by Kriszia Vengua

Created on: April 03, 2009   Last Updated: April 05, 2009

The e-commerce boom has made it easier for people to work from home. From marketing to nursing, it is now possible for people to have an entire career online. Not only do they cut down on their daily commute, but most are CEO's of their own businesses, giving them total control on their careers.

But making that leap from office space to cyberspace can be quite unnerving, especially when you have no idea where to start. Or if you'll even like it at all.

The good news is, you don't have to commit yourself to a full-time job in order to find out. All you need to do, is to find an online job training program.

1. What do I want? Finding an online career training program depends largely on what you want to do. Are you a copy editor looking to transition to her own online business? Or a sales associate for a pharmaceutical company, looking to carve out a career in online healthcare? Do you want to work for a company, or work for yourself?

Knowing what you want to do, and in what industry, will help narrow down your search.

2. Get educated. What are the success rates in this line of work? What is required for you to start, and eventually achieve?

Every job requires some education, even if it's just surfing through hundreds of first hand testimonies from Google. People's stories are excellent resources, not only in job hunting, but in providing you a view of what's to come. Unlike the CEO's from established companies, there are plenty of successful entrepreneurs who document their successes on a blog, unedited and free of charge.

3. So where do I look? Finding the right online career training program is not unlike looking for one in offline. You do it through education, and by climbing the virtual ladder.

If you are looking to be your own boss, then the best way to learn is by working for someone who has done it himself. The most successful online freelancers almost always require an assistant, or an apprentice that she can train to be part of her team. This means, hiring through job boards. Yes, you heard it right, hiring.

Freelancers will post jobs on bid sites, or on classifieds such as Craiglist. But the best way to approach them is through trade message boards. Some freelancers will post a shout out, looking for people to train by letting them handle some of the smaller jobs. Marketers, on the other hand, are always on the lookout for an assistant. Someone that they can establish a relationship with, and hopefully help grow their business.

Bigger companies also use message

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