A while ago, I stopped linking to polling data that showed that X number of women would prefer to work full time or that X number of women would prefer to be home full time. It doesn't take much poking at the survey to find a leading question or a false option.

Most people would love not to work AND to have someone deal with their children when they are annoying or dirty (which would describe both of my children at the moment.) They would also love to have a job that gave them lots of accolades without any grief or annoying co-workers or pissy bosses. This fictional job would also pay really well, always have donuts in the breakroom, and would only expect someone in the office for about 100 days per year. And a pony, too! 

I find it fascinating that Penelope Trunk is giving advice to women who want to drop out of the traditional workforce and work from home. She must think that this is a sizable demographic to exploit. Is there really a large number of people dropping out of the traditional workforce and working from home? 

When I stopped working in academia a few years ago, I floundered around for a while figuring out how to manage a complicated family life with the need to keep my brain going. I liked employment, but I needed employment that conformed to my particular circumstances. I flitted around between various entrepreneurial ventures and finally settled into freelance writing. I'm making money, getting published, and having a ton of fun. 

One of my best friends is making a living as a freelance editor. She chose to work at home, even though she is single and childless, because she needed greater control of her work life. Single people also don't want to spend 60 hours per week in an office. 

But neither of us is getting rich at this. We both had rather unique skills to sell. The freelance market is very crowded right now and you're competing against 21-year olds who will work for free in order to put something on their resume. I'm not sure that anybody should be quitting their day jobs at this time. 

At the same time, I can see why a freelance lifestyle is so desirable to people. I am extremely lucky to be doing something I love, while my punk kid is at the next computer designing a hotel on Minecraft. (My kids are home from school for the Jewish holidays.) 

The topic du jour over the weekend was why are American companies doing so well right now, but individuals still seem to keep bleeding. The stock market is at a high point, but Steve's company will have another round of layoffs this fall. He hasn't gotten a raise or a bonus in years, and probably won't again this year. If the market is doing well, if companies are making profits, why isn't everyone's boats rising?

Steve's theory is that that companies are so profitable, because they have cut their workers down to the bone. Now, fewer people are doing more for the company. Fewer salaries and benefits + same output = great profit. I'm not sure who's buying all that stuff, when they are on unemployment, but supposedly businesses are doing well right now. 

The fewer workers/same work model is not sustainable. People burn out. They stop producing quality work. They begin daydreaming about freelance work, which is what I think is really going on in the background of this polling data about workplace preferences. 

(I was planning on writing out some tips and tricks for working from home, but sometimes my posts veer off into different directions. Sorry about that.)