It's a Scamworld out there

As someone who attended college online and now works full-time online, it's disheartening to see the internet filled with so many scams for both education and jobs. Search for online college or online jobs, and 99% of what you'll see is total junk - and worse. It's bad enough if the so-called educations and jobs aren't real, but the worst thing is that many of these links will lead you to scams that will try to bleed your bank account dry and then some.

The Verge recently did an incredible job investigating into the world of online scams with their Scamworld piece. If you haven't read it already, take the time it takes to go read it, or save it to your Instapaper queue to read later. Even if you're already aware that most Work online from home links are scams, it's worth the read just to be better informed so you can help out less informed family and friends. In short, it shows how these so-called internet marketers are ripping off people with the promises of instant internet riches, only to be lining the pockets of scammers and at the same time making their poor victims more afraid of the internet than before.

I'm frequently asked how to find work online. People always mention that they've seen links about Google paying you to work from home, or some way to make thousands each month from home, and ask if they should try them out. No. Never. Don't even dare to click through or submit your email unless you know what you're doing.

The thing is, there are many legitimate online jobs. I work for Envato, a company with such a global team they made an infographic about it, and Metalab, another company with employees around the world. Many companies today will hire the best people from anywhere, since so many jobs can be done with a laptop and an internet connection from anywhere. And there are many legitimate ways to get education online, even from locally accredited, non-profit universities with stellar track records.

But, the companies with real online jobs and real online degrees are simply real companies and real colleges. They're not out there advertising that you can work or study from home. They're pushing their own credentials as they would in the real world, telling people what they make and teach and stand for. Sure, they work online. But that's not why they exist. They're first and foremost real businesses selling real products and services and educating real people, and they don't need special offers, overblown promises, short time promotions, pushy telemarketers, and more to get people signed on. They just deliver the results, and the best employees and students come and work or attend locally or online. And the world goes on as it did before the internet.

So how should you find a job online, or an online college? The way you'd find any other job or college. For colleges, find a college you want academically, then see what learning options they have. Many real colleges have online classes today, and it's just one of the many things they offer. For jobs, find your niche, show you're a hard worker and have the skills needed, then look for a job the way you normally would. You might have to try harder to find a college or job you can do online, but there are plenty of options out there. And there's many ways you can learn on your own though courses, say, on iTunes U or Tuts+ Premium (an Envato offering), and many ways you can create your own job by creating products and selling them (be it eBooks on the Kindle Store, apps on the App Store, handmade goods on Etsy, or anything you can think of with a Shopify store). And hey, those things you make might lead to your next job.

But don't even consider looking at jobs and colleges that only focus on their online aspect. It's a scamworld out there. Stay safe!

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