It seems like a dream. You can stumble out of bed, walk down the hallway, make your own coffee, step into your own office, and boom! you are at work. Working from home is more possible now than it ever has been. More companies are hiring freelance workers rather than employing them in house, and some even employ only remote workers.
There are also many businesses you can start for yourself from your home. These jobs can be both fulfilling and profitable. Here are a few fulfilling jobs you can work from home.
Freelance Writer
Nearly everything that is written on the internet, in manuals and procedure documents, and everything you read every day was written by someone, and they probably got paid to write it. If you have a passion for writing, you can make a living as a freelance writer. There are a few keys to remember:
- You can write about nearly anything, which will take some research, or you can write what you know, which may be more enjoyable but mean you have less work to do.
- You’ll have to do a lot of marketing to keep busy. Writing is like any other business, and the more discoverable you are the more profitable your business will be.
- Writing every day is hard. Be sure you like to write well enough to essentially assign yourself English homework every day for the rest of your career.
- Value your work. Be sure you are getting paid enough for the articles and other things you might be writing. Find a community of other freelancers like the Freelancer’s Union to determine what market value of certain types of writing is.
All of those things that need to be written mean there is a huge demand for freelance writers, especially since so many people do not like to write. Turn this to your advantage for a fulfilling job you can work from home.
Blogger
Believe it or not, you can make a living as a blogger, although this can be a challenging thing to do. Still, it can be worth it in the long run. Of course, you will need your own website or websites, which means choosing domain names and finding a host.
Once you have created enough content on your blog or blogs, you can start to monetize them. This works a number of ways.
- Place Native Ads on your Site: These come from companies like Amazon and Google and pay you every time a user clicks on them.
- Affiliate Links: these links pay you whenever someone makes a purchase through your link.
- Site Sponsors: A company or companies may want to you to showcase their products or services on your site and pay you to do so.
- Sponsored Posts: SEO companies, businesses, and others may pay you to place certain posts featuring their products or links on your site.
- Sell Things: You can have your own store and offer either products you acquire or create or offer your own services.
Using one or more of these things, your blog can then be profitable, offering you yet another way to make money from the comfort of your own home.
Freelance Photographer
Do you have a passion for photography and even a decent camera? You can make money for the photos that you take, and even accept assignments to go take and create certain photos. There is a huge market online for good photography.
- Stock Photo Sites: Although these do not always pay the highest, stock photo sites need pictures of certain common items in various contexts. You get paid whenever someone usese your photo on the web, and good ones get used often.
- Article and Travel Photos: There are some great magazine and article writers who cannot shoot photos well. They need your expertise, and you can get paid to shoot photos to go with their articles. Travel photos can also be very profitable.
- Art: People are also looking for great photos as art to hang on the walls of their homes, offices, and in their businesses. You can make money selling prints of your photos in various sizes, and even framed or printed on canvas.
- People or Pet Photography: You can make money by taking family pictures, engagement photos, wedding photos, and even pet photos. Be sure you know the going rate for sessions and set your pricing appropriately.
Whether you are selling photos through your own site or another person’s, you will need to have an extensive portfolio to really make money. Be sure to watermark your photography to protect yourself.
Photography can be another great way to make a living from home.
Customer Service or Tech Support
Two of the most common things for companies to outsource to remote workers is customer service and tech support. Companies like Apple and Directv offer these work at home options.
Unlike starting your own business though, you will need to be available certain hours over the phone to work these jobs. Still, if you love to help people and have a knack for customer service or troubleshooting tech issues, you can make a great living doing this without having to go into a call center every day.
Besides the tech industry, credit card companies, cell phone providers, and others who used to run call centers are becoming more open to and reliant on remote workforces. This means there are even more opportunities for you to work at home.
Running an Online Store
Are you crafty? Do you make things that you want to sell online, or do you have a knack for finding cheap things that you want to sell on the internet? While you can sell things through your blog as mentioned above, you have other options as well. You can create an online store through Etsy or eBay, and you can even sell items from home on Amazon Marketplace. You can even sell the same items through your own website and save the fees that the other places charge.
This type of job is a little more demanding as far as space goes. You need to have some inventory on hand and will have to handle shipping as well. Still, if this is your type of business and something you have passion for, you can make a living running your own online store.
Want to work from home? Want your commute to be just a few steps instead of 20 miles? Start your own business or find a job you can work from home, and your career can be truly fulfilling and convenient.