Learn About Online Jobs That Require Little Training
If you want to know how to make money online without being tied down to an office, you’re in luck.
There are a lot of options for remote work these days, from working as a freelance author to serving as someone’s remote personal assistant.
If you prefer working from home to dealing with traffic every day, consider the options available online.
Most remote jobs let you work from anywhere with a decent internet connection. That gives you a level of freedom and flexibility you would never be able to find at an in-person position.
It’s not hard to figure out how to make money from home if you know where to look.
Many companies advertise remote positions through traditional job-search websites like Indeed and LinkedIn.
Some freelance websites allow you to pitch yourself for open jobs, while others ask employers to reach out to you instead.
Sometimes it can be difficult to find legitimate work from home jobs among the scams.
It feels like for every real online transcription job, there’s a fraudulent “logistics coordinator” job offering you a high amount of money to handle packages sent to and from your home.
The following sections go over actual work-from-home opportunities you can find online, and the skills and tools you need to succeed.
About Transcription Jobs
You can find plenty of transcription jobs on the internet if you can listen to a recording and type out what the speakers are saying with relative speed.
Everyone from doctors and lawyers to Netflix hires transcriptionists. Although artificial intelligence is making gains in the field of transcription, people who prioritize accuracy still prefer human transcribers.
If you can understand heavy accents or technical terms, you have a leg up over others. For example, the average annual pay for a medical transcriptionist is higher than the pay for transcriptionists in other fields.
This is because medical transcribers must be able to accurately transcribe the terms used by doctors. Inaccurate transcriptions in medical notes could mean life or death for a patient, and the pay reflects the skills required.
You need a certification for most medical transcription jobs, and getting the certification may be a good investment.
However, there are plenty of online transcription jobs that don’t require certification — just a good ear and the ability to type quickly and accurately.
If you’re interested in transcription work, invest in a good foot pedal. Foot pedals allow you to pause, play and rewind recordings with your foot, letting you complete transcriptions more easily. A good one generally costs between $50 and $100.
About Data Entry Jobs
You can find lots of legitimate data entry jobs at home if you know where to look. Unfortunately, there are also some scams in the world of data entry, which is why you need to be careful when searching.
Any job that requires you to pay a fee up front should be dismissed immediately. However, plenty of companies and even individuals need freelance data entry workers.
Data entry jobs require you to be a precise typist to carry out basic tasks. This could be adding tags to images so they’re properly categorized, archiving documents that have been scanned, or searching for information online and filling in a spreadsheet based on what you find.
You can find freelance data entry opportunities on websites like Fiverr and Upwork. There, you can connect with employers and find opportunities so you can begin filling out your resume.
If you’re not interested in freelance data entry, you can also find more long-term positions with major employers like Working Solutions or Xerox.
Learn About Freelance Copywriting Jobs
If you have a way with words and an internet connection, you can find numerous freelance writing jobs online.
The vast majority of the jobs are copywriting positions — creating web content for companies — but you can find work doing everything from fiction to blogging to long-form articles.
A lot of companies prefer to see a college degree, but it’s not a requirement across the board, especially if you can provide a portfolio of work.
With freelance writing, you have much more control over your schedule. You can set your own pace and working hours, rather than making yourself available at your employer’s convenience.
On freelance writing sites, you can apply to the jobs that appeal to you and ignore the jobs that don’t.
You can even develop an area of expertise and specialize in content related to it, which can end up helping you make more money.
How much you can earn from freelance copywriting jobs depends on your level of experience and skill.
The more work you have in your portfolio and the more positive references you can provide, the more you can charge per word.
Do your research about what rates are standard for your type of writing before speaking to clients.
There are plenty of ultra-low wage positions paying less than a penny a word. If you’re a skilled writer, you can find higher pay than that.
Learn About Virtual Assistant Jobs
If you have any experience serving as a personal assistant, you might consider one of the numerous virtual assistant jobs online.
Like a personal assistant, a virtual assistant helps his or her employer with arranging meetings, fielding phone calls, taking notes, placing orders and more.
Unlike a personal assistant, a virtual assistant works remotely rather than sitting at a desk in an office.
Additionally, virtual assistants also tend to play a bigger role in managing an employer’s online presence, from writing emails to retweeting posts on Twitter.
You can become a virtual assistant by advertising yourself on freelance websites, creating your own portfolio and developing a social media presence.
Freelance websites allow you to sell your services online, reaching out to clients who post available jobs. Alternatively, you can find clients online by asking them to contact you.
Finding clients requires a bit of marketing and social-media savvy. However, if you collect a list of clients, you can easily generate a steady income working as a virtual assistant.
This work can be a bit more restrictive than other options, as you are expected to be available when your employer needs you rather than the other way around.