Photographer: Lajos Repasi | Agency: Dreamstime
Telecommuting has grown over the last 20 years, saving employees' time in traveling and companies money. See more laptop pictures.
What's the definition of the perfect commute? From the kitchen table to the couch. Working from home, or telecommuting, is no longer the stuff of cubicle daydreams. In 2007, 2.4 million corporate employees worked from home full time [source: ComputerWorld]. With improvements in networking technology and changes in corporate philosophy, the right career might be closer than you think.
Of course, you have to be careful. The Internet is flooded with "work at home" scams promising thousands of dollars a month for 20 hours a week, no college degree required. Yes, it's possible to make good money working from home, but it takes planning and patience.
The first tip is to ignore any job that advertises itself as a "telecommute" or "work at home" job. These are most likely pyramid schemes or outright scams. Remember that telecommuting is a benefit of a job, not the job itself. The best way to land a well-paying telecommute job is to look for jobs that offer telecommuting as an option. If you're qualified for the position, then you might be able to negotiate a part-time or full-time telecommute.
The following five jobs are good examples of careers that lend themselves to working from home.
