With all of the hustle and bustle in today’s modern workplace, some people have chosen a different path. Those who dread the everyday commute to work and the long hours in a cubicle have turned to telecommuting for the opportunity to work as an independent employee. Telecommuting, also known as e-commuting or e-work, is the term used when individuals take advantage of the many technological advances to work from anywhere they desire, giving themselves flexibility in their hours and work locations.

In today’s job market there are endless obstacles that must be overcome in order to find a good job. Many skilled workers who do not live in an area where their preferred business is prevalent will oftentimes be required to move or take jobs outside of their market. Telecommuting has allowed for decentralization from the traditional workplace and enabled individuals to work where they choose. These opportunities are great for one-parent homes or homes where only one parent is able to work. Telecommunication also allows anyone with physical obstacles the ease of working from home. Some workplaces make it difficult for a handicapped person to travel to work easily and telecommuting gives those individuals the security they need to be able to earn a living.

In the past, becoming a telecommuter proved difficult due to the lack of technology and workloads. Nowadays it is easier than ever to become a telecommuter because of the vast technologies available that make working from home easier and more convenient. Telecommuting is simpler now with the use of tools such as wireless Internet, videoconferencing, and Broadband phones, which have steadily become cheaper to get and more efficiently made. These tools allow for constant contact with businesses, making it possible to work anytime of day. Since telecommuters do not work from an office, they are able to choose their work hours and can work from virtually anywhere in the world.

Other individuals outside of the business sector are looking to telecommuting in a non-business manner and are encouraging this type of work in hopes of bettering the condition of the environment. Telecommuting greatly decreases the amount of motorists on the road, therefore decreasing the amount of pollution in the air. Since 1996, telecommuters have been in conjunction with the government after the passing of the Clean Air Act that encourages car pools, more use of buses and subways, as well as telecommunication.

Although the field is more convenient and flexible, not everyone is meant to be a telecommuter. Individuals who choose this field are often their own supervisors and have to depend on themselves to get their work completed correctly and on time. There usually is not anyone there to observe their work or encourage them to work a certain way. Telecommuters must have an independent nature and be able to work well under strict time constraints, due to the usual large workload.

Of course, there are some disadvantages to telecommuting rather than working in the traditional way. For one, many telecommuters receive significantly larger workloads than employees working in an office due to their lack of time constraints. There are often various distractions that can hinder a telecommuter from getting work done, whether they are family or other daily duties. Also, the lack of a managerial figure can sometimes make it difficult for telecommuters to clearly define their objectives and job duties.

The European Trade Union Confederation has published a pamphlet that spells out the basic requirements and expectations of a telecommuter. This pamphlet has become the go-to guide for an accurate description of the telecommuting field and covers all areas, including health and safety, training, rights, and privacy. However, no official organization has been set up for telecommuters in the U.S., therefore some individuals may be more hesitant to join the field due to lack of rights and benefits. Although the field of telecommunication is growing in prevalence and has endless perks, some people are still wary of the legitimacy of the profession. In years to come, the U.S. government will likely need to step in and set up an organization geared toward establishing telecommunication as a legitimate profession and providing individuals with more protection.

Thanks to its ease and the use of modern technology, the field of telecommunication has become a new way for people to work from their homes or anywhere else they please. Many businesses are now using telecommuters to outsource their work, opening up office space and lowering the number of employees needed. With its ever-growing popularity, the telecommunication job market has developed significantly and is filled with many job opportunities for skilled professionals who are unable or unwilling to work in an office environment.

There are numerous different businesses that are now using telecommuters. The most common users are small companies that are on a budget or are looking to save money. These businesses outsource their work to telecommuters, who they refer to as either independent contractors or freelancers, allowing the company to be more cost effective and have a quicker turnaround. Of course, larger businesses and corporations also use telecommuters, but their jobs are generally more entry-level than those found with smaller companies.

The most common types of jobs are in the fields of transcription and coding. These jobs are the easiest to do from home but do require some training. Many of these jobs can be found through various online search engines like Monster.com and Google. This specific job market is growing an average of fifteen percent annually and is providing hundreds of thousands of jobs each year.

There are several resources available to help individuals find jobs as telecommuters. Tjobs.com is a website that shows job listings in various fields for those interested in data entry, transcription, sales, writing, publishing, and more. The site allows anyone to post their resume and have their profiles placed on a page for potential employees to browse, providing great networking opportunities.

TeleCommuting.com is another site that trains people and finds them jobs as telecommuters. TeleCommuting works in conjunction with many other providers to give prospective workers a wide range of jobs from which to choose. The site allows people to post their resumes and works as a go-between for businesses and telecommuters. According to the website, TeleCommuting works with over 2,000 vendors to help find work for telecommuters and provide a complete telecommuting library that is said to be one of the most valuable telecommuting resources.

Another good place to look is the Telework Coalition, or TelCoa, which offers numerous resources to anyone who signs up for a membership. TelCoa is sponsored by several organizations that hire and train telecommuters. One sponsor is TeleTech, which is one of the largest providers of telecommunication work. TeleTech works with businesses all over the world and provides secure jobs in several different industries. Working Solutions is another sponsor that claims to be the global leader for bringing together independent agents to contact centers. Working Solutions specializes in working with corporations to help them improve their investment strategies and bring in more profit.

The General Services Administration (GSA), in conjunction with the Office of Personal Management (OPM), has put together a helpful site that not only gives links to jobs but also explains the telecommuting process. Both of these organizations have established guidelines for people who wish to work as telecommuters, as well as provided programs and courses to train them to be effective telecommuters. The companies also provide the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s standards for security, which is enforced and required of all telecommuting agencies. There is also a bulletin from the GSA that spells out all of the guidelines for executing and working from a different workplace, called the “Alternative Workplace Arrangement” (AWA). This bulletin tries to explain the common problems that are often encountered when working out of an AWA and then goes on to give useful solutions to these problems.

With the help of organizations like GSA and OPM, telecommuters are now able to find more secure jobs and have a clearer view of their rights. There are so many ways to work as a telecommuter, and it is truly becoming a more necessary business option than in past years.