Just a couple of decades ago, most work-from-home job opportunities were far, far from profitable. Not only that, but before the rise of the Internet in the early-2000s it was also much harder to differentiate scams from real job opportunities…
But today, while questionable jobs are still out there, improvements in technology ushered in a wave of home jobs that are actually 100% legit…
These jobs are a hot commodity, since more than half Americans – 52.3% of workers, if you want to be exact – are unhappy at work, according to a recent study commissioned by the New York-based, nonprofit research group, the Conference Board…
The Rise of Telecommuting
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Over the last couple of years, a number of professionals, primarily from Europe and the United States have leveraged new technical advancements to work remotely. Some have even started living nomadic lives thanks to modern tech.
Moreover, according to research by the World Economic Forum – meaning, working a couple of hours from home every week – is one of the largest drivers of transformation in the modern workplace.
Naturally, the number of telecommuters has increased exponentially during the last decade. According to a recent Gallup poll, roughly 37% of workers in the US have worked “virtually” at some point in their careers. This is actually a four-fold increase since ‘95.
Four Legitimate Stay-at-Home Jobs
But what you need to realize is that not all online jobs are created equal – so how can you know which ones are lucrative enough to peruse? You need to do a little bit of research, of course. And that’s why we’re here to help you started…
So if you’re looking for a high-paying side job or you’re thinking about quitting your day job to start working from home, here are a couple of jobs you should definitely consider…
· Job #1: Data Entry
Let’s start with something easy… Nowadays, most companies need employees that will manually enter various pieces of information into their system. Some of this data is used to create future business plans, some of it to track various shipments and some to measure performance. You get the gist. The only two requirements for this jobs are – having a computer and knowing how to type at a reasonable quick pace…
Most data entry employees work from the comfort of their home, and they work on schedules that fit their lives, so this is actually a perfect part-time job. According to numbers provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, data entry works earn on average about $28K, however, the top 10% earn more than $42K per year. And luckily, you can easily find a dozen data entry jobs at any given moment on sites like Upwork and Freelances, as well as dozens of others…
· Job #2: Medical Transcriptionist
If you chose this job, chances are you’ll be working for a hospital or a certain physician’s office, you’ll still be able to work from your home. And since this is not a time-sensitive job, you’’ be also able to work at the time of your choosing. The job involves transcribing recorded dictation, so you only need a PC and an earpiece to do the job properly, after finishing a medical transcripts course.
Now we have to point out the obvious – if you’re looking for a steady job, this actually shouldn’t be your first option. Once again, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics, these workers only earn around $17.17 per hour. Nonetheless, medical transcripts is still a great weekend job. You can either be self-employed or look for jobs online, or you could find a job through your local community college or hospital…
· Job #3: Beauty Product Seller
By the end of the decade, the beauty industry in the United States will reach $90 billion according to the most recent Global Cosmetic Industry report. Yes – you read that right – over ninety billion dollars. With those numbers in play, you surely want a piece of the pie, right? So why not start selling make up? But you’re probably wondering – where should you start.
There are a couple of ways of doing this. On one hand, you can simply join a program like Alcone at Home and earn extra cash by selling their products. Just buy their starter kit, start selling and you’ll receive between 10% and 30% sales commissions. On the other hand, you could make your own website and start selling make up online all by yourself – while this is a little more complicated, it’s also far more lucrative…
· Job #4: Web Developer
In the past, building a website seemed pretty unbelievable to some people. Today, however, with all of the free learning opportunities on the Internet, you can build a fully-capable and even neatly-looking website all by yourself. Most people don’t have the time to take advantage of those resources, which is why so many people out there are making a living as web developer.
Most web developers are still self-employed, but after a while, if you start looking for steady job, you’re in luck. According to BLS, employment of web developers is projected to grow around 27% in the next couple of year, much faster than any other occupation out there. Furthermore, you can make a more than comfortable living, seeing how the average annual wage is more than $66K.
Is This Job a Scam?
As we already mentioned, scams still exist, even in today’s day and age. Basically, it’s up to you to differentiate the scams from deals, but don’t worry, we’re also going to provide some help with that as well. The National Consumers League says these are a couple of steps you can take to protect yourself when you start searching for a new online job:
· Do as much research as you can
It’s vital to know who you are working for, so when you find a couple of job postings you’re interested in, you need to research the company that’s offering the job. You can always check them at the Better Business Bureau, but make sure to do some googling as well for user-reviews…
· Make sure to ask for references
If the company is looking for new people, that doesn’t mean that they don’t have any people working there at the moment. So find their contact info, and try to get in touch with some of them. If the company isn’t willing to provide this information or any previous references, it’s time to bail out…
· Think before you spend any money
Some home jobs, like the aforementioned makeup selling programs, require you to purchase some material to get started. And while the company we mentioned above is completely legit, some companies out there aren’t. Therefore, before you start spending money, check everything out and make sure to ask about the return policy in case the job doesn’t work out…
Final Thoughts
If working from home is your dream, thanks to technology, that dream may come true very soon. But first you need to do some research and develop skills required for some of these jobs. So take a look at some of these jobs, decide what will work the best for you and start working on making your dream a reality as soon as possible…
Raj Kumar is a qualified business/finance writer expert in investment, debt, credit cards, Passive income, financial updates. He advises in his blog finance clap.
