What Will You Need To Work Online

             What You Need To Work Online

Remember the year 2009, let me refresh your memory with some pop culture events of 2009. This was the year Taylor Swift was interrupted by Kanye West at the VMA awards. This was the year Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States. It was also the year Grindr launched.

I have been working online since 2009 in one capacity or another. Back in 2009, I started with a Dell laptop (don't remember the model) it didn't even have a webcam I had to put one of those external webcams and attach it to the top of my laptop. The internet was also exuberantly expensive and very unreliable in Kenya, where I live.

Soon enough that laptop died a sudden death and I found myself shopping for a quick cheap replacement. I bought an HP Pavillion refurbished laptop. It had its good aspects, large screen, great sound system but its battery only lasted an hour which was highly inconvenient for a country with frequent power outages. This laptop stayed with me until 2018 when I replaced it with my Dell Inspiron. I will link a couple of laptops that are great for working at home here. 

I say all this to emphasize that you need a trusted laptop if you will be working online. Some jobs ask for a phone to perform certain tasks but you will need a laptop for the majority of your work. 

What your laptop must have

• Make sure your laptop has plenty of memory.
• High-speed internet
• Great webcam
• Headphone jack
• Long battery time (at least 3 hours or more)

Additionally make sure you have Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Sometimes you can negotiate that in the price of your new laptop. Photo and editing software is also vital if you plan on doing any graphic design and video editing.

It is also important that you have unlimited internet, none of those data bundles will do. You will be working online while listening to a podcast in the background or watching YouTube videos. A good strong network with unlimited internet is the way to go. Shop around locally and make sure you get the best value for your money because this will be a recurring bill if you decide to work online.

It is also ideal you have a quiet room with good natural or artificial light. If you work online, you may be required to do zoom meetings or turn on your webcam for a review. You want to have a space that you wouldn't be embarrassed to show to a total stranger.