Legitimate Work From Home

June 11, 2006 1:18 PM

Are there any work from home, (data entry) part time jobs out there I can do?....Or are they all scams?

I don't work anylonger and my S/O has a good enough job that I don't have to...sometimes I feel guilty about this and feel I need to contribute financially. Are there any reputable companies out there I could get involved with to do data entry work at home?

posted by jamie939 to Computers & Internet (8 answers total)

I work from home doing legal/corporate transcription - it's not too dissimilar from data entry at the end of the day. It might be another option worth Googling for companies in your country/state/continent/etc.
posted by Chorus at 1:21 PM on June 11, 2006

I did transcription from home for universities and academics. Pop into your local institution and ask. On the other hand, if you don't need the money, what about volunteering for charities. You could see it as a contribution by both of you because your SO makes it possible.
posted by b33j at 5:08 PM on June 11, 2006

Second the volunteer job. I did that for a while when my wife and I were in transition for a future move to AUS. It was great and I learned a lot to boot (research at a history centre archive).

I got the research gig before I was also accepted to work at an aviary helping take care of the birds. Lots of interesting things you can do by volunteering that you likely would never have a chance to explore.
posted by qwip at 5:42 PM on June 11, 2006

Uh, the OP said she felt the need to contribute financially.
posted by hodyoaten at 5:45 PM on June 11, 2006

I also did transcription, but for a corporate training company (transcribing speeches, "brainstorming"-type conference calls, etc). That might be something to consider. I've also heard about, but have no personal knowledge of, medical transcription as a viable work-from-home option.
posted by justonegirl at 6:50 PM on June 11, 2006

Sure, my neighbor does medical transcriptioning from home.
posted by IndigoRain at 7:23 PM on June 11, 2006

It really depends on your skill set. You can run an ebay business buying stuff at flea markets and selling on ebay. You can write or copy-edit. That requires knowing somebody who will send you work. There are still some people who don't keyboard, so if you type really well, you could advertise for typing/transcription at a University. You can take in sewing. You can do child care.
posted by theora55 at 8:20 PM on June 11, 2006

There are still some people who don't keyboard, so if you type really well, you could advertise for typing/transcription at a University
I found that kind of work for people who did know how to use a keyboard but had better things to do. Usually a mass of interviews in a research project. You would need, of course, a tape player with foot pedal, and high accuracy. Bookkeeping is another option of the stay-at-home business type.

Uh, the OP said she felt the need to contribute financially.
Sometimes a couple might see one's contribution to charity as sharing the financial burden, if, for example, the couple have a committment to contribute to society, and usually do so with cash, replaced now by volunteering. Depends, of course, on the couple.
posted by b33j at 10:32 PM on June 11, 2006