If you have kids or other commitments that mean you have to stay home for much of the day, you may be considering starting a career from home. The benefits of starting a lifelong journey from the comfort of your own house are clear, but the paths by which you can do it might be a little fuzzier. To help you out, here are eight exciting careers that you can start from your office at home. Some can be done at home for the rest of your life, while some only start at home and give you the option to continue in an external work environment if you only need to work from home for a couple of years. With so much to choose from, you’re bound to find an exciting career that suits you perfectly.
- Virtual Assistant
Outsourcing is a more and more common way that businesses support themselves due to the virtual nature of the internet. A business can be run entirely from one computer if enough jobs are outsourced. Why not cash in on that and help a business remotely from home? Businesses need a lot more help nowadays as the internet has eliminated 9-5 opening times, so becoming a virtual assistant and offering your talent at organization and communication is a great opportunity. There’s essentially no start-up cost as well, and you don’t need a specific degree.
- Affiliate Marketer
Affiliate marketing is a popular online career due to the potential to scale a business easily. Affiliate programs are a marketing technique that is often the first ways many businesses can earn income online. It is simply the process of earning commission for a product that you recommend. This is perfect if you’re in touch with a lot of friends that value your opinion and can be combined with other great home-careers.
- Running a Blog
Being a blogger is a lot more profitable than it was at the start of the internet. If you create engaging content that people want to read about things that you are passionate about, you can make a decent living. You need to build a loyal audience, which only comes by being genuinely excited about your blogging topic, as well as being much more expert than the average person. If you attract enough of a following, you can monetize via advertising or selling your own product/service.
- Social Media Consultant
Do you use social media? Are you good at it? If the answer to both of these questions is yes, you should consider being a social media consultant for a brand. These social-media wizards are responsible for attracting new customers and promoting businesses through cutting-edge social media channels. A good consultant can manage many channels at one time and can make good money by working from home. It also has the potential to be a fun, enjoyable and creative job.
- Web Designer
Entrepreneurship is becoming increasingly popular, and for every business looking to attract customers there is a website that needs to be created. Freelance web designers who can deliver an attractive site that gets the job done are in high demand right now, and with platforms like Fiverr, you can serve clients well from across the globe. Before you start charging though, you need a portfolio, which does take a bit of time. You also need to have the expert tech-knowledge to build and manage a website, which is not for everybody.
- Criminologist
This may sound impossible, but many expert criminologists actually get started by working not in a police department, but from their own home. Many countries require at least a BA degree in Criminology before jobs like forensic psychologists are put on the table, and Canada is no different. However, with just a customary search for online criminology degree Canada, you’ll see that it is very possible to achieve a criminology BA remotely. Going for an online degree is perfect for those who only want to work from home for a couple of years, and the employability opportunities are excellent. It’s probably the most exciting job on this list and gives you the chance to contribute to societal change.
- Teacher
It is also possible to get some teaching qualifications online, and the benefit of this is that it allows you to have the flexibility of going on to teach in real life, or just staying at home and teaching through Skype or Zoom, which are favored for its ability to integrate a virtual workspace. If you’re a good enough tutor, you can make a lot of money, and many find teaching one of the most satisfying jobs around.
- Content Writer
There are so many websites on the internet, and if they want to be looked upon favorably by Google’s SEO prioritization, they need to feature original engaging content. That means there are thousands of websites that need content creators. If you love to write, spread information and learn a lot (you’ll have to do a lot of research), this job might be for you! Typically, companies pay you by the article, so this is a job that pays more the longer you do it as you get more efficient. It also offers flexible hours, which suits those who might have some days freer than others or have a social life that extends to weekdays.
Working entirely from home is more possible now than at any point in history (not counting those who live and work on a farm). That’s due to one factor that connects all of these occupations – the use of a computer. If you’re looking to work entirely from home without using computers, you may find it impossible. If consistent internet or a broken computer is an issue, most local libraries have computers you can use for free.
Alternatively, you could try and amend some of these jobs for a more low-tech field. You could become an affiliate marketer using just a telephone, and could certainly try your hand at being a virtual PA with just a landline and a diary. Either way, working from home can be a pleasure due to its flexibility and control. Having said that, if you’re prone to getting lonely it may not be for you; but it’s worth trying as setup costs are normally minuscule, allowing you to try it for a couple of weeks with nothing to lose if it’s not for you.