I love remote jobs.
I used to commute 3 hours every day. Yup, you read that right. It was a nightmare, and I eventually quit to work full-time online.
The pandemic has opened up the world of remote work more than ever before. It has forced more and more of the workforce to abandon the office, and many employees don’t want to come back.
The benefits of remote work are not hard to spot. Ask anyone who’s tried it. Run downstairs to put a meal on or change the laundry, take a nap in your own bed on your breaks, or grab a walk before work, remote work creates an AMAZING quality of life.
No wonder so many people want to work remotely.
If you’re starting your career or switching jobs, these are some remote options that are amazing–with something for just about everyone!
This post may contain links to affiliate products, which–if you choose to purchase–pay us a commission at no extra cost to you. This helps to support our work. We only promote products we’ve used and love.
Remote Creative Jobs
1. Video Editing
I discovered video editing through creating my YouTube channel. I find it surprisingly soothing, even addicting, as you disappear into making the clip work just right.
Video is huge, over 80% of all web traffic will be video. Companies know this, and are doubling down on it.
Although a Video Editor’s salary on ZipRecruiter isn’t huge, $47,000 yearly, talented Video Editors on Upwork can make $40-150/hourly. This is good news for talented video editors who want to work freelance, especially if you’ve got chops and the ability to market yourself. You might also need to learn standard industry programs like Adobe Premiere or AfterEffects.
I use Skillshare to learn EVERYTHING! Get 1 month of Premium free here.
BTW- I have about $3,000 worth of pro camera gear. But lately, I’ve just been using my Samsung A50 with a DJI Mimo Gimble and a Lav Mic. While it’s not perfect, it’s quick, no-hassle, and I’m having fun learning. You can see my newest work here.
2. Content Marketing
I write a lot for this site–in fact, it’s the thing I do most. Why? Because I love it!
If you love to write, content marketing might be the career for you. Unlike copywriting (below), content writing isn’t just about selling. Your goal with content might be to educate, create brand awareness, inspire, tell stories, or more.
According to ZipRecruiter, Content Managers make an average salary of $63,000/year.
To make the jump into content marketing, you could start with a Skillshare course like: Web Writing Secrets: Create Content That Captivates Your Audience. But above all, start writing!
Find places to pitch content, create a portfolio, or start a blog! (I have a post here on How to start a blog and another one on How to make Money blogging!)
Of course, content is more than just writing. It’s video, images, and any other medium that communicates to an audience. And it’s a REALLY IN-DEMAND career.
This is the blogging host I used to start Roostervane!
3. Graphic Design
I’ve told the story before of my spouse. She trained in social work and never really liked it that much. Then she discovered graphic design! She built the whole Roostervane brand, and has worked with a bunch of other brands.
You can choose whether or not to go to college for design. After mulling it over, she decided not to. She takes a ton of courses online instead, most of them on Skillshare (which is one of the reasons we love it so much!). And now she does something she loves!
According to ZipRecruiter, the average Graphic Design salary is $48,283/yearly.
4. Copywriting
So you love to write. Can you write words that sell?
This is the essence of copywriting, and people who write amazing copy are in high demand.
Good copy makes you feel something and compels you to action. It overcomes your objections and makes you pull out your wallet.
The average copywriter salary on ZipRecruiter is $59,084/year, while good copywriters on Upwork can make $100/hr.
Copywriting is about selling. But go read the best wordsmiths in the business, and you’ll see why they’re great. There’s none of that “But wait, there’s more” crap.
Just beautiful, crafted words that make you smile and fall in love with a mission or company.
If you want a taste of copywriting, start with Ruth Clowes’ course- Social Media Copywriting Masterclass: Professional Tips for Profiles and Posts. It will give you an overview and intro to copywriting for social media (yeah, none of that Don Draper crap)–and also is a good foundation for Social Media Marketing jobs (see below)
Also, gotta mention here two of the most famous copywriting books of all times that you might check out:
Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This: The Classic Guide to Creating Great Ads, Luke Sullivan
Ogilvy on Advertising, David Ogilvy
5. Editing
Are you one of those annoying people who notice EVERYTHING wrong with grammar and writing. While I might roll my eyes at you if I worked with you (just kidding!), I would totally hire you to fix my writing!
If you have great attention to detail and a mastery of the written word, you might make a good editor.
I am a terrible editor, which is why there are a ton of typos in these blogs–and I usually find them after thousands of people have seen them. Ya know. That’s how I roll.
But if you’re actually good at this, you can earn coin. By the way, if you’re also fast and accurate, it’s a gift.
ZipRecruiter reports that editors make just shy of $53,000/yearly.
I talked more about editing in this post.
Remote Tech Jobs
6. User Experience (UX)
User Experience is an amazing field that links design, writing, research, and a lot of other good stuff.
Hold your breath, because UX Designers make an average of $98,816 in the U.S. UX Managers make $125,712 while UX Directors make $166,940!
Who said you weren’t going to be able to use that anthropology or psychology degree?
If you want to get started in UX, there’s a fantastic guide over here at the Career Foundry.
If you happen to have a SkillShare membership, which I keep handy, there are also some great UX courses on there like Intro to UX: Fundamentals of Usability or User Experience Design Essentials – Adobe XD UI UX Design.
7. Blockchain
Blockchain has been bubbling under the surface for a while, but it has shot to fame over the last two years as cryptocurrencies and NFTs take the world by storm–making it a quickly-growing remote job.
Blockchain is a way of storing information as a chain, or record, that is linked between devices. Because that information is duplicated across the whole system, it makes the information much more secure. Blockchain jobs fetch about $150,000/year. There are a TON of courses and resources of there for learning, with many companies creating their own programming in a desperate bid to get more qualified workers.
Here are 7 free courses for learning Blockchain.
8. Developers
Code is still the basis of tech, and although there are dozens of different languages, a career in coding is lucrative. Developers are hard to come by–according to a recent study, we are short something like 40 million developers worldwide.
It’s a great career field for people who want to do remote work, and you really DON’T need a degree in computer science. Check out Codecademy for some free courses to help you get started.
9. AWS Cloud Architects
Amazon has made a big move into the cloud in the past few years, and it’s created a lot of remote jobs. Amazon Web Services, AWS, now creates 10-12% of Amazon’s revenue. And this is growing.
Business NEED AWS-certified developers and architects. They’re so in demand that an AWS-certified developer commands a whopping $122,000/year, while an AWS architect makes $165,748 yearly! Not bad for a skill you can learn on the AWS Website. You can read more here too.
Remote Digital Marketing Jobs
Digital marketing remote jobs are well-established now, and there are lots of opportunities. Companies are mostly comfortable hiring remote digital marketers, because the technological nature of the field lends itself well to not being on site. Here are some remote digital marketing jobs!
10. SEO Specialist
The internet runs on search engines, in case you didn’t know. And in the U.S., Google rules them all. Plus, Google owns YouTube, which is also a search engine. When businesses want to own the search engine, to get “organic” traffic to their websites or products, they hire an SEO Specialist or Consultant. Seo=Search Engine Optimization.
ZipRecruiter puts the average salary of an SEO consultant at $69,499, while a well-rated SEO consultant on Upwork can make anywhere from $60-250/hour. Not bad for a skill you can teach yourself. I use SEO all the time for Roostervane. I got started with Rand Fishkin’s Introduction to SEO: Tactics and Strategy for Entrepreneurs. SEO is a field you can teach yourself, and it’s totally in demand!
11. Social Media Marketing Expert
Social Media Marketing gets a bad rap–it’s often been a role companies reserve for the interns. Which is ridiculous, because millions of customers will engage with a company through social media! I can’t imagine a company letting the intern handle a media appearance. But anyways, I digress.
Social media marketing is coming of age, and finally getting the respect it deserves. Social media marketers make an average of $42,700 according to ZipRecruiter.
12. Digital Marketing Specialist
Digital marketing is a term that encompasses a lot. It might even include things like Social Media Marketing, SEO, or Content Creation. Good digital marketers don’t just Tweet on behalf of a company, they understand how to build and measure campaigns, create automated email funnels that increase conversion, and ultimately make the brand money —digital is now around 60% of all ad spends.
If you want to get started, there’s a fantastic list of free online marketing courses from HubSpot
13. Web Designer
Web design is still a great career, and a lot of agencies hire web designers to create websites for their clients. There are so many great tools out there to make web design a more accessible remote job than ever before. For example, Elementor, which we use to design Roostervane. But even a product like Squarespace creates great websites, and not everyone is interested in doing the work themselves. (See our comparison of Bluehost vs Squarespace and Bluehost vs Wix)
According to ZipRecruiter, Web Designers make about $60k yearly.
Remote Research Jobs
14. Policy Analyst
My previous career was as a policy analyst, and when I started in 2017, remote jobs were few and far between. Then the pandemic hit, and people realized that research and writing could be done from anywhere. The next time I took a contract with the government as a senior policy advisor, it was a very different (and remote) world.
Policy analysts direct the work of the government, either working for the goverment directly, or with a company or non-profit that wants to direct government work. This means that you need to either apply through federal job banks in the United States or Canada (or the State or Municipal alternative), or else network your way into a policy job. Student programs can also be a great way to gain exposure and experience, such as the Pathways program in the U.S. or the Federal Student Work Experience Program in Canada.
Policy Analysts make $74,335 according to ZipRecruiter, while Sr. Policy Analysts make an average of $84, 983. A few years back, I made a video talking about being a policy analyst (I made this video for PhDs, but you don’t need a PhD to be a policy analyst).
15. Translator
If you know foreign languages, you might enjoy the remote job of a translator–which ZipRecruiter reports pays $60,118 on average.
16. Research Assistant
Research Assistants usually help out a researcher or a company with, um… research. This could be a lot of different things. I’ve hired research assistants in the past to do research for blog posts, and when I was in school I worked as a research assistant for a professor. It might mean doing book research, collating information, drafting reports, or about a billion other research-related things.
ZipRecruiter reports that a Research Assistant makes $42,811/yearly. If you have some experience or hold an advanced degree, look for the “senior” version of a research assistant: a Research Associate, which pays $50k on average. (This varies a lot. My first job after my PhD was as a Research Associate, and I made over $70k.)
Related Post – 11 Amazing Research Careers for Grads with Advanced Degrees
Remote People Jobs
17. Sales
Selling might be one of the oldest professions, but it has changed a lot. Sales in the 21st century usually means building relationships, leveraging digital tools to expand your reach and keep track of your network, and using customer databases and email.
What hasn’t changed? It’s about relationships. As the famous saying goes, “people do business with people they know, like, and trust.”
It’s hard to say how much sales people make, since the lowest make pennies and the highest make millions. Top salespeople can make multiple six-figures a year, making sales STILL a very lucrative career.
If you want to learn the art of sales, try this Modern Sales Training course. And there’s another list of Free Sales Courses here.
18. Business Development Specialist
Business development is closely related to sales, but unlike the day-to-day sales cycle, it usually focuses on creating long-term growth and opportunities for the company. If sales is about relationships, business development brings some serious strategic and critical thinking into the mix to determine how to create value tomorrow.
According to ZipRecruiter, a Business Development Associate earns around $48k/yearly, while a Manager makes $65k. A Business Development Director makes $120k. Like a policy analyst, business development specialists are more frequently becoming remote because of the pandemic.
19. Account Manager
Account managers are hired to manage the relationship between a (usually big) client and their employers. They need great relationship-building skills, the ability to represent the company well and listen, and provide solutions to ensure employers keep the clients long-term.
It’s a remote job that’s a mix of business and people skills, and if you fit the bill, you might love it. Account managers make $51,057 on average according to ZipRecruiter–but let’s be honest. Good account managers in high-value fields will make well over 6 figures.
20. Tutoring
Tutoring is a HUGE industry, and you could land a role working for a company, or else just start your own thing. Tutors make just shy of $46k on average.
22. Coaching
Coaching is a $3 billion industry and might be still growing. Good coaches are in high demand, and there are a ton of training programs. It’s hard to say how much a coach makes because coaches are usually entrepreneurs–but let’s assume most are north of 6 figures too!
23. Teaching Assistant
If you’re connected to a university or college somehow, you might work remotely as a teaching assistant. TA jobs are usually flexible, often TAs do a lot of marking (although sometimes with an “in-person” class requirement like a tutorial). It’s a great remote job and some universities actually pay really well (mine paid $42/hour for TA work).
Remote Organizing Jobs
24. Event Planner
Event planners are masters of organization, bringing every piece of the event together. If you’ve got an eye for detail and the gift of organization, you might make a good event planner! This is a job that is more and more becoming remote, 1. because everything can be booked online and, 2. because events are moving more and more online.
Event planners handle everything that makes an event WORK, and they are hard to come by. According to ZipRecruiter, they make just shy of $50k (although freelance event planners can make up to $100/hour on Upwork).
25. Project Management
Project Management is a bit of a catch-all title. Project Managers might do anything from designing a new road to overseeing a research project–not all of these are remote jobs So, if you want to move into remote project management, you’ll need to figure out the type of projects that are available for remote work.
If you want to try a free project management course, there are some here, or you might consider a PMP (Project Management Professional) certification, which is widely recognized. You can find more information about how to get certified here.
26. Executive Assistant
Last, but not least, you could be an executive assistant. EAs help busy people keep their lives together, often managing scheduling, emails, or any number of tasks. ZipRecruiter reports that Executive Assistants make $49,074 yearly–and since a lot of EA tasks I mentioned above are remote now, remote EAs are becoming more common too.
Conclusion
If you feel like you’re stuck in your career, especially if you have a degree that feels useless, why not learn one of these in-demand skills and level up? They’ll help you define the value you offer in the marketplace, and get paid more! Good luck!
Don’t forget to check out the related post- 11 of the Best Skillshare Classes to UpSkill and Unlock Your Potential
Read More:
