Steering Clear of The Affiliate Scams

I want to work on my computer and be able to stay home while I earn my money. I know this is possible since I have several friends who are doing just that. They have talked to me about their jobs and I would like to do the same thing, it is just that I need to be sure that I do not choose one of the affiliate marketing scams by mistake. There are so many things that are not real and not worth my time, that I need to be sure of the one I choose. I know never to pay to join and I know that there needs to be full information available to me before I would decide to get involved.