Making your own hours, doing the work that you want - this is what work at home is supposed to be like, isn't it? You don't want a boss, you want to be your own boss! The world of freelancing is a popular way for many people to enjoy a career field they want, plus enjoy the flexibility of working under the conditions they want.

Working from home is one of the major benefits of freelancing. Some freelancers may lease their own office space, but most can find a place in their own home to serve as the base for their line of work.

Freelancers come in a wide variety of employment fields - and we know the most common ones: writing, photography, and graphic design. But, you can also find more people going into business for themselves with the contacts they have built through working in an industry, and the experienced they have gained.

Further to this, many freelance opportunities have been created due to the shift towards outsourcing for work that needs to be done, but isn't a core duty - things such as accounting, computer technical, and creative work. So, the opportunities to work from home in a freelance capacity are certainly out there.

If you are considering freelancing as a work at home opportunity you should remember the following three things:

" Start small - You don't need to make the full-time jump to freelancing right away. You can take some time to build up the contacts and the work before you decide to rely on it for a full-time income. You could end up starving if you rely on your freelancing without taking the proper amount of time to integrate your life and your income.

" Get educated - Sometimes you are getting into a freelance work from home opportunity with little experience. This is OK! There are so many different areas that you can make a lucrative work at home opportunity. Take the time to learn as much as you can. Preparation in the form of courses or classes to get certification or professional endorsement is time and money well spent.

" Get your feet wet - You might consider taking on small pieces of work just to get accustomed to the difference between working for someone else at a regular job, and freelance work from home opportunities. When you freelance, you have to consider the motivation to do the work, the free time to do other things, discipline, and the one that can frustrate a lot of people - when you might get paid!

If you want flexibility and freedom in your work, why are you not taking your current expertise, or learning a new one, so you can work from home in freelancing? You can freelance write, graphic design, transcribe medical records, data entry, accounting, business and personal coaching, or something else that you like. The opportunities are out there, you just need to find them!

Watch for Part Two of Freelancing for Work at Home Opportunities when we look at the preparations you need to make if you are looking at setting yourself out into the freelance world!