Top 10 Freelance Jobs You Can Work From Home

As more and more aspects of our lives become impossible without the internet, it only makes sense that people from a variety of backgrounds and skill sets are now looking to take their work online. As businesses become more entangled in the world wide web, a multitude of opportunities and new ways to make money are emerging each day. Of course, as with any popular trend, a large number of scams and false promises have also come into play to take advantage of the surge of interest. If you intend to perform freelance work from home, this handy guide will list the top 10 legitimate jobs that you can work from the comfort of your own home.

1. Medical Transcriptionist

The transcription of recorded medical dictations has been an important job for hundreds of years. While traditionally performed at the hospital or physician’s office itself, there is little reason it can’t be performed over the internet. In fact, many medical professionals prefer to handle it externally in order to reduce cost and risk associated with having someone in the office.

There are a few requirements to becoming a medical transcriptionist, but just about anyone can do it if they try to make it happen. First, you must pass a postsecondary medical transcriptionist program. These are offered at a variety of schools and are not difficult to find. Once you have the qualifications, it is just a matter of getting a good pc, desk, and headset to facilitate the work. As with any online job, a fast internet connection is also a smart investment.

Once everything is set up you can either set up a self-employment business or land a position at an already established clinic or medical venue. Many vocational schools and community colleges also hire new transcriptionists as a way to help them get their foot in the door. On average, medical transcriptionists make about $17 an hour. This is far more than the federal minimum wage and comes with the freedom of working at your leisure.

2. Virtual Assistant

Many businesses and offices that have been analog since their inception are now realizing just how much can be achieved by going online. In order to help manage the massive transition, they often hire virtual assistants to keep things organized and perform administrative tasks. They are often hired as contractors and work for a variety of different clients at once. This is a great choice for anyone who likes to keep switching things up as virtual assistants usually work within many different industries at once.

Since there are many industries to choose from, daily tasks can vary wildly. It can be as simple as responding to emails or distributing business documents. Other more demanding clients can even have their virtual assistants handle media inquiries or create written content for them. This means that a good virtual assistant should have lots of experience working in different places or have a way of learning additional tasks to get more work.

Since the importance and difficulty of tasks vary so much, so does the amount of pay virtual assistants can expect. The baseline is about $15 for things anyone could do. However, some can make up to $75 for more difficult tasks that require a specialist. To see if you’re a good fit, check out sites such as UpWork and Zirtual.com in order to see what kind of things are currently available. It can be a pretty lucrative gig as long as you have a skill that is hard to easily replace.

3. Web Developer

Just about everything worth its salt has a website today. Since everything needs an online presence, many people need a web developer in order to bring their site to life. Even though buying a domain and starting a site is pretty simple with the cavalcade of tools and resources available, many business owners simply don’t have the time or energy to learn how. That’s where the web developer comes in to save the day.

By professionally building websites for others, these self-employed specialists get very good at building and maintaining web pages for a multitude of clients. Many of them enjoy life from home or anywhere with a speedy internet connection. Since the only thing required is a laptop it is a great way to start making money online as soon as possible. Plus, there is never a shortage of work as new website ideas are thought up every minute.

A majority of web developers make at least $60,000 a year, while some of the best can make over $100,000. That’s pretty good considering you don’t need a formal education to start your own business in this field. Many web devs taught themselves or used one of the numerous coding boot camps to learn the basics. As long as you have a portfolio of websites that you created or maintained to show to potential clients, you can find work without too much trouble.

4. Translator

As the internet grows the world becomes a smaller and smaller place. This, of course, means that businesses that primarily speak different languages are coming together on more projects and ventures than ever before. In order to keep communications flowing, translators are hired to bridge the gaps in understanding that inevitably arise in such a connected world.

While some clients will be looking for at least a bachelor’s degree in the language of choice, many business owners are okay with anyone who is simply fluent in at least two different languages. This allows anyone who grew up immersed in multiple languages to easily find work and start making money in this field. Professional medical and tech companies need these services the most, so an interest in those industries will help to keep life more interesting.

The base rate of pay is a little over $40,000 a year, but the best of the best can make around $80,000. This just depends on the amount of experience you have and how coveted the translated work is. Important medical breakthroughs and huge leaps in technology tend to fetch the highest wages. If you need help finding jobs, sites such as Fivver and UpWork can help you post your availability and land your first gig. Once some experience is gained, there is no shortage of opportunities to go around.

5. Freelance Writer

With all of the websites being created, written pieces and articles are needed to populate all of the empty pages. This where freelance writers come into play. There are a variety of jobs across all industries and fields of interest so finding work is never difficult. Just by having a strong portfolio of written content, editors are happy to hire anyone who has shown an ability to write consistently.

Since there is such a broad range of topics to write about, anyone with a computer or phone can begin typing. The best part is that when boredom sets in a writer can easily find another topic they know about and switch gears with ease. This makes it great for anyone who dislikes staying stuck on one thing for way too long. The freedom associated with freelance writing is tough to beat. There is often no set schedule and writers can just work whenever they feel inspired. With some clients, as long as the deadline is met, how or when it gets done might not matter. Websites such as Textbroker.com are a great way to get started in this field. As your portfolio of written pieces expands, you can apply for a variety of different outlets and see where you fit best.

The pay rate of writers is just as broad as the list of topics they can be asked to write about. The first factor is if they get paid by the article or by each word they write. The next thing that matters is what industry they are currently in. Finally, the pay is also determined by the size of the business that hires you. The pay can be about $100 per article for a basic site and over $1,000 for some of the most well-known blogs and news outlets. When being paid by the word, writers can expect anywhere from one to five cents per each word they type. This may not sound like a lot but can add up quickly over time. The key is to be able to type fast and without making any mistakes or typos.

6. Travel Agent

Considering the vast amount of information about different places and vacation destinations across the globe, it is easy to see how travel agents could leverage the internet to land clients. By establishing yourself as an expert in the field, you can help many people plan their next big adventure or getaway. Many start by focusing on one region and learning absolutely everything about these places. Once you sound like you know what you are talking about, you can easily convince others to help you plan the best possible trip. Plus, this is a great excuse to get out there and travel the world yourself. You can even write off trips on your taxes since they can be classified as business research.

There is also a group travel niche that involves bringing larger meetups together for good times. These opportunities include vacation ideas such as cruise ships or safari explorations. This can be a great way to pull in a bunch of money at once as you get some payment from everybody who joins in on the fun. With this method, you only need to plan a few retreats each year in order to make a comfortable living.

In fact, the average freelance travel agent made about $36,000 a year. This may not seem like that much, but group agents often go along on these adventures with little or no expenses of their own. This allows you to still have tremendous fun and a high standard of living on such a small salary. Plus, it is not very time consuming so being a travel agent could easily be combined with any other source of income to create a more steady living.

7. Data Entry

Many businesses require specialists to keep all of their digital assets and data in order. Since more and more information accumulates in the system each year, it is important to hire a data entry clerk to keep everything organized and easily accessible. Since all you need is a laptop and the ability to type, many data entry workers can do everything from the comfort of their own home office.

The typical task of a data entry clerk includes tracking inventory, measuring performance output, and formulating new business plans. There is a lot of spreadsheets involved, so experience with programs such as Microsoft Excel really helps in this field. Luckily, there are many courses at colleges and on various online academies that can get anyone willing to learn up to speed quickly.

The base rate of pay for data entry is about $30,000 per year. The upper range of pay is about $45,000 a year. While that isn’t a lot compared to some of the other opportunities on this list, it is an incredibly simple job to get into. Plus, there are always job postings online so it is easy to stay employed or find a better opportunity down the line.

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8. Social Media Manager

As social media becomes more popular each day, businesses are beginning to realize the marketing potential of these massive platforms. However, navigating them all takes up way more time than the average business owner can spare in a day. By hiring a social media manager, they can focus on offering the best products and services possible while someone else handles their online presence.

For those who establish themselves as experts in online marketing, they can easily find work helping out new and old businesses alike. Just by doing things they would do anyway, social media marketers can grow a large following online and then offer to help businesses do the same. It is easy to see how qualified you are just by taking a look at how fast you can build a large group of subscribers. If your account has blown up, simply reaching out directly to these businesses can land you a solid job.

While the base rate of pay is about $15 an hour for small businesses, many social media managers who work for large corporations can get up to $75 per hour. Some contractors are paid a monthly fee based upon how many new clients they can bring in. This allows them to work for many companies at once and build a substantial recurring income stream. The typical day is spent writing posts, taking pictures, and creating ads that get the attention of people browsing each platform. If the business gets enough traffic that leads to sales, they will happily keep hiring you to maintain a steady flow.

9. Blogger

Being a blogger is a bit more involved than the other jobs on this list. In fact, it is more like starting your own business than simply working a job. Much like a company, your blog can focus on absolutely anything you want. This is great for anyone who is interested in a particular niche and doesn’t see anyone else filling it. The downside is that it can take a while to build up a substantial enough following that allows you to monetize it. It is strongly encouraged to start blogging while still maintaining at least one other source of steady income.

Once your articles, posts, and editorials reach enough notoriety, you can begin to make money off each thing you write. You can do this through avenues such as affiliate marketing, google adsense, sponsored posts, and selling your own products. Each of these methods can be combined for maximum effectiveness and as long as they are done tastefully most of your readers will understand your desire to make income from your blog.

When choosing what to blog about, it is important to look ahead and see if there will still be ways to monetize it in a few years. Do many established brands offer affiliate programs your readers would actually care about? Will enough people be interested enough in reading your sponsored posts? Can you eventually make your own product or subscription and sell it to your readers? These are just a few questions you may want to ask yourself before securing a domain name. Fee sites such as blogger help you dabble a bit and test the waters, but your own site is ideal if you hope to look professional when monetizing your blog.

Finally, it is vital to make sure you are actually passionate about the topic you are writing about. If you don’t genuinely love what you are immersing yourself in, you will be extremely hard-pressed to keep writing about it consistently. Since consistency is the key to growing your audience, you will need to be able to update your blog multiple times a week and still sound enthusiastic about doing so. Especially when you consider that a majority of blogs don’t make much in their first year of operation. However, if you stick with it, it can be the most lucrative opportunity on this list.

10. Call Center Rep

As companies move towards online operations, they are figuring out new ways to have fewer employees in the office. One of the easiest jobs to move is the phone operator. All businesses still need someone to take their calls, but this can easily be done online by someone just relaxing in their home. All that is required is a computer, a good headset, and some proprietary software that allows the service rep to answer specific questions about the business.

Since there are many virtual phone apps and chat services, there is no shortage of options for taking calls with a computer. This makes it easy to sit at home and wait for relevant calls to come in. Experience in customer service is often required, and some skill with data entry or sales can help land you jobs easier. It is easy to search for jobs from one of the numerous job posting sites, or you can use a service like UpWork or Freelancer to set your own hours and pricing.

While at home phone service reps can make around $30,000 a year, that is quite comparable to what one would make working directly at the place of business. Considering the freedom associated with working at home, it is a much better option than commuting to work each day. Parents who need to take care of young children can find exceptional value here since they can easily watch the kids and take phone calls simultaneously.

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Conclusion

Working from home has never been easier, and the amount of opportunities continues to expand as the internet takes over more of our lives. By simply looking for creative ways to make money, you will find all sorts of unique ways to bring in some extra dough or replace your boss entirely.�Skills such as creative writing, graphic design, coding, and knowing multiple languages can help you get ahead easier. But even if you don�t have very many talents, you can pick up some extra knowledge with the same computer you will be working from.

The trick to doing any freelance work from home is to stay consistent and not get distracted. The internet is also full of diversions and ways to sink your productivity. By disciplining yourself and committing to doing a little bit each day, you can start to grow a sizeable income online. Just pick one thing from this list and put some effort into getting better at it. You can always come back later and choose something else if your first idea truly doesn�t take off. The important thing is to give it some time and earnestly work towards one goal at a time.