Sick and tired of having a dull, under – payed job, with on-godly schedule hours and a boss always in the mood for finding something wrong, there is no wonder many people went rogue and began working from home, in their own terms. Do they make any money? Well, that depends on many factors, but since there are more and more freelancers developing independent business everyday, it seems the time, effort and personal investments do pay off. So let’s see ten of the most common lines of work freelancers chose to engage in from their own personal homes.
1. Content writer
This is actually a quite well-paid job and many people with good writing skills and excellent use of one or even two languages offer their service for big websites or blogs. Research is a must, of course, along with some basic SEO skills, but having several projects and investing time and money in your own creativity and education, you can even afford refusing some projects or biding for some truly important ones.
2. Survey taker
It may seem odd and at first it may seem just like any other scam, but some people decided to have a little faith and spend some hours finding those survey taking programs that allow them to stay in the comfort of their homes and get paid for having an opinion on pretty much anything. The results may not be quantifiable in the first months, but many say it is worth the shot.
3. Web-designer
This freelance job actually requires a specific set of skills, but if you have them, there are literally thousands of companies that will hire a professional web-designer for different types of new projects or maintenance services. If one is passionate about this working field, he or she can easily take projects according to their interest, skill or spare time.
4. Graphic designer
Commissioned art work is a goal many new-wave artists struggle for. So with hard work, talent and a good portfolio, a graphic designer can choose from various projects, starting with logos and banners to book covers, web-site graphics and so on.
5. Editor
Another type of contact with the written word which excludes creativity but includes high-end grammar, style and literature skills. Since publishing houses prefer to hire collaborators on different projects instead of having full time employees, the editor’s job is to read, proof-read, comment, change and make a manuscript ready to go to print. The same rules apply for editing academic works (plus some knowledge in the field), media material and so on.
6. Call Center Operator
You are all too familiar with the cubical and a young man or woman talking and talking and talking endlessly with clients, on all subject matters possible. Well, this can also be done from home. Many companies will train you and give you some strict communication set of rules, but you can easily work from home. It is not a complete freelance type of job, but at least you can use your extra time making some money on the side or, in the case of women, having time to take care of your children.
7. Accountant
Now this is a job that you have to have both knowledge and experience for. It’s not like you can learn it overnight and it is that kind of field that you have to know well enough to start your own consultancy firm or accounting company. You can do it from home or as an independent entrepreneur instead of doing the same thing for a company, but it is not for everyone. Still, you can start by yourself and you can grow, hire other people, become a small independent company yourself in a few years.
8. Social Media Expert
It’s quite the same with web-designing or content writing and SEO. You have to have a good insight on what Social Media is about, take some projects and, of course, have a good Internet connection and some social skills and network. Companies do pay for a good SME and if you’re good at it, you’ll find yourself managing a lot of Facebook pages and blogs.
9. Virtual Secretary
Again, all you need is a computer and a good Internet connection. Many companies actually hire virtual assistants for completing charts, for managing data-bases, for sending news-letters or answering simple e-mails. If you think you have the skills and the patience, you can get one or more such contracts and deal with them in your own time and terms.
10. Translator
It’s a hard and very skill-requiring job, but there are many companies or institutions who would hire a very good translator to work on projects ranging from official paperwork, books, studies, academic papers. Knowing a foreign language beside English and maybe one very requested on the market may pay off pretty decent.
