5 Career Paths That Allow You to Work from Home

Working from home is a dream for many, but often the idea just seems too good to be true. Can you really work from home and earn a decent living?

The fact is, now more than ever, working from home is becoming not only possible, but increasingly common. That’s largely due to the fact that, thanks to the internet, most jobs can be done remotely.

Businesses are also realising the benefits of having their employees work from home—including boosting morale and even saving money on office space.

When you’ve worked your whole career in an office, it’s easy to think that working from home is just a fantasy. But here are five careers that you can do that offer entrepreneurs and employees the opportunity to work from home:

Managing Social Media Accounts

When most people think about earning money through social media, they think of influencers and people with large followings who are able to receive brand sponsorships. While this is a great way to make an income, it can be quite a challenge to grow large enough to attract brands in the first place. If you don’t want to go down that road, you can learn how to manage social media of brands (or even individuals) and get paid for it.

You might think, “Well, I have little to no experience in managing or growing a social media account, I couldn’t do that!”—but there are plenty of courses available online that can teach you the skills you need to start. Find the right one for you and you could be ready to take on clients in less time than you think!

Writing, Blogging and Journalism

Quality content is highly sought after online, so if you have a way with words, you might consider becoming a freelance writer. The best thing about freelance writing is that you only need a computer and an internet connection—that’s it! There are plenty of sites out there that offer work for writers, including the Blogging Pro Job Board, Freedom With Writing, Freelancewriting.com, and more. All you have to do is apply to the jobs you want (there are plenty of jobs listed every day). To start, you may need to take jobs that pay less to build your portfolio, but once you prove yourself then you can start making more and taking on bigger clients.

Transcription

Transcribing is a very simple job that most people are able to do. It involves listening to a recording and typing the contents in word format. Many people and businesses require this service, especially if they need captions for a video or perhaps legal professionals who require transcriptions of cases. This type of job can be time-consuming, which is why most people choose to outsource it. Sites like Scribie and 1888 Type It Up are always on the look out for transcribers who can do this type of work. Jobs can pay anywhere from one to 25 dollars per hour, depending on how fast you can transcribe. Often, the more work you do, the more money you can get paid.

Tutoring

Teaching online can be a very profitable business that you can do from home, and tutoring students is a popular way to start. To do a job like this, you may need to have experience in a certain area. If you have a skill (such as coding, designing, or even drawing), you can also create online courses, teaching people how to do something, which is another great way to earn a living from home. Sites like Chegg Tutors and PalFish show a market for students willing to pay to learn English (among other skills). All you have to do is sign up to get started.

Photography

If you enjoy taking photos (and getting out once in a while), you can take advantage of sites that buy stock photography like iStockPhoto or Fotolia, which can pay up to $100 per photo for high quality images, or you can sell your photos on your own website. You can also market your services on your portfolio as a wedding or event photographer. These are highly requested services from people all over the world. Viktor Hanacek from PicJumbo is an example of a success story in pursuing this type of work. On his website, he gives users the chance to receive images regularly (free use) in exchange for a small fee.

If your goal this year is to quit your office job and work remotely 100 percent of the time, these jobs could be a great starting point. Or you can pursue them part-time until you feel comfortable—it’s really up to you.

Have you tried any of these work from home jobs? Do you think remote work is the future?