Since I started working from home, I’ve had to deal with a few comments regarding my new work life. Comments such as:

“Well…she’s not working right now.”

“How much work do you have to do every day?”

“How’s the job search going?”

Different scenarios and conversations caused the comments to be said to me or about me; some were not said in my presence. But, the fact is that while many friends and family have been supportive of my decision to pursue freelance and consulting instead of the standard 9-5 job, there are others who don’t quite understand it. They think I’m looking for a replacement traditional job. They wonder what I do each day. They don’t always understand why I say that yes, in fact, I am quite busy – even at home.

I’ve dealt with the comments and explained that no, I’m not looking to go back to working outside the home. And, yes, I do quite a bit each day, because building a business and doing freelance work, is in fact, work. I understand that it will take some time for everyone to become accustomed to my new work at home status, so it doesn’t bother me. Really…part of me is still getting used to it myself.

As I was thinking about this more, I decided I’d open up the topic for a round-table-type discussion. I want to open it up to you and hear how you have dealt with such comments.

Do you have friends and family that don’t quite get it? Share with us in the comments about your experiences.

Photo from stayathomejobs on Flickr

If you’re looking for telecommute jobs on sites like Careerbuilder, you will have a hard time finding legit positions. A quick search for telecommuting or work at home normally results in job listings that either say “no telecommuting available” or that are scams.

So, where can you find some legit work from home jobs, freelance work, or telecommute positions? There are several blogs out there catered to the freelance community that provide job listings. There are also quite a few job boards available on well-known web design, blogging, and tech blogs.

I’ve been perusing these job listings for a few months now and have found some decent job postings. Typical job listings include blogging jobs, freelance writing jobs, and social media management and consulting jobs. Even so, you still have to be careful about some of the listings, since scammers will be scammers and can post their scams anywhere. But, for the most part, I’ve had good luck.

The following is a list of 10 places to find work at home and freelance jobs. I’ve divided them up by the category the site defines itself as: freelance community, work at home mom (WAHM) community, job board, etc.

Freelance Jobs

1. About Freelance Writing
   This blog provides information on freelance writing, including tips for how to write and how to earn money from freelance writing. Three times a week, it also provides a list of jobs. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, you can expect to find a list with an average of 30-60 job listings compiled from various resources.
2. Freelance Switch Job Board
   This is a fee-based job board, which requires a subscription for $7 per month to apply for the jobs. You can see the job listings, but no contact information or method for applying is provided unless you’re a member.

Work at Home Mom Jobs

3. Mommy Works Online
   Run by a work at home mom, this blog provides work from home and telecommute job listings found around the web. A description of the job, contact information, and sometimes a link to the original posting are provided each weekday.
4. Work at Home Mom Revolution
   Owned by the same woman as Mommy Works Online, this site provides very similar information. However, you will not find the same job listings duplicated on both sites and will sometimes find relevant news or articles for the work at home mom.

Job Boards

5. ProBlogger Job Board
   Being hosted by ProBlogger, this board, of course, primarily provides listings for blogging jobs. But, you can also find other writing gigs and occassionally some social media job listings.
6. Mashable Jobs Site
   Jobs listed here include social media, marketing, and web development positions. Not all are work from home or telecommute jobs, but you will find some amongst those listed.
7. Smashing Jobs
   Providing both full-time and freelance job listings, this site primarily provides design and programming positions.
8. Latino Community Job Board
   Although targeted to the Latino community, this job board really lists jobs suitable for anyone.

General

9. oDesk
   Though a bit controversial since employers can watch over your work when using the oDesk system, you can find many blogging, social media, and freelance jobs posted on this site.
10. Elance
    As a provider of services, you can create a profile, view job listings, submit proposals for jobs you choose, and get paid through the Elance system. There is a free plan, as well as paid subscription plans available.

The majority of these sites provide an RSS feed for the job listings. What I do is subscribe to the RSS feeds and put them all in a “jobs” folder in my reader so that I can go to one place to browse for jobs.

Good luck on your search! Let me know if you know of any or find any other useful sites for finding freelance, telecommuting, or work from home jobs.