by Karen Cook
Your parents aren’t rich. Or maybe they are but they think it builds character to pay your own way through college. Either way, nothing comes easy. You could be on your third part-time job by now because the hours the boss expected you to be available meant you missed classes. Or by the time you raced from the job to class you were in danger of a coronary. You could be working two different jobs. All that and minimum wage, too! Sweet!

You need a break or you’ll never graduate. Aren’t there jobs out there that will fit your schedule, you wonder? Where the pay is decent? Yet not leave you gasping for your last breath? Maybe even have time left over to attend a party once in awhile? The answer is yes. Or maybe. It depends on a few things.

You have to like being on the computer. Duh, right? But the main thing that will make or break this possible dream job of yours is the location. Your location. That’s right. You don’t have to race across town to get to work. You don’t even have to race across campus. This is a work-at-home job. Or a work-at-dorm job. Or wherever it is you happen to reside while attending the hallowed halls of higher learning. The lucky few who can manage to live at home have it made.

The deal breaker is noise. There can’t be any. Absolutely, positively no noise while you’re on the job. If you haven’t got a quiet place somewhere, anywhere, that you can find with a computer and high-speed internet access, stop reading now. Go party instead.

Because this is a virtual customer service job. You’ll be working the phone. A call center cyber-agent. Your job may be handling reservations for JetBlue or American Airlines. Booking someone into Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. Making merry with customers of Staples or Office Depot. You can see why you can’t have party noises in the background. Or yelling, barfing or flushing of toilets.

If you can manage to find a quiet place in which to work, you could be in business. Students who live off-campus will have an easier time securing this kind of work. Understandably. But if you meet the requirements, this is a dream job for students. The flexibility hurdle is taken care of right away. You get to choose the hours you want to work. Never miss a crucial class again.

Virtual customer service representatives are in high demand. Especially since the work that was once outsourced to far-flung countries is coming home. Customer resentment made it happen. Seems they had this nit-picky thing about wanting to understand what the agents were saying!

Since 20% of all US enterprises are currently employing home based agents and the numbers are expected to triple by 2010, you have a good shot at securing what’s considered by students to be a total dream job. And THAT is sweet!

(c) Karen Cook

Get more news about this dream of a part-time job at http://virtualagent007.blogspot.com and watch the Good Morning America video clips of Diane Sawyer profiling this work at home job.Karen Cook works at a Public Library where she researches work at home jobs. She has never told a student to shush.

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