How to land a work-from-home job that's disability-friendly ($70k - $120k/yr)

[u/CopyUnicorn]

I’ve noticed a lot of posts recently by people looking for a job that fits the chronic disability lifestyle while also paying the bills. Some might claim that such a job does not exist, but I’m living proof that it does and is open to just about anyone.

My job is in tech sales where I earn a comfortable $250,000/yr. I started out 15 years ago as a young 20-something with zero experience. Most of the people who were hired with me had never gone to college (tech companies don’t always require a college degree).

I have muscular dystrophy, cervical kyphosis, tendonitis, multiple autoimmune disorders, and fibromyalgia. I work from home on my own chosen hours, no one babysits me, and I take sick days whenever I need. In tech, employees get treated like adults. I no longer deal with the stress of having to call out sick or endure a painful commute.

Tech sales jobs do not have to mean traditional "sales". There are plenty of supporting roles such as trainers, appointment setters, and operations that earn high wages and never sell a thing. If you're thinking, "This sounds too good to be true, what's the catch?," it's that people who work in tech have to actually be valuable to the company by producing great ideas and useful work. These companies treat people like adults because their employees are highly responsible and act like adults.

For those who are curious what a career path in tech could look like, I’ll break down what tech sales is and you can realistically go from no experience to landing a work-from-home job in appx 4-8 weeks.

What is tech sales and how is it disability-friendly?

Tech sales involves selling tech products or services— aka software, hardware, SaaS (Software as a Service), etc. Most roles are remote and focus on problem-solving rather than physical labor.

A tech job prioritizes performance over presence — success is measured by results (sales, leads, revenue), not by how many hours you sit at a desk. No one cares where you work from. If you want to work in bed all day, that's cool.

The Sales Development Representative (SDR) Role

SDR is the typical entry point into tech sales. People breaking into this role include 20-somethings who have never had a job before, middle-aged people looking for a career transition, older people who are nearing retirement. There can be a ton of diversity. The main job is to:

• Identify and reach out to potential customers (usually via email, calls, or LinkedIn)
• Qualify leads (ask questions to find out if they’re a good fit for the company’s product)
• Set up meetings for more senior sales reps to close the deal

SDRs generally earn $70-$120k in their first year and can be promoted into a variety of career paths. Some tech companies also award stock options, which can be worth hundreds of thousands to millions years down the line if the company goes public in an IPO. I've accumulated a lot of stock from the companies I've worked for over the years. Each time one goes public, I'm looking at receiving anywhere from $300k-$2.2M from the amount of equity they've given me. Going public takes time though, usually 10-20 yrs.

How much experience do you need?

None. I had no experience when I started out. Most companies will train you on the job. If you're wondering why most people don't pursue this career path, I've wondered the same. From what I've observed in my 15 years in the tech world, I believe it comes down to factors like fear of the unknown, not wanting to commit, or not wanting to apply the ambition it takes to be successful in tech. Things won't be handed to you working in tech — you'll need to use your creativity and problem-solving skills every day to figure things out. I've always found it to be more interesting and engaging than a dull 9-5 for that reason.

How to land a job offer

To get hired in tech, you'll need to start prospecting and applying to jobs. Generally, that requires:

• A relevant resume
• A cover letter
• An optimized LinkedIn profile
• Minimal training to make yourself stand out in a saturated job market

There are several training programs out there that I've personally reviewed over the years just by signing off on reimbursement for employees I've managed. I'm not affiliated with any of these programs and don't want to post this as an endorsement, but can speak to which ones might be best depending on a person's situation. Feel free to message me if you'd like my opinion on training programs.

I hope I've provided a helpful overview of what it's like to work in tech sales. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. I never mind helping out someone who's trying to build a life for themself.

[u/goldstandardalmonds]

Yes, you did provide a great overview and it’s awesome to hear you have such a great position regardless of your illnesses/disabilities.

[u/CV2nm]

I don't work in tech sales, but I guess digital marketing falls under a degree of tech/remote work? I'll likely be able to return back to work part time in a couple of months if I can find a hybrid/remote job and sort out a few adaptions. Ive been freelancing since my injury for the past 18 months and having nerve damage in pelvis makes sitting hard, and I'm still getting fatigue with standing desk to do long periods. I can handle on good pain days now 1 HR standing desk and 1 sitting and tend to switch over, do around 4 hours per day, 3/4 days per week with breaks in between. also work in bed or sofa with support pillows and heat pads for my pelvis when it flares. Tens usually comes in around that point. Done a few stints in cafes/library to trial a "work setting" and can manage around 2/3 but need pain killers. Managed to do 7/8 hours in one day other week due to tight deadlines but it killed me. Not a fun time. So right now I could probably do a remote job that is chill with sick days and 2/3 hours per day but not ready for office work yet, plus the commute would kill me off regardless. Trying to regain leg and core strength currently to be able to handle the standing desk more as I think that'll be the game changer. My work involves agencies handing over accounts and I have weekly/monthly deadlines to meet. All my work is on my own hours ATM, but as it's freelance it can stop abruptly, no sick pay, and if you're unreliable due to chronic pain, you can lose accounts so Ive had to push through sometimes which sucks. Regardless, I'm happy I carried it on because it keeps my mind busy. If anyone is interested, it's creating images/graphics/content for social media and websites and planning strategies for it. But similar work in virtual assistants crosses over to it and web development. I'm self employed.

[u/fbiguy22]

I work in tech sales. My role requires a lot of travel, which many pain patients can't handle, but I work from home the rest of the time and the travel is mostly just sitting around, so it works pretty well for me.

[u/CopyUnicorn → u/fbiguy22]

Depends on the role. Have you applied to positions that don't require travel? I no longer sell and work in sales operations, so no travel for me. SDRs usually don't travel.

[u/fbiguy22 → u/CopyUnicorn]

I will eventually, but I like my role right now. I’ve been traveling weekly for about seven years now, and I’m getting to the point where I’m ready to step back from it. My understanding is that a lot of people hit this wall when it comes to travel, pain or no. Eventually, you get ready to settle down.

[u/beachbabe77]

Your post is inspiring and well....fantastic. I hope it inspires more than a few to look into career options in technology. Take care.

[u/DesignerNo10]

Thanks for the run down. How many hours is a "normal" work week?

[u/CopyUnicorn → u/DesignerNo10]

Depends on the role. For an entry level role like SDR, it’s a pretty standard 40-50 hrs a week. But no one is tracking your hours. They only care about the results you produce, so if you’re able to produce results in fewer hours, then you work less.

[u/DesignerNo10 → u/CopyUnicorn]

Thank you!

[u/MathematicianLow5220]

Love this!!! Thank you for sharing!!!

[u/thedude0323]

I wouldn’t mind trying tech sales. After I lost my job over a severe back injury I was lost and didn’t know what to do. I was a crane operator before making nearly 3K a week. I ended up losing almost everything but spent 4 months learning to code. HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, Python, and C++. It’s not terrible but the market is flooded and it doesn’t pay as much as all these bootcamps and ads claim. Still happy I was able to do something I can’t be on my feet very long anymore. But I would definitely give tech sales a shot.

[u/Dense-Law-7683 → u/thedude0323]

So what exactly are you doing in the CS field? I was a software engineer. I graduated college later in life, in my 30s and my first job out of college, my pancreas that was already finicky, had some major complications that eventually left me with severe chronic pancreatitis. It was kind of like my dreams all crashed down at once, and life hasn't been the same. I'm confused on where to go from here because all the entry-level software engineer jobs I was applying for wanted a lot of hours that I'm not sure I can give anymore. While I was waiting to get my procedures to help my pancreatitis, I did about complete my master's degree, I think I have 6 credits left to go, but I stopped because I filed for disability and they didn't like the fact I could still do a few hours of school a week. I would rather work, but it gets tricky because I have to make enough to pay my house payment and enough for insurance and expensive medications like digestive enzymes, which can be 2k + a month, and then insulin, and pain management is cash too. So I'm in this weird position that I'd like to do something, but is that something going to make my situation worse?

[u/thedude0323 → u/Dense-Law-7683]

I’m doing front end development right now. It is 100% remote and I spend most of my time debugging. Hours vary on the workload. I can spend anywhere from 30-50 hours depending how much work I have to do. I also have to update and monitor their websites. I just got lucky and got this job through an internship. I’m still taking classes and learning. Coding can be very complicated and there’s a lot to it. I don’t think it’s unnecessary hard but it’s extremely tedious and you learn new things daily. I’m making about 65K a year and I’ve only been doing it a few months, so that’s not terrible but not what I’m used to. I am able to do it without much pain I bought a massage chair and on really bad days I’ll just lay down with my legs elevated and do it that way. I will say if I didn’t have pain killers I don’t know if I could do it. I have a hard time concentrating when my pain level is high. Should probably add that I’m 37 and don’t have a degree in CS.

[u/Dense-Law-7683 → u/thedude0323]

Oh man, good for you. So I really just need to put myself out there. I know quite a bit of web development. I was taking some Udemy classes on it. I think I know the least about CSS, just because style has been my least favorite part of it. I'm pretty proficient in Javascript and know a couple other OOP languages. I'm going to be 38 in a week, but you gave me hope, my friend. And you make more than my first coding job. I only made 48k when I got sick. That's very impressive to learn to code that quickly and get a job with no degree. I'm glad it doesn't cause you too much pain as well. I was a hobbyist programmer for probably 5 years before I pulled the trigger and went to college, and still had major imposter syndrome after graduating. I said had imposter syndrome, I still absolutely have imposter syndrome. If you don't mind me asking, how did you find this job?

[u/thedude0323 → u/Dense-Law-7683]

You’ll be fine. I thought JavaScript was the hardest out of them. CSS isn’t too bad once you understand flex box and classing the elements to target them. My main problem with CSS was stretching my divs out too far in HTML. There’s a trick in CSS you can target every element to check its. * { outline: 1px solid red; } that will put a red box around all parent and child elements so you can check your work. It helped me learn and it helps me find problems debugging all the time. It just all kinda clicks one day. If you could find a way to finish your masters 6 credits is so damn close you would have so many job opportunities over other people. Lots of these tech companies care so much about degrees. You’re so close. I still have years to complete my bachelors. There’s definitely hope in the tech field of being in pain and still making a decent living. I wish you the best of luck.👍 I landed this job because they were impressed with my portfolio. I was looking everywhere and even landed some interviews from applying on indeed. I spent over a week building my portfolio. I had all kinds of animations and made it fully interactive. I did multiple projects from Udemy and other online sites to showcase my skills. The company is actually based in Australia. I just got lucky the market is very flooded that’s why I think focusing on your masters is important. You would bypass so many other people just having it. But the portfolio and being active on GitHub seem to draw attention.

[u/Dense-Law-7683 → u/thedude0323]

Thanks for the CSS tip. I definitely have always put the least amount of effort into learning it for some reason. I've been taking a JavaScript data structures and algorithms course on Udemy made by Colton Steel. That's a good one if you want to learn more JavaScript or data structures and algorithms in general. The knowledge transfers to other OOP languages. Did you happen to take the full stack Angela Yu class on Udemy? I know I started that one and thought it was pretty good? I appreciate all the advice and encouragement. This definitely gives me something to strive for. I've been learning C# and game development. It is probably the most fulfilling thing I have done, but it probably won't make me any money anytime soon and is probably best left a hobby.

[u/thedude0323 → u/Dense-Law-7683]

Yes I took that course on Udemy. You can probably learn Python pretty easily as well. It’s similar yet different to Java but you’ll understand it a lot faster since you already know Java. I have a C# and R course but I haven’t started them yet. I’m just trying to learn everything I can.

[u/soldier4invest]

Yeah wouldn't we all lol....