allowed me to create a schedule that suited my
lifestyle. With no rigid work schedules or time clocks, I was able to
concentrate and do my work more efficiently.
There were also other
benefits I enjoyed. I did not have to tolerate cramped public transportation
any longer nor do I have to put up with the numerous traffic jams. I need not
force myself to attend the business lunches, often hurried and unappetizing.
Moreover, the daily 60 minutes or so that I spent commuting to and from work
each day has now been converted into productive work. Instead, the time
wasted sitting in a car or bus is now being used to read my e-mails, send
message, make telephone calls or do research. I also have the luxury of
getting up later and enjoy reading the newspaper while having a cup of
steaming, freshly brewed coffee. I am not a morning person who can wake up at
the crack of dawn and work following a rigid 8 hour schedule. Rather, I am a
night person who prefers working late into the night.
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Summary: Although the writer
worked as a business executive and was well-paid, he was still disillusioned
with his work which entailed long working hours. He also felt stressed out and
disappointed because he was not given a promotion. Therefore, he decided to
work from home. Consequently, he had greater control of his time as eh could
now set his own working hours. He was thus able to concentrate on his work. He
was also able to convert the unproductive hours spent on commuting and lunch
breaks into productive ones. Moreover, he could dress as he pleased and work
from any part of his house. Working from home was both convenient and
comfortable. However, there were disadvantages too. he missed his colleagues
and had to put up with many distractions at home.
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