A variety of advantages exist for workers who choose to work from home, and a computer science degree is one area of study that may lead to opportunities to work in a home office. For those who choose to work in a home office there are some challenges; however, many workers feel the lifestyle allows much freedom. Students decide to work at home for a variety of reasons, but life events like childcare, disability, and lengthy commutes often influence the decision to search for a job that may be performed in the home.
One of the First Telecommuting Fields
Not only can students who earn a computer science degree seek out telecommuting jobs, but they'll be looking at a career that was one of the first to allow working from home. With the advent of the Internet and the rise of computer science as a profession, expanding the IT department without requiring additional in-house office space was seen as a money-saver for companies. Many of the world's first telecommuters worked in computer science.
High Possible Income
Overall, technology jobs and those that deal with computers often provide impressive income and solid employment opportunities. Impressively, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) suggests the median pay for Computer Programmers is $74,280 a year. Students need no more than a bachelor's degree to enter the industry. Software developers may earn even more and reach over $100,000 in annual income.
What are the Trade-Offs of the Home Office?
According to an Forbes. workers don't need to give up the lucrative income granted by jobs in the computer science industry when they choose to work from home. In addition, the setup costs for a home office are fairly low, particularly when some expenses may be tax deductible, depending upon a person's work status with his or her company.
Access to high-speed internet, a computer, and other minor peripherals like a printer, fax machine, desk, and chair are often all one needs to complete tasks at home. Some particularly adventurous computer science workers don't even have an official desk and work from a laptop in almost any area of the home.
There are some trade-offs that workers may need to accept when working from home including the solitary nature of working in a home office rather than a cubicle farm or shared work space in a commercial building. For some workers, this solitude may actually be preferable, but naturally social individuals may need to get used to this style of working.
What Jobs are Available for Working at Home?
Many computer science jobs are available for those who choose to work at home. While some types of employment may require access to laboratory facilities and on-site hardware, many other jobs need nothing more than a computer. Computer hardware engineers, as well as computer and information research scientists often work in laboratories.
On the other hand, software developers, technical support workers, and computer programmers may have many work at home opportunities. Some of the job titles a computer science degree holder may consider include Cloud Network Engineer, Web Developer, Software Developer, Java J2EE Developer, and SQL Server Administrator.
With steady growth expected in technology and computers, a computer science degree is a solid choice for students who enjoy math and computers. The ability to work from home successfully does require some discipline; however, there are also many benefits of working out of a home office.
