Use the Internet to brush up on computer skills

By Joyce Lain Kennedy Tribune Media Services

DEAR JOYCE: Although I used computers in my previous jobs, I’ve been at home for four years raising a family. Now I’m hoping to go back to work but am feeling rusty and don’t really have time to take a refresher course in night school. What can I do to brush up that’s cheap and fast? – S.Y.

How about free and immediate? You’ll find an array of exceptionally helpful two-page cheat sheets in PDF format that you can download and print at customguide.com (scroll down the left side of the site’s home page to a section labeled Free Quick References). Choose any that you want for MS Office, the Mac, Adobe programs and more. I have one of the cheat sheets and I rely on it!

Work-at-home jobs tough to find DEAR JOYCE: I desperately need to get work at home. I answered one ad that promised big earnings, but it was bogus – they wanted money from me! Are there any legitimate work-at-home jobs? – C.L.L.

Yes, there are legitimate work-at-home jobs. But very few. Especially now. Bad economies encourage large volumes of rip-off crooks because desperate people suspend judgment.

Most legitimate work-at-home jobs are held by people who are (1) self-employed, or (2) telecommuting with an organization where they formerly worked on site and gained the trust of their employers.

Moreover, a big chunk of jobs for home workers in remote call centers, as well as those doing billing or transcription, have been moved offshore to cheaper-labor countries.

Hang on to your money. Home-worker scams often are pyramid schemes or marketing ventures aimed at selling start-up supplies. Others are designed to extract bank account and social security numbers. Even testimonials of happy “workers” may in fact be provided by shills.

Among likely scams that seem to be repeated over and over despite frequent debunking: envelope stuffing, assembly jobs, data entry, mystery shopping, coupon marketing and online ad posting.

I’m sorry to rain on your parade, but if the offer of a home-based job sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Earn and learn at the same time DEAR JOYCE: At 42, I am a retired military man with 11 years of retail management experience. Having just completed my associate degree, I’m debating whether I should jump back into the job market before age becomes an issue or continue on to my bachelor’s in business administration degree. What do you think? – W.C.P.

Grab a job in retail management if you can and continue your education during nonwork hours, perhaps online from home.

At this stage of your life, whether you stay in retailing or move to another field, I think you’ll be better off acquiring practical, profit-motivated experience in the workplace than studying hypothetical situations in college.

The additional schooling is not likely to equal the value of your extensive retailing experience. Putting that experience two years in the past (the time-cost of continuing your education full time) will diminish its freshness and marketing clout. Tell employers that you plan to pursue the business administration degree in part-time studies as work permits. This way, you’ll be able to focus the additional education you obtain in those courses where it will do the employer and you the most good. Have a question: Contact Joyce Lain Kennedy at Jobs Today, The Los Angeles Times, P.O. Box 60164, Los Angeles, CA 90060-0164 or e-mail jlk@ sunfeatures.com.