Working from home has become a popular option as technologies have advanced. When you work remotely, you will have more flexibility regarding your work schedule. Such flexibility may be important to you if you have family obligations that make it difficult to maintain a strict work schedule.
Working from home can also benefit you in financial ways. For example, you will not have to worry about buying clothes suitable for office employment. The lack of commute will also reduce the amount of money you spend on gas and vehicle maintenance.
The first decision you must make after choosing to work from home is what type of work you want to do. Thanks to modern technology, clients can employ you to perform a wide range of tasks. Your previous work experience may make you best qualified to work in a specific field. However, there are also many remote employment opportunities that do not require experience or special training. Such opportunities may give you a chance to develop new professional skills. Below is a brief overview of some of the most common types of work from home jobs.
Remote Freelance Writing Jobs
One of the top types of jobs you can do from home is freelance writing. Freelance writing is writing without being permanently employed by the client or company receiving the finished work. As a freelancer, you can choose to write stories or articles independently. Then you must make an effort to sell the work after the fact. However, you can make a more consistent living by applying for freelance writing jobs and completing tasks that are assigned to you. Such tasks may include writing:
- Advertising copy
- Website landing pages
- Magazine or newspaper articles
- Short stories
- Books
If you choose to be a general freelance writer and apply for different types of writing jobs, you may encounter clients who require unique freelance writing content not listed above. Therefore, you must be able to adapt to the different parameters outlined by your clients. However, you can also choose to specialize in a particular type of writing to minimize unexpected client requirements.
Remote Transcription Jobs
Another common job you can do from home is transcription work. Transcription is the process of listening to spoken words and typing them accurately. There are many reasons clients may require you to transcribe the words you hear in video or audio files. Potential reasons your transcription services may be needed include:
- Preserving information for legal purposes.
- Creating accompanying text for audio or video captioning purposes to help deaf or hearing impaired individuals access information.
- Accurately documenting historical information for posterity.
- Creating and maintaining accurate medical records for patients.
Transcription jobs are typically divided into several categories. If you lack experience in the field, you may have to start by performing general transcription tasks. Simple transcription jobs like captioning short video clips typically do not require experience or training. However, the pay for them is often much lower than the pay for more advanced forms of transcription, such as:
- Legal transcription.
- Medical transcription.
- Other industry-specific transcription.
To perform industry-specific transcription jobs, such as medical transcription, you must complete training courses or prove you have an appropriate level of knowledge about the subject matter at hand. You may also be required to pass typing tests and complete some lesser transcription tasks before you will be authorized to complete more in-depth transcription jobs.
Remote Web Design Jobs
Web design is generally considered the process of creating website layouts that are efficient and attractive. However, there are many different aspects of web design. Each component of the process requires specific skills. Therefore, like transcription jobs, remote web design jobs can be diverse in size and scope. The requirements you must meet to perform them may be different for each job for which you apply. You must select web design jobs for which you are qualified. For example, as a user experience (UX) specialist, you may opt to work on projects requiring you to assess the way information is provided on a website.
Although it is possible to be a self-taught web designer, an educational background in the field is often required by clients. In addition, the additional skills you can learn from taking web design courses will expand the number of jobs for which you qualify. For example, you may choose to study coding languages. Website coding is a skill used to make website elements, such as images, appear properly when viewed. Website coding languages include:
- JavaScript
- CSS
- HTML
If you prefer to focus more on the creative aspects of web design, you can focus on learning graphic design and related skills, such as animation or video creation. Such visual elements are often attractive to website visitors. Therefore, they are often in high demand among potential clients.
Virtual Assistant Jobs
If you have any experience working in office environments, you may qualify to be a virtual assistant (VA). When you accept a job as a virtual assistant, you will be given administrative tasks to perform for your client.
For example, you may be asked to type documents or schedule appointments for your client. Virtual assistant work is typically easy to find because many business owners do not have time to perform those administrative tasks personally. Therefore, they delegate those tasks to at-home workers like you.
As a VA working for a single client, you may be asked to perform all aspects of administration for a business. However, you can also opt to perform specialized VA tasks for multiple businesses. Such tasks may include:
- Data entry
Appointment scheduling - Business research and chart creation
- Filing
- Bookkeeping
Correspondence management - Marketing and public relations
You can choose to create your own virtual assistant business to work from home performing VA tasks. If you do, you may be required to obtain a local business license.
You may also be able to apply to be a personal assistant for local businesses and perform most or all of your duties from home. Alternatively, you can work on a freelance basis by bidding on virtual assistance jobs online. When you do so, you may be paid on a per-task or hourly basis. You must establish payment terms before accepting each job.
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