Working from home gives me freedom that most of my friends can only imagine-- sleeping in, no commute, no timed lunch breaks, not having to call in sick, the list could go on for pages.

However, its not all fun and games. You work irregular hours, the competition is fierce, you are not guaranteed a steady income, there is no health plan or benefits and of course the most negative aspect of working online-scams.

You see the ads all the time work from home, live the life youve always dreamed of, earn a six figure income in your pajamas. What some of them should say is, become a slave to your computer, live a life that no one would ever dream of, work your tail of for 60 dollars a month.

But are they all like this? No, of course not, if that were the case no one would be working from home. Determining a scam from a legitimate work at home business starts with research. Whenever you are asked to invest your time and money into something you should make sure its worth it. The trouble is doing this research can take up more time and money with

little or no results.

Here are some quick tips to make it easy:

1. Look for contact information on the website

2. Visit work at home forums and ask people in their forums for a review

3. See if you are willing to put in the time to make it work

4. Dont fall for pictures of fancy cars or even charts of their earnings

However, I noticed that even after I did research I was still skeptical or I got a dazzling review and didnt look twice before leaping. So here's my honest advice, there is no magic product. People looking for a get rich plan find scams. But heres something else to keep in mind every ebook, every ecourse and program will teach you something, even if it is just what to watch out for next time.

The best way to make money online is bring something you enjoy doing and are good at onto the internet. For example if you have a great designers eye then you could start a web design business. Likewise if you are good persuading people to do things then affiliate marketing would be perfect for you.

Knowing your talents is the first step to succeeding online. Being willing to put in the effort is the next. Working online is in no way like working a 9-5 job. Most people think they can just quit their day job and find immediate success. For those that think this way, working from home is a nightmare.

They hop from one opportunity to the next, they fall for every trick in the book, and they never take the time to learn how to really make an online business work.

But for those willing to treat an online venture like any business venture, on that requires patients, a little risk and lot of elbow grease then yes working from home can be a dream.