Maybe the biggest disadvantage of living in Thailand is we can't work here, I hate it. I was an electrician back in the US and made good money too. Here in Thailand I am strictly prohibited from doing that type of work or anything like it. Even if I could do electrical work in Thailand I would still be competing with the Thai locals that are willing to work for much less pay. 
Doing electrical work in Thailand wouldn't be worth my effort. The problem facing expats working in Thailand is that it is against the law, unless you have a work permit. Getting caught working in Thailand without a work permit can land you in the monkey house (jail), and deported. The Monkey House or "Ban Ling" as the locals call it, is horrific place and not a place you ever want to experience in Thailand.
About the only job in Thailand that is legal is teaching english, with a work permit of coarse. The competition for english teaching jobs in Pattaya are fierce as there is an endless supply of expats that would love to supplement their incomes in this way. There are some other specialized jobs out there but for most of us jobs like that are simply out of reach.
Enter, cyber space, now days using the internet you could have a job in America and do your day to day duties in the land of smiles. Web design or investing is probably what most of us think of but I think there is much more out there for us. If you are a book keeper for example then ninety percent of the time you are entering information into a computer. With the high speed of the internet, what difference does it make if you are keying that information into the computer from Pattaya or New York or here from Bakersfield, Ca. Where the information is entered from doesn't matter, it only matters that it gets entered. Book keeping or investing are only two of a thousand occupations that can be done remotely. The number of Cyber Space jobs out there are only limited by our imagination.
Now what I want to talk about now is the equipment that you will need. First we all know you will need internet, and a good dependable computer. You should have a room that is free of distractions and noise. I use Skype to stay in touch with clients. With Skype I can setup a local number in my home town so people can call me, even without knowing how to use a computer. A skype number can also be used for help desk work or consulting. I do much of my advertising on Craigslist all though it is getting harder to advertising with Craigslist.
