The money can be pretty good but you're on your own. For some people that's the best part.
There was a time when working from home was a pipe dream, but recently, there's been a surge of jobs you can do from your own place.
Whether that’s working remotely for a company or starting your own business, there’s no shortage of work-from-home opportunities. Here are 50 options, many of which can generate annual earnings that equate to more than the average American salary.
1. Affiliate Marketer / Salesman
For those unfamiliar with affiliate marketing, it’s simply referral marketing where you earn a commission. Let’s say that you have a website and refer a book on Amazon. When the visitor clicks the affiliate link and buys the book, Amazon will pay you a percentage of the sale. People love affiliate marketing because they can start earning money passively with few startup costs.
Related: 5 Ways to Ensure Remote Employees Feel Part of the Team
2. Animator
Are you an artistic and creative individual who is able to create animation and visual effects for television, movies, video games and other types of media? Then you can work at home as freelance animator. (Personally, I’ve seen animators make between $25 to $106 an hour on sites like Upwork.)
3. Baker/Caterer/Chef
If you have a knack for baking or cooking, then turn your passion into a side business. From your own kitchen, you could start a catering business or become a personal chef. If you’re a baker, you could sell you goods to friends, neighbors, online or at local farmer’s markets.
4. Blogger
Blogging is inexpensive and easy to start doing. It could be as simple as you just writing about your favorite music or food, and eventually, you can start generating money from your site. Just keep in mind that you need to pay patient when it comes to cashing in on your blog. If this is something you want to pursue, check out this guide.
5. Bookkeeper / Accountant
Believe it or not, you don’t have to be a CPA to start bookkeeping. Just sign up for a bookkeeping course at a community college or even online (such as this course from The Accounting Coach). Once you complete a course, you can start earning, and the median salary is reportedly $34,000. (Some stay-at-home bookkeepers I've spoken with personally make more than $70,000.)
6. Child Caregiver at Home
Whether if it’s just for a couple of hours or for the entire day, running a childcare business from your home can be lucrative. Just make sure that you obtain the correct licenses and permits.
7. Clinical Research Coordinator
Clinical research coordinators help manage operations for clinical trials. You could make more than $48,000 with this job, and you don't need a bachelor's degree.
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8. Consulting / Data Analyst
If you have experience and knowledge in a specific area, then consider sharing it with others. For example, if you’re an accountant or lawyer, then you can provide advice to small businesses for a pretty penny. You could also consult businesses on how to use a new software program or how to become more environmentally friendly. (If you're interested, my company offers a consulting guide to get started.) . More examples:
Business Consultant, Business Analyst
9. Customer Service Representative
Do you possess excellent communication skills? Do you also have a landline and reliable internet? Then you can earn between $8 and $15 per hour as a customer service representative.
10. Data Entry
Inputting data for businesses isn’t the most of exciting of jobs. However, you don’t need any previous experience, and you can start at $10 per hour.
11. Copy Writing
You can write copy for businesses from your home and, in some cases, earn up to six figures. Try Fiverr or Upwork to find gigs.
12. E-commerce Store Owner
There are five types of e-commerce business models: dropshipping, wholesaling, manufacturing, white-labeling and subscriptions. Thanks to sites like Shopify, Magento and WooCommerce, you can quickly launch your own ecommerce store.
13. Editing and Proofreading
Companies like Book in a Box pay around $20 per hour to editors, book jacket designers and proofreaders.
14. Event Planner
Whether if it’s planning a wedding, birthday party or corporate event, people are looking for organized individuals to do most of the event planning for them.
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15. Film and Post Instructional Videos
Are you really good at something? Try creating a YouTube account and filming yourself instructing others on how to do what you're skilled at. To start earning some cash, enroll in YouTube’s partner program so that you can make $1 to $2 per 1,000 views.
16. Grant Writer
Universities, hospitals, and nonprofit organizations often need to apply for grant money. Since these applications can be difficult to write, these businesses often turn to talented grant writers. As a grant writer, you can make between $40,300 and $67,000 per year.
17. Graphic Designer
Many businesses are in need of someone to design their logos, websites or visual ads. If you have a degree or certification in this area, you can make a comfortable salary annually (reportedly $45,000 and up). The more skilled you are, the more clients you'll likely get through word of mouth. Here's a guide on how to build a website that can help you get started.
18. Handmade Crafter
Do you make handmade products like jewelry or furniture? If so, try setting up an Etsy shop and selling your handmade crafts online.
19. Instructor
Do you know how to play a musical instrument? Can you get people into shape? Whatever your knowledge or experience, some people will pay you to share that information with them, whether in person or online.
20. Internet Security Specialist
As an internet security specialist, you monitor networks for security threats and implement security standards. You may also install data protection systems as well. Given the attention that online security has been receiving, this job is expected to grow steadily over the next several years.
Related: How to Stay Motivated Working From Home
21. Online Juror
When attorneys prepare for a trial, they often seek feedback on their case. Depending on the mock jury website you choose, you can make between $5 to $150 for your opinion.
22. Online Teacher
Are you a teacher who's looking for a more flexible schedule? Then consider teaching via Skype or via a pre-recorded session through organizations like K12and Connections Academy.
23. Patent or Intellectual Property Lawyer
Applying for a patent or protecting intellectual property are both areas where expert advice is needed. As such, if this is your area of the law, you could reportedly make between $112 and $121 per hour.
24. Peer-to-Peer Lender
Thanks to sites like Lending Club and Prosper, you can easily lend money to a business or individual. As an investor, you'd make money on the paid interest of the note.
25. Pet Groomer
Do you love being around animals? Are you also patient enough to clean and style pets? If so, this could be a great home-based business.
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26. Photographer/Videographer
Even though everyone has a camera on their phone these days, there’s still a need for these types of professionals like for events like weddings. You can also sell your images on sites like Foap.
27. Product Reviewer
You can make a decent living (reportedly between $20,000 and $95,000) just by reviewing the products that you use daily.
28. Programmer
Learn a programming language, such as Ruby, and you could end up making around $61 per hour for programming. If you’re interested, here’s a handy programmer guide to get you on your way.
29. Realtor
While you can run a reality business from your home, as long as you have your state’s real estate license, you still need to show potential buyers the home. But don’t forget that you also have to prepare the home for showing. Thanks to technology, you can become a virtual realtor where you can show a property without having to be there in person.
30. Renter
Do you have an extra bedroom? How about a car you don’t drive everyday? Are there household items laying around collecting dust? If so, try renting them out to people who could use them. (I personally made over $50,000 renting out my basement in 2017.)
31. Repairer
If you have a knack for fixing things, like bicycles, cars or computers, then consider launching your own repair business. It probably doesn’t cost more than a little marketing to get started since you probably already have the tools and resources.
Related: 3 Ways to Keep Employees Productive at Home
32. Short Tasks
A short task is a job or assignment that can be completed quickly. Examples include writing a review, taking a survey, or watching a video. They may not pay much, but it’s a fast and easy way to make money from home. Here’s a list of short task sites you can check out if interested.
33. Social Media Manager
There are a lot of organizations who need someone to manage their social media accounts, and some may even want you to completely develop a social media strategy for them.
34. Stylist
If you love fashion and want to work from home, then you can become an online stylist. Some reportedly make up to $15 an hour.
35. Survey Taker
This won’t make you a millionaire, but you can be paid between $1 and $50 each time you take an opinion poll, answer questions about your shopping habits or review a product. You’re usually paid by check, PayPal or points that can later be redeemed for gift cards.
36. Tax Preparer
Even though this is a seasonal gig, you can make a salary of over $30,000. Don’t forget to register with the IRS before you start this home-based business.
37. Become an Expert
Nowadays, people are going online to find experts at things they themselves may be struglging with. A growing trend is hiring an expert versus hiring a large company to come in and help fix problems. One resource is Catalant, which hires out experts from $15 an hour to $280 an hour. That's one option if you're looking to help others with your knowledge.
Related: How This Mom Grew Multiple 6-Figure Businesses From Home
38. Telephone Nurse
If you’re a registered nurse, then you could work for health insurers or health management companies like Humana, Aetna and UnitedHealth Group. They hire nurses remotely to handle case management, treatment authorization and patient education.
39. Transcriber/Transcriptionist
This job essentially means listening to audio files, such as lectures or doctors' medical dictations, and then typing out what you hear. It’s an entry-level gig that can pay up to $25 an hour.
40. Translator
Are you fluent in another language? Start earning a living off of this skill by translating documents or becoming an interpreter.
41. Travel Agent
Despite the fact that there are numerous travel sites that make planning a trip a breeze, it can still be time-consuming. What’s more, there may be certain travel conditions that you are not aware of. That’s why there’s still a market for travel agents to scour the web for the best deals, share advice or plan itineraries.
42. Virtual Assistant
If you’re organized and can handle office duties like replying to emails, calendar management, entering data and assisting with social media, then this job is perfect for you. And you can make between $10 and $15 per hour.
Related: 4 Reasons Not to Be a Stiff About Employees Working From Home
43. Virtual Public Relations Representative
Some small- to medium-sized businesses don’t have the budget for a dedicated chief marketing officer, a vice president of marketing or even a public relations firm. But they may have the funds to hire a virtual public relations representative to take care of duties like promoting a business or managing a crisis.
44. Virtual Recruiter
This is pretty much the same position as an in-house recruiter except you get to work wherever you want. The other major difference is that you search the web to find the right employee for the right position. You’re also responsible for screening the applicant and being a part of the interviewing and negotiation process. Some recruiters are paid upward of $125 an hour for building resume templates.
45. Virtual Tutor
If you have extensive knowledge in a specific area, then you could earn between $12 to $35 per hour by tutoring students either over the phone or on Skype.
46. Voice Acting
If you have a golden voice, you can make somewhere between $56 and $72 per hour.
47. Web Developer
Depending on the specific job, as well as your expertise, you could bring in between $55,000 and $175,000 per year building websites from scratch.
Related: The Legal Implications of Expecting Employees to Work After Hours
48. Web Search Evaluator
In order to deliver the most accurate service to customers, search engines pay individuals to analyze search results. You don’t need to have much experience, and you can haul in $12 to $15 an hour.
49. Website Tester
Businesses want to make sure that their websites are intuitive and easy to navigate. As such, they’ll assign instructions for people to follow to check out their site. Each test usually takes around 15 to 20 minutes. In return, you’ll often be paid $10 to $15 per test.
50. Writing Gigs
Businesses of all sizes need written content, like blog posts, website copy or eBooks. As a result, there are thousands of writing gigs available that pay anywhere between $10 to $100 per hour.
