If you are a home-based professional, chances are that you may sometimes yearn for interaction with other professionals. Home-based professionals can sometimes feel like they are isolated. The good news is that home-based professionals do not have to be isolated. There are things that you can do to connect with other professionals, and doing these things will enrich your career in addition to your social life.
The other day, I had the fortune of being invited to have lunch with a group of women that practice law. This group gets together every few months to discuss things that they have going on with their work and to share ideas and strategies with each other. Some of the women are in private practice like I am, so meeting up to network with others is a way that we avoid isolation. It was wonderful to meet all of these women and learn about the diversity of things that they have going on in their personal and professional lives.
Sometimes it is difficult for home-based professionals to find time to leave home to network with other professionals. I know that it is difficult for me, as there are only certain days of the week when my husband has days off of work and can stay home with our son. It is also possible that there are not many other professionals in your local area that do the same type of work that you do. If either of these situations applies to you, you do not have to be isolated either. There are forums and web sites that are designed for all different kinds of professionals. You can set aside some time to visit one or more of these web sites and connect with others that do the same type of work that you do.
Networking with others, whether in person or online serves a valuable purpose for all professionals. Sharing ideas helps professionals to learn and grow. For home-based professionals it is a great way to stay connected to what is going on in your profession as well as an opportunity to avoid isolation by connecting with other people.
Photo by clarita on morguefile.com.