At some point in your career you may realize it is time to ditch the daily commute to the office. You may want to spend more time at home with your kids or are just looking for a career path that offers flexibility. In these situations, the opportunity to work from home is ideal.
People in a variety of situations are interested in work from home careers. Glassdoor conducted an analysis that shows inquiries for work from home opportunities rose 360 percent from mid-2019 to the summer of 2021. If for you, like so many others, the option of a work from home career is appealing, this article will detail how to find work from home careers and much more.
What Is a Work from Home Career?
A work from home career is simply a job that allows you to work from home instead of going into an office. In the last couple of years, many people began working from home even though their role was not initially designed that way. This gives people a lot more freedom than they had previously.
Working completely from home is a dream for many people, as it gives workers more say in their work-life balance. It is completely up to remote workers to manage their work tasks and personal responsibilities and make sure that everything is taken care of accordingly.
Top 10 Work from Home Careers You Should Consider in 2022
Finding work from home careers may seem like a fantasy, but many companies are offering remote positions. Below are some of the top work-from-home careers along with their average salaries, educational requirements, and job outlook.
These careers typically require a traditional degree of some sort. If this is something you still need, you can search for the best online degrees. Some companies will even hire people that are currently studying for a degree.
Marketing Manager
- Salary: $141,490
- Job growth: 10%
- Education needed: Bachelor’s degree in a business-related field
Marketing managers handle the marketing of a business or product. Duties include making estimates and budgets for marketing campaigns, preparing sales and advertising contracts, and reviewing advertising materials such as print and online advertisements and television commercials.
Collaborating with teams to create effective advertising campaigns is essential in this role. Your goal is to determine the best ways to advertise the company and its products and services. If you have an outgoing, creative personality and are able to stay within budget constraints and deadlines then this may be the career for you. As most of this work revolves around team communication and working on a computer, this is a great work-from-home career.
Business Development Manager
- Salary: $115,640
- Job growth: 11%
- Education needed: Bachelor’s or master’s degree
Being a natural networker and a great communicator is paramount in business development. A business development manager increases income for the companies they work for by writing proposals, creating sales pitches, and generating and following up on potential leads.
Other skills such as a drive to find new business opportunities, good IT skills, initiative and sound decision-making, strong organizational skills, strategic and analytical thinking as well as the ability to write reports are all valuable assets that employers look for.
Data Scientist
- Salary: $126,830
- Job growth: 22%
- Education needed: Master’s Degree in Computer Science
Data scientists gather and analyze large sets of both structured and unstructured data. This field combines computer science, statistics, and mathematics. They analyze, process, and model data, interpreting the outcomes to create strategic plans for their employers.
They typically have to make sense of unstructured data pulled from various sources like smart devices, social media feeds, and emails. They often help create a company’s best practices and work with people in all areas of a business such as marketing, operations, and customer success. This is a great work-from-home career, as all of the necessary data can be accessed from a computer.
Software Engineer
- Salary: $110,140
- Job growth: 22%
- Education needed: Bachelor’s Degree in Software Engineering
Software engineers create systems and software for businesses. Working with a range of different technologies within the business such as applications, network control, and operating systems software engineers aim to create effective tools for the business.
Software engineers also maintain existing systems and recommend and create software upgrades when needed. They collaborate with developers and other engineers when needed. As software engineers already rely on technology, it is a great work-from-home career.
Consultant
- Salary: $87,660
- Job growth: 14%
- Education needed: Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field
Consultants are experts who investigate a customer’s business operations and identify opportunities to increase productivity. Organizations recruit specialists either from an agency or as independent contractors.
As a consultant, you dive into the aspects of a client’s business to gain insight into the business model and its client support or sales cycles. With that, you can make appropriate suggestions for points of improvement. While it may be beneficial to meet with some new clients face-to-face, much of this work can be done while working from home.
Project Manager
- Salary: $75,524
- Job growth: 10%*
- Education needed: Bachelor’s degree
Project managers oversee one or more specific projects from start to finish. They focus on achieving deadlines, staying within the predetermined budget, and remaining on course with expectations while tracking results. They work closely with upper management to achieve goals and ensure customer satisfaction.
There are a variety of fields a project manager can work in such as construction, finance, IT, and healthcare. If this sounds like something you are interested in and you are comfortable communicating online, then perhaps project management is the perfect work-from-home career for you.
Web Developer
- Salary: $77,200
- Job growth: 13%
- Education needed: Bachelor’s Degree in Web Design
Web developers create and design websites for both personal and commercial use. People in web design should be able to work autonomously as well as within a team. There is a fair amount of collaboration that needs to take place with the likes of content creators, graphic designers, and software developers.
Troubleshooting, reviewing, and fixing code that is not working properly is part of the daily work that a web developer carries out. If you are a technical and logical person, then this may be your next career move. Thankfully, it is perfectly possible to carry out the web development process remotely.
User Experience and User Interface (UX/UI) Designer
- Salary: $77,200**
- Job growth: 13%**
- Education needed: Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design or Web Design
UX/UI designers get to be involved in the design process of some of the most exciting new ideas for developing applications, websites, and software programs. The purpose of a UX/UI designer is to make these products work intuitively for their users.
Working on UX research, wireframing and prototyping, interaction design, visual communication, and information design is the role of a UX/UI designer. This is a people-focused job and hiring managers favor candidates with strong soft skills. Exhibiting qualities like excellent communication, curiosity, flexibility, and empathy for the user is important.
Telehealth Nurse
- Salary: $75,330
- Job growth: 9%
- Education needed: Associate or Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing
Telehealth nurses use various telecommunication technologies like video, phone, email, and messaging to provide high-quality care to patients remotely. They help patients with minor health concerns and determine whether patients need to get emergency care, make an in-person appointment, or can be treated without further professional advice.
Telehealth nursing is beneficial not only to the patients but also to the healthcare system. This kind of nursing improves efficiency and patient access to healthcare. As such, it is ideal for a work-from-home career.
Graphic Designer
- Salary: $53,380
- Job growth: 3%
- Education needed: Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design
Graphic designers bring together art and technology to convey ideas using an array of design aspects and artistic effects. They design and create advertisements, brochures, magazines, and logos.
Graphic designers use text, images, and various other forms of media to communicate ideas. Autonomy and collaboration are valued in this type of profession as there is a fair amount of collaboration that takes place before the successful completion of a task.
"Career Karma entered my life when I needed it most and quickly helped me match with a bootcamp. Two months after graduating, I found my dream job that aligned with my values and goals in life!"
Venus, Software Engineer at Rockbot
*Based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data on Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers
**Based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data on Web Developers and Digital Designers
10 Work from Home Careers That Don’t Require a Degree
Finding a work from home career that does not require a degree is not as difficult as it may seem. Today, there are many remote work opportunities that do not necessarily require formal education. Below are various careers that allow you to work from home, even if you do not have a degree.
Copywriter
Copywriters may work for a variety of companies, including marketing and advertising agencies. They write clear and concise copy for advertisements, marketing materials, and websites catering to practically every audience or industry. Their main goal is to persuade their audience on behalf of their clients. They should be self-motivated and comfortable receiving feedback from an editorial team.
A degree is not completely necessary if you want to work as a copywriter, though it can be advantageous in competitive fields. However, people who work as copywriters must have exceptional writing and research skills.
Freelance Writer
- Salary: $67,120*
- Job growth: 9%*
Unlike copywriters who work to persuade their audience, much of freelance writing is aimed at informing or entertaining the audience. Freelance writers may also work for several clients at the same time as they often take on one-off projects or assignments as independent contractors.
If you want to be a freelance writer, extremely helpful skills include time management, organization, editing, networking, and negotiation. A freelance writer can be paid per task, per word, per page, or an hourly rate depending on the terms of the contract. With this job, you could work remotely as a ghostwriter, a guest blog writer, or a content writer.
Social Media Manager
- Salary: $52,744
- Job growth: 10%**
A social media manager facilitates a company’s exchanges with the public by utilizing content strategies on social media platforms. They analyze past engagement on these platforms, identify trends, plan campaigns, and work to build a strong online community.
Although you do not need a degree for this position, social media management is more technical than many people think. If you want to enhance your education to land a job like this, then you can search for the best social media bootcamps.
Insurance Sales Agent
Insurance agents engage with clients via telephone, email, and Internet conferencing to sell a variety of protection plans. They collect data on people that need insurance and call them to discuss the options they can offer clients. They negotiate payment premiums, deductibles, installments, and extra services they offer.
You do not need knowledge, experience, or even a degree to get started. You do, however, need to complete a licensing test in your state. Then, you can get started seeking freelance positions with insurance companies to start your new work-from-home career.
Virtual Bookkeeper
Being a virtual bookkeeper requires using Internet-based accounting programs to maintain customer records. Sorting the customers’ financial exchanges, making sure balances coincide with receipts, and filing purchases and invoices is all part of the job. Companies give virtual bookkeepers access to their archives so they can be sorted logically and consistently.
Even though a degree is not a must-have for this kind of job, some companies do require an accounting certificate to qualify for employment. Having some previous experience in billing and administration is advantageous and will make you a favorable candidate.
Customer Service Representative
This job includes listening and responding to customers’ questions and comments. There are also some tools that are vital to doing this job successfully. You will need a desktop PC, a strong broadband Internet connection, a landline telephone, and a corded telephone headset with a noise-canceling microphone.
Despite the negative one percent job outlook, there are approximately 371,700 job openings projected per year. This means that there are still a lot of opportunities to work from home as a customer service representative.
Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistants specialize in administrative services for remote clients. They usually work from a home office doing a variety of tasks like making appointments, arranging transportation, decoding messages, creating media posts, and keeping track of expenditures.
The skills that are vital for a virtual assistant include strong oral and written communication skills, computer skills, word processing, self-motivation, and a love for continuous learning. Although the job outlook for assistants as a whole shows negative growth, virtual assistants are increasingly valuable in the busy lives of today’s entrepreneurs.
Online Teacher
Online teachers help educate students who want to learn remotely. They carry out all of the traditional teaching duties such as assigning homework, facilitating lectures and tests, and designing projects.
Online teachers can work privately, sourcing their own clients or seeking employment with online schools. They may choose to pre-record video lessons in some cases or host live classes through video conferencing services.
Technical Support Engineer
A technical support engineer manages and maintains a company’s computer hardware and software systems. They assist people that call or communicate online with technical challenges as they happen.
Technical support engineers should have skills in network design and implementation, knowledge of software program maintenance, problem-solving and analytical abilities, and more. Although a formal degree is not a must-have to get a job like this, it is advantageous to have some certification in this field.
Affiliate Marketer
- Salary: $52,310
- Job growth: 10%**
An affiliate marketer earns commission by promoting products or services online and increasing sales for a company. Some key skills that are needed for this position are creativity, excellent communication, marketing and sales skills, and knowledge in website design.
In today’s job market, many people without degrees have secured meaningful employment in this field by leveraging Instagram and Facebook accounts with large followings showing off their ability to influence on social media. If you want to work from home as an affiliate marketer, you can check out the best online courses to learn affiliate marketing.
*Based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data on Writers and Authors
**Based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data on Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers
How to Find Work from Home Careers
If you are searching for a work-from-home career, knowing where to start may be overwhelming. Below, you will find a summary of some of the best ways to go about finding remote job opportunities.
Keep in mind that, even though your role is remote, you may need to go through an interview process. Job interviews may be hosted either in person or through conferencing apps such as Skype or Zoom. Also note that the interview questions may focus on your abilities to self-regulate, as a work-from-home career requires a lot of self-discipline.
Drop Off a Resume
You can identify companies you are interested in working for and drop off a resume. Although it may seem outdated, there is still value in being able to put a face with a name. This is also an opportunity to make an impression on the hiring manager that you would not have had by just applying online. However, you may need to make an appointment if you intend on meeting with decision-makers.
Indeed
Indeed is the number one job site in the world. Even with 250 million visitors each month, there are many available job postings. Indeed also offers great insight about companies to job seekers. Additionally, when searching for jobs through Indeed, the site lets you filter exclusively for work-from-home jobs.
Glassdoor
With around 55 million visitors every month, Glassdoor is another reputable resource. It also allows job seekers to gain insight about a potential employer through company profiles. There are 1.9 million employers with job postings on this site, so there are ample opportunities to find employment. You can easily search for flexible jobs with technology companies and other industries.
LinkedIn is the largest online professional networking community. Users can find jobs, internships, and build professional relationships on this site. From company profiles, you can learn what positions are available and what skills are required. You can also set job alerts for various kinds of jobs.
Virtual Vocations
Virtual Vocations is a job board specializing in work for digital nomads. While you may not be a nomad moving from place to place, this is a great service for finding remote work. They have both entry-level and higher-level employment opportunities. You can find plenty of opportunities such as online data entry jobs.
Why Finding a Work from Home Career Is Important
Once you have decided to change from an office-based job to a work-from-home career, you will begin to see the way your life opens up. Working from home will give you the flexibility to achieve your goals outside of work and spend more time with family and friends.
Without a commute or the distractions of an office, Payscale found that remote workers have greater job satisfaction. With a strong Internet connection and a bit of integrity, anyone can thrive in a work-from-home position.
Work from Home Careers FAQ
Companies employ a wide range of systems to keep track of employees that are working from home. If your remote work is monitored in hours worked then you may need to sign into a platform that tracks your time spent working. Other employers may ask you to keep a log of your daily tasks. Some employers simply trust employees to do their jobs and submit high-quality work within the specified deadlines. It largely depends on company culture.
There are many tactics that people can use to stay disciplined such as creating a separate workspace for themselves. This will limit distractions and allow you to focus. Making a schedule for yourself is also super helpful so you designate time for your personal and professional duties accordingly.
It is widely reported that people do get lonely working from home due to the lack of human connection. However, there are ways to mitigate this, like making social plans after work. In addition, you can choose another location to work, such as a cafe or coworking space. You can also join groups within your company for more connection with coworkers.
Whether or not you are able to do personal things outside of working hours depends on the agreement you have with your employer. Typically, if you are not being monitored or time-tracked by your employer, then yes, you can. As long as you complete all of your duties on time and within the specifications then you have done your job.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
