Gainfully Unemployed Engineer making an online Affiliate Income!

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.

After almost 15 years in my profession, working and building a good reputation, good relations with clients, and a level of experience that allowed me to work all facets of my business, from bidding to billing to creating to finalizing, I'd clawed myself to middle-management.

I was the department manager, and I was miserable. Unappreciated, criticized, never congratulated for a job well done, and working almost 60 hours a week while being told I had to do more, and all 'off the clock' while overtime was a myth.

And then the economy in our area collapsed.

Sure, we'd seen it happening in the rest of the country, but we'd remained roughly insulated thus far.

Our work dried up, and I found myself caught between those doing the work (cheaper than I could) and the owners of the company (who weren't going to lay themselves off).

I was laid off. Four O'Clock on a Friday.

And it was both the most shocking experience (not that I didn't see it coming..) and an ABSOLUTE RELIEF! Honestly, I picked my kids up early and had a fantastic weekend with them, lounging and playing.

I took some time to myself over the next week, and realized that one of my biggest excuses for NOT building an online income in the past was 'time'. It was far too easy to find reasons to NOT work at home after a long day at work.

Well, the 'time' was now. I had the time (24 hours a day) to dedicate to it and give it an honest, legitimate, no excuses shot.

I began my search.

I had some basic requirements:

1. Support – it had to have terrific support, whether it was phone, email, personal or (preferably) forums where I could connect with current affiliates.

2. Multiple streams – building one income stream at a time didn't interest me too much. Needed the ability to market one program and get multiple benefits.

3. Legitimate – I needed verifiable PROOF that the program was working and stable.

It took me a while, but I sifted through many programs, discarding each for one reason for another.

Then, I found what I was looking for, completely and 100% by accident.

So, if you're looking for an affiliate program to work, make a list of what you're looking for. Begin searching, and don't hesitate to toss out the losers. But, most important, keep and open mind, because as you see an opportunity, it may come to you in disguise!