There's something very tempting about the idea of working in your pajamas and not having to face a traffic-ridden commute to get to an office. Practically everyone these days is set up with a smart phone, email, Wi-Fi, laptop, printer, and apps that make normal office essentials (like scanning and file-organizing) possible to do anywhere, making working from home easier than ever. Many women are able to tackle their pre-baby jobs from the comfort and convenience of their own home, but for those who can't, there are many companies that hire work from home employees.
Whether your skills are in writing, assisting, or sales, there are plenty of work from home job opportunities out there. When my daughter was born, I had been working in international television. She was born with a heart defect that required open heart surgery and I realized I wasn't going to want to spend my work life traveling around the world anymore. After leaving that job, I occupied my time volunteering, freelance writing, and working on a novel for many years but wanted something that produced a more reliable income. Searching on Idealist, a website that advertises non-profit jobs, I was able to find an opportunity that combined the professional skills I had acquired from my career with the lessons I learned from from many years of volunteering at my kids' schools and in our community. Best of all, I could do it from the convenience of my own home and didn't have to worry about snow days or sick kids keeping me from the office. The organization was staffed by five other women — all professionally accomplished, intelligent, and open to the the flexible work arrangement.
Of course working from home full time also has it's downside, one of which is that you're probably not moving around as much as you would in an office environment. Studies have shown the hazards of sitting for long periods of time. To combat the long term risks of spending endless hours seated in front of a computer, I added a treadmill desk to my home office and love it.
This is what my current set up looks like:
If you're interested in finding a job opportunity that hires employees to work remotely from their own home, here's a list of businesses to start your research. And if none of these brand look interesting to you, be proactive and reaching out to your favorite websites, brands, or local companies to see if they can use remote employees in any capacity, from writing, to designing, to customer service.