Dear Kalena…
I just read your article on SEM careers at Pandia and I have a strong feeling that you probably are the right person that I can air my career-question to.
I am Raj from Hyderabad, India and I am an engineering graduate. I worked as a Software Developer and am planning to shift my career to SEM/SEO. I have been reading as many article as I possibly could on SEO/SEM but unable to get that first break. Could you please answer the following questions for me?
1. Is it possible for a newbie on SEM/SEO to work remotely (from home)?
2. Where does a newbie make a beginning and how?
Regards
Raj
Hi Raj
There’s no reason why you can’t start a successful career in SEO and/or SEM working from home. As you’ve already read my “11 Reasons” article, you’ll know the benefits of gaining employment in the search industry.
If you need SEO / SEM training, there are plenty of options available these days, (including *cough* Search Engine College *cough*) but you should also start practising on your own sites and others as soon as possible. Hands-on experience is essential to competency in the field.
Once you feel confident with your newly acquired skills, offer to SEO sites pro-bono or for very little compensation, to help expand your experience. Charity or Not-For-Profit sites often need SEO services but don’t have the budget to hire experts.
Monitor industry job sites such as our SEM Jobs Board and join sites like Elance to bid for projects to gain freelance SEM work. If there is an appropriate opportunity in your location, offer to be an unpaid intern for a SEM agency for a month. The knowledge you will gain will be invaluable. Likewise, you could offer to do some voluntary freelance SEO or SEM work online from home for an agency you respect that is not necessarily in your region.
Review all the posts here in the Jobs and Salaries categories for more inspiration.
Best of luck!
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Hi Reg,
I was in a similar position to you 3 months ago. I have taken the chance and am loving the lifestyle – It is all about taking risks. If you are further interested maybe we can help each other – please go to my site and write me an email.
Regards,
Michael
Of course you can I have many successful friends that offer SEO services and consulting from their home offices! You might not get the big campaigns since big companies expect you to have a secretary and an office but you can definitely make a great living with smaller projects.