Easy to Learn Work at Home Careers

I went on a beach trip with my husband in March of 2020. We spent most of our time in outdoor spaces but went to eat breakfast at an IHOP on our way home. That's when we discovered how much the world had changed while we were out hiking on beaches. The world hadn't ended, but it had drastically changed. The restaurant was covered in plastic and everything came in a disposable container. The waitress was our guide. We listened in shock as she explained the new world we lived in.

We didn't know it at the time, but we had essential jobs. That meant only our lives not our livelihoods were at risk. Something is wrong with a system where we are the lucky ones because we get to risk our lives.

Across the world, everyone who had the ability to was working from home. That wasn't an option for most people. Millions of others, including us, had no choice but to go out and work. If not they were hoping their landlord didn't kick them out because they had no way to make money or pay rent.

My family and I realized that we needed sources of income that weren't so dependent on a traditional job. We wanted the ability to work from home. Most of these jobs we considered are also freelance. Which meant we weren't quite so dependent on our employer. None of these are easy or a get-rich-quick scheme. Yet, if you are willing to work hard these might offer you a better future. These are some of the careers we found to be realistic to teach yourself from home.

Coding

This one is first for a reason. It's one of the skills with the most content out there. With coding, you don't always get what you pay for. There are options for every budget. For the completely broke there are free sites like Codeacademy. Frugal learners might like Treehouse. If you want a guaranteed career it might be best to try a high-end boot camp. All you need is time and dedication, but money doesn't hurt. The least time it takes to get proficient in coding is around three months. That's if you are studying full-time. For most people, it's longer.

Coding isn't a career itself as much as it's a key to a variety of other careers. You can become a front-end web developer, a web designer, a game designer, and so many other things. It's a good idea to decide which career you want before learning to code. If you don't you may end up learning a language that isn't useful for your chosen career.

UX/UI Design

If you learned the basics of code, but realize that you have zero desire to code for a living you might like UX/UI design. Coding isn't actually required. You work with coders though so knowing the basics is helpful. UX/UI design is focusing on the interface that users interact with for machines and software. Next time you get frustrated at trying to figure out how to get around a site, blame the UX/UI designer.

This job usually needs a degree. However, you can teach yourself at least the basics online. There are a variety of schools that you can go to to learn UX/UI in less than four years. They still need a serious commitment. Career Foundry and Springboard are both boot camps designed to get you job-ready in a shorter amount of time. Career Foundry offers a free introductory six-day course so you can get a feel for UX/UI. Springboard comes with a job guarantee. These aren't the only two schools so don't be afraid to look around at your options. However, not everyone can afford the money or time involved in a Bootcamp. If you want to learn the ropes with a lower money and time commitment check out Coursera. They are inexpensive and can teach you the basics in a variety of careers including UX/UI design.

Graphic Design

If you've always been artistic or even if you've wanted to be artistic check out graphic design. Graphic design is actually a large field. You can do anything from designing t-shirts to designing logos. The first step is to learn art itself. If you don't know how to draw you won't get very far. After learning to draw Coursera has a great course to give you the basics. You'll have a portfolio showing what you can do and a basic understanding of design.

Digital Marketing

If you are writing on Vocal you are probably already discovering the importance of SEO, long-tailed keywords, and a variety of other mystifying marketing terms to the uninitiated. Most people know very little about ranking on google. These people need help with their great ideas. It doesn't matter how good a business idea or anything else is if it doesn't reach the audience it's intended for. Digital marketers make sure it reaches that audience. Coursera and Linkedinlearning are two places that offer classes on this. Hubspot is a great free resource for people who are starting out. If you are planning to do anything on the internet the basics of digital marketing are a must. This is a lucrative career that people will always use.

Most of these careers are not easy careers to learn. It takes hard work and commitment to learning. If you are looking for a job that gives you flexibility these careers will provide that.