7 Work From Home Jobs You NEED to Avoid

Everybody thinks working from home is the best possible thing. The grass that is always greener. But there are a few work from home jobs that are more trouble than they’re worth. You may think it’s worth it to work in your pajamas, eating Cheez-Its for breakfast, but at least in a few cases, you might be wrong. Here are a few of the worst work from home jobs, in case you’re considering the career move.

1. Obvious Scams

If a work from home job seems too good to be true, it probably is. Unfortunately, there are a lot of scams out there. Be on the lookout for gigs like “envelope stuffing,” “at-home assembly,” “claim processing,” or “refund recovery.” And don’t accept any job that asks you for money up front. Keep your private info private until you’re sure an opportunity is legit.

2. Sales

Sales is a pretty tough gig even when you’re not working from home. This work is actually quite competitive. Just think how many of your social media pals are constantly hocking some product or another. Do you really want to be that person who drives their family and friends crazy with constant promotional blasts?

3. In-Home Day Care

Unless you really love kids, this is often way less money than it’s worth. You’ll have much less privacy, and be exposed to a lot more germs. And you’ll probably have to chase down payments from parents (who will also expect you to work when normal people are vacationing).

4. Mystery Shopping

It sounds brilliant, right? Get a free meal, go shopping incognito, all while making a bit of extra cash. But remember that these assignments pay much less than even minimum wage and you’ll have to work a lot of them to make any money at all.

5. MLM

Direct sales gigs sound really promising out of the gate. Work from home, unlimited earning potential, being your own boss, but keep normal(ish) hours… But you’ll be on the hook to sell to everyone all the time, and this can get exhausting. It’s also very tough to do in a saturated market.

6. Cold Calling

This work is never fun, no matter where you’re making your calls. Lead generation is necessary for a lot of businesses, but unless you have nerves and personality of steel, it’s miserable work calling uninterested parties and trying to get them interested before they hang up on you in a huff.

7. Pay-Per-Tasks

Mindless work for cash? Sounds easy enough, right? Just remember that available tasks can fluctuate widely from season to season and often the rate is mere pennies. You’ll be competing with overseas workers as well, who have a lower standard of living and need less to live—and are hungrier to do the work.