Medical transcription or telecommuting jobs?

[happyhats]

I'm thinking of going back to school to get some kind of degree or certificate that will enable me to work if need be. Right now I'm a sahm, and I'll also be doing some childcare. However, my husband has always been the primary bread earner. I'm fine with this, and quite happy being a homemaker and striving toward a more homesteading lifestyle. I'd also like the security that if something were to happy to dh I could take care of myself and my family-we have a four month old daughter and are planning on trying for number two this fall. I was thinking of getting a certification that would allow me to be a medical transcriptionist and then getting more schooling later if i decided to persue any other kind of career. Is this a stable market? Is there any other markets I should look into that it's common to find telecommuting work in? We haven't ruled out homeschooling yet, and I'd like a job that allowed me to stay at home. How do I go about finding a reputable, accredited place to get the degree or certificate I'd need?

[GAmomto5]

I have been a medical transcriptionist for 14 years and do very well. With that said, unless you are able to devote a good amount of time to it, you can't live off what you make. There are always transcription jobs out there with national companies. They don't pay very well, but when you are new at transcription, you have to pretty much take what you can get. You usually start out at around 0.7/line, so you would have to type 1000 lines a day to make $70.00 (before taxes) and that would take a new person AT LEAST 9-10 hours, depending on the specialty you are typing. That would be difficult to do with small children and especially if you were homeschooling.

Usually your local community college has transcription courses. You would have to see if you could find someone who has taken it to find out if its good or not. There are also some online schools that are very well received by employers, but they are expensive.

I hope this doesn't sound too negative. I just like to give it to people straight when they ask about coming into this field. Its not as easy as the infomercials make it sound. You certainly can make good money, but you have to work your butt off to make it!

Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions.

[happyhats]

Thank you for the heads up! I'm glad to hear it straight, honestly. Luckily I live in a lower col area, so making fifty to seventy bucks a day isn't wonderful but would be a starting point if we had savings, which we plan to. At least it would help me to take care of my family while doing something else. It also sounds like the little amount I could make would be more than doing child care through the government, as it pays very little to individuals. I am thinking however this is defenitely not a job worth persuing if I have to pay out of pocket for the schooling, as I would not easily recoup costs. Thanks for giving me a good starting point!