Have you ever looked around at your cubicle and hated it? Have you ever sat in a classroom and wondered how you were ever going to apply that knowledge? Have you ever wished that you had the flexibility to do a job you loved during hours that were convenient for you?

If so, I have a suggestion. Work for yourself.

While earning my business degree, I began to realize, during all that class required analysis, that the majority of companies began as something small and the most successful start-ups in recent history are internet based. Yahoo! (an acronym for “Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle”) started as two guys working towards their PhD’s in a trailer at Stanford  and then turned their web history project into the dominating e-force it is today. Google began with two other Stanford students in their garage and their dream of creating a search engine usable by all (the name is a variation of the word googol which is a mathematical term for the number represented by the numeral 1 followed by 100 zeros.) Facebook is the result of its founder being a hacker at Harvard who wanted a social network for college students. Youtube started when two colleagues were working late and couldn’t figure out an online forum to share their videos of an office party with each other. Ebay began as a test website, created in the living room of a software developer who listed a broken laser pointer for sale. The rest is history.

After graduation, I needed to take time to figure out what direction I wanted my own career to take. I knew that going back to school was a certainty but I had to determine the field of work I wanted to be in. The realization was so sudden that I felt idiotic for not seeing it sooner: the internet. Within a week, I had bought a domain. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with it though and it wasn’t until I saw that all my experience could be combined into a business that I got a vague idea to go from there. The venture is far from a full time gig but it is a start. It gives me a direction to go in, a goal to aim for, a success to work towards.

If you have an idea for a business, go for it! Yes, it may go there eventually but start small. You need to realize that there is a niche for everything out there. All you need to do is find yours but most importantly, you need to see for yourself: It isn’t impossible to work via your computer!

You can do freelance work of practically every variety through numerous online sites like Freelancer and oDesk. If you have merchandise that you want to sell, then setting up an online store through eBay or Etsy might be up your alley. If you want to host your own site then GoDaddy, Intuit, or Volusion might be the better choice.

It takes discipline and drive to force yourself to seek out jobs online. No one is looking over your shoulder to make sure that the project is complete or to see that you are staying on task. You have to keep your focus, all on your own. But working for a company that allows you the flexibility to telecommute or accepting contracts that utilize your expertise can be much more satisfying (and lucrative) than driving to an office every day.

I’m not saying quit your day job. Heck, even I never stop looking for opportunities that might be perfect for me and in a traditional office setting. The internet is a great spot for those with the entrepreneurial spirit–low overhead and endless possibilities. The world is, literally, at your finger tips.

Photo Source