Interviewed by Nell Talierco of TelecommutingMoms.com

Do you ever wonder if there are people out there that actually make it in the telecommuting industry? When getting started in this industry it is easy to get frustrated when you are waiting to get your first job. Let's take a look at the work life of one telecommuter who as made it ? Paula Williams.

Paula decided to give telecommuting a try back in March of 2005 because she wanted the flexibility to care for her aging parents and to be able to travel at a moments notice. Both of these are important aspects of her every day life and make working in the regular 9-5-office environment impossible. Telecommuting was the perfect solution for her. She is able to work from home and can step out of her office at any time to take care of Mom and Dad. If she decides to pack her bags and travel for a few weeks, she just stops accepting work for that period of time. When she gets back home, she picks up where she left off.

Being able to contribute to the family income is important for Paula. While the money she makes telecommuting isn't the sole household income, it does help to pay the bills and allows her to remain flexible about where and when she works at the same time.

Like many people starting their telecommuting career, Paula didn't find her dream job right away. In fact it took her two months of applying to various telecommuting companies before she landed a job at all. She took it to get a foot in the door, even though it wasn't the job she had hoped for. Nevertheless she worked hard, did her best and quickly moved to a more challenging position with better benefits.

If you are just starting out, it's important to remember that you have to start somewhere. If there's a job out there that you are qualified to do, don't decline and wait for the perfect opportunity. Get your feet wet and get some telecommuting experience on your resume. New doors will open that may just lead to your dream job.

Paula now works 30 ? 35 hours in a position that she enjoys. She takes several weeks a year off to travel and gives herself most holidays off. She also spends some time each week to build her own business. This can be a bit of a challenge at times, since she has to decide whether to spend time on her business, which will eventually become another stream of income for her, or to put in more telecommuting hours, which pays her right away.

Paula is a successful at what she does because she the reasons why she wanted to telecommute kept her motivated when she didn't find work at first and then worked in a position she described as "not something I really wanted". Her best advice for someone interested in telecommuting or just starting out is this:

"My advice for potential telecommuters is to open yourself up to multiple opportunities. Apply to several companies, and update your information frequently. Always maintain a professional demeanor in all correspondence, just because the position is from home, doesn't mean it's not a real job.

Finding a telecommuting position isn't likely to happen overnight, but there are many legitimate companies offering reliable positions. Keep at it!"

Paula has built her reputation as a great telecommuter one step and one job at a time. The "secret" to her success is to treat every job as if it was something you really enjoyed. Put time and effort into it, and do a great job. Just like Paula you will start moving up to bigger and better opportunities. She now lives the life she always wanted, working from her home, traveling several times a year and being able to take care of the one's she loves, both financially and time wise. And so can you.