Any IT mums working from home?

[gillianf]

We've emigrated from South Africa to Aus last November with DS (currently 16 months old) and discovered we were pg with the second one :eek: which put paid to any ideas of my working (I'm a java software developer). I would really like to put DS1 into daycare before the next one arrives and hopefully start working from home as a software developer (as well as looking after DS2), to supplement the income. Are there any developers working from home whilst looking after little ones? What are your routines like? TIA! :D

[bigglet]

I'm not a software developer but a network engineer and currently on maternity leave but I hope to work from home 1-2 days a week when I have to go back to work in August :(

A friend of mine is a programmer and he works from home to help care his little bub - he says he does it in "shift work" - as in hours here and there when the bub is asleep meaning he works at night as well to get the work done.
It also depends on the company if they are supportive as well, my current workplace doesn't really have anyone working from home so there will be a lot of "trust issues" and the like no doubt but I guess if you prove you are getting the work done then it shouldn't be a problem.

With my job I can VPN into work or ssh in and still monitor the equipment and I'm contactable via email, mobile etc so I really don't think it should be an issue but of course setting the precedent to "work from home" is the hard part! And changing management's opinion!! :)

Good luck with it!

[creativewarrior]

hi
im a web designer who works freelance from home while raising my girl amber. and it really is about fitting in work when you can - nap times, evenings etc but just recently i put amber into daycare one day a week so that i can at least focus on something at length as ive been getting work but stressing out about how im going to get it done in between recent tantrums and toilet training :rolleyes:

also my partner wanted to work away on the mines to help make ends meet but i knew if i could do regular hours from home then finances wouldnt be so hard and he could be around more. now he's home at 4 instead of 6pm, takes amber and the dogs to the park while i squeeze in an hour or 2 of computer time and were all much happier.

i found working freelance better than working for a company as you set your own hrs, pay etc and dont have the pressure of deadlines that someone else sets, just your own routine to manage.

hope that helps
good luck with it all, its definatly worth it :D