So you’ve thought about working from home and transcription interests you.  After all, you know you are a fast typist, right?  And you made good grades in English and Language Arts classes in school, right?  Why would transcribing not be the perfect choice?

Yet, you do have some nagging questions and don’t want to make a mistake.

How can I know if transcription is my best option?

How could anyone KNOW for sure?  We have some clues and suggestions for you to consider as you make your decision.  Let’s start with the two most important questions: 

1.  First, what is the state of your physical health?

Are you unable to sit for long periods of time in the same spot?  Have you had a lot of back or neck problems?  Spine or neck surgery in the past?  Arthritis in your hands or fingers?  A slight hearing problem?  If so, transcription may NOT be the best occupation for you.

2.  Do you have daytime hours of silence in your home?

Or do you have toddlers or babies to care for during the daytime?  Is your environment extremely noisy?  Or calm and quiet? Since full concentration is required and children’s needs should ALWAYS come first, the lack of a completely quiet workplace will likely be a deal breaker for transcribing from your home.

Okay.  So what else should I consider to be a transcriptionist?

How fast can you type?  Woops.  Let’s try that again.  How fast can you accurately type?  That is the question!  So while speed is definitely important, believe it or not, accuracy is equally, if not more so, important!  You really need to type at least 50 wpm (70 wpm is better) fairly accurately. 

Are you smart, both “bookwise” and “streetwise”?  In other words, do you have a well-rounded background?  A good general knowledge about lots of different things and subjects?  Great!  This could work!

How could transcription help you achieve your goals?

First, what are your goals?  Do you have a day job and just need some extra cash by working a part-time job?  Nothing wrong with that!

Are you the sole support of yourself or your family?  Do you know the amount of money you need per month?  Get out the calculator and see.  Then you can weigh the figure against expected average monthly transcription income.  As a result, you will know if the math works for your personal life.

Come on!  Is transcription training really necessary?

Our opinion?

Yes … for medical transcription.

Yes … for legal transcription.  RELATED:  Legal Transcription.

Possibly … for some of the general transcription.  RELATED:  General Transcription.

Are you somewhat tech savvy or at least trainable and can learn software and hardware?

If the answer is yes, great!  With technology constantly changing and updating, keeping up is essential.  To do so requires a good memory or at least a set of “cheat sheets” always handy.  You never know when you will get into a pickle and have an immediate “need to know” something.

Wrapping up …

Transcribing from home is indeed a very viable and doable occupation for many people!  Lots of factors integrate into arriving at a final decision since each individual is unique:  various backgrounds, skill levels, education, needs, desires, etc.  Therefore, the best way to discover if transcription is a great career option for you is to begin with some training.  Affordable training.  Quality training. 

Check out our courses at our Learn to Transcribe Academy.  We will be honored to welcome you as a student!