Bookeeping or Medical Billing???

[phillmolly]

What job do you think would be better for me??

I am looking for something that I could do part time, or part time in an office and part time at home. I have a 18 month old son that I would like to be able to be home for when he starts school. Ideally I would like to be able to work for home and make about 25k - 30k a year.

I am currently going to school to get my associates in medical billing. I should be done by Dec of 2011.

I worked in bank for 10+ years before leaving to have my son.

I just started a math for business class and realized how much I love math, I love the way numbers work and finding all the different patterns, ect. I am really excited about this class and I am hoping I will do well in it. Anyways this is what got me thinking about changing my major. I would probally just get a certificate in bookeeping and I could be finished with that in June of 2011.

Any bookeepers or billers out there that could tell me about their jobs, the pros and cons and is it even feasible to be do either one of these jobs from home??

TIA!!!!!

 

[phillmolly]

are there no bookeepers or medical billers on the Dis????

 

[phillmolly]

one more bump before I give up, LOL!!

 

[merekc]

My understanding is the medical transcription is a field that is diminishing. Everything is going electronic and this is a profession that will be fading away. Just what I've heard. Hope that helps.

Edited: I just reread and saw you were talking about medical billing. Not sure if my first comment has any impact on your desired field.

Have you given any thought to what it would take to be certified/degreed for both. I would think they would have many of the same classes. You might be able to be trained in both for only a few more classes.

 

[shellabell]

I do medical billing, but don't know of any jobs from home (though I am sure they exist) and unless you are certified coder I can't imagine making your salary range working part time.

 

[swanmom]

Don't want to rain on anyone's parade but .... I am a part-time bookkeeper with more than six years experience and an expert's level knowledge of one of the most often-used accounting applications (Quickbooks Pro) so I am reasonably well paid as far as bookkeepers are concerned. I work 7:30 - 12:30 four days a week (20 hours/wk.) I live in an area where higher pay is expected (20 miles outside of NYC) and I make about $18,000 a year. No vacation pay, no health insurance, no other benefits. It's a fairly low stress job for me but there are very busy periods (client statement time, end of year, tax due dates etc.) However, the big benefit for me are the hours. I can drive by, drop off my DD at school, go straight to work and be home before she is. So, if the salary range you suggested is a high priority for you, then you may find that it is difficult to find a job out there paying in that range. If your priority is your time and flexibility, then I would say go for it! Good luck.

Edited to Add: It is difficult for me to work at home for this job (although I have done it on occasion) because all the invoices, bills, and paperwork are delivered to the office and have to be kept there. Checks have to be signed by one of the office managers and they often have last-minutes requests for checks and payments. They wouldn't have hired anyone who wasn't physically in the office when they needed stuff.

 

[Chelley00]

Also a part time bookkeeper here. As the PP said, it's not an easy job to do from home because all the paperwork is in the office. At one time I had quite a few different clients, 4 were onsite, 2 I could do from home, but they didn't have a dedicated office, so I also had to keep their files at my home office. This required me to have business insurance, which is extremely expensive. I phased those clients out when I got pg with DS5.

Now I work part time at an office, so I drop off the kids at school, work until it's time to go pick them up, and I have Fridays off. I am able to bring some things home and work here if I have a sick kid or something is going on with school or daycare, but I can't do it daily. I've been with this company for 5 years, so I'm very well paid for what I do, especially since I have 12 years of experience.

 

[NatashaDisneyCM]

I had gone to school first for medical coding.....after I finished, I could not get work! I would have to go to Boston to get certificate, something with my friend! do something else! ....no really!

 

[TiggerStac]

I do medical billing, but don't know of any jobs from home (though I am sure they exist) and unless you are certified coder I can't imagine making your salary range working part time.

medical billing jobs from home are few and far between... i agree with this, I don't see how you could get that salary range working pt. I'm in MA for the 25k, that's a little over $24 an hour for 20 hours. I have moved on from medical billing, but when I did billing and only billing, I wasn't near that price range.

 

[phillmolly]

Thanks for your replies!

The salary range is more my DH's exceptions than mine. I personally feel that we are just fine with only DH salary but he feels to much pressure being the only breadwinner. I would be very happy with 18k to 20k a year, especially if I could be home with my son! It kinda seems like bookeeping may be a good fit. Especially the part time hours! It also sounds like there is some flexiblity in being able to bring work home. When I worked in Banking I of course couldn't bring my work home!

 

[Tinkermommy]

OP, just wanted to bring something up with you. Will you have child care for you little one during your work hours? I kind of get the feeling from your post that you won't.

Honestly, I think you need to consider this factor. If you do have child care, that will eat up a lot of your salary. If you don't, you will be driven insane. An 18 month old is a handful.

I work at home full-time (travel a bit though). I am in marketing and thankfully my company allows me to work at home. I have a full-time nanny for my 3 year old and 8 year old (after school). I just wouldn't work otherwise.

I don't think you can expect to work part-time at home without any child care. You will have deadlines (and of course that's the day he won't nap) and people will need to speak to you and having a little one making noise in the background is unprofessional.

There are jobs where you could work and be with your child. At home daycare, or even work at a daycare where you enroll your child as well. Or you could work somewhere during the hours your DH is home so that child care is covered.

Good luck with whatever you choose!