The 18 Best Work From Home Jobs To Start Today

Work from home jobs have been available for a while, but they’re even more popular today. With more companies realizing the capabilities of working remotely, the window of opportunity is much larger today.

Whether you start your own gig or work for a company, there are many ways to make money working from home. Today, we will explore everything related to working from home including:

• The possibilities of working from home full time
• How much work from home jobs pay
• Pros and cons to remote work  positions
• How to avoid work from home scams
• 18+ of the best work from home jobs

Can You Really Work From Home Full Time?

You can, even more so today. Before the pandemic, a majority of the people working from home did so working for themselves or running a side hustle.

Today, millions of people work for real companies but from the comfort of their own homes. As companies were forced to find ways to have everyone work from home (due to the COVID-19 Pandemic), millions of companies today are more flexible than ever before.

How Much Do Work From Home Jobs Pay?

Naturally, the first question you might ask yourself is “How much do work from home jobs pay?”

Like any job, regardless of the work setting – work from home jobs vary in pay. Some WFH opportunities pay by the hour while others are salaried positions, meaning you can make a few hundred each month all the way to six-figures per year.

Unlike all the gimmick ways to make money from home such as filling out surveys, a work-from-home job has specific job duties that will ultimately dictate how much you make. For example, a software engineer can bring in $100,000 per year working from the comfort of their home, whereas a digital assistant might make $20 per hour and only work 15 hours a week.

According to Zip Recruiter, as of Feb 12, 2021, the average annual pay for a Remote Work From Home in the United States is $66,180 a year.

Pros and Cons of Work From Home Jobs

Depending on who you ask, the pros of working from home almost always outweigh the cons. That said, there are pros and cons to working from home.

Typically, if you ask someone who has the luxury of working from home what they enjoy the most they will share the following:

• Your office is wherever you have WiFi (meaning you can travel if you would like)
• You don’t have to commute to the office
• You can dress up (nice shirt) and dress down (shorts/sweatpants)
• You can just roll out of bed on the days you feel a little tired
• Working from home allows you to avoid office politics
• A great work from home opportunity means you won’t be micromanaged
• Flexibility, flexibility, flexibility.
• You can save money when you work from home

Now, for the cons of working remotely from home (Yes, they do exist):

• Those who work from home have reported feelings of loneliness and even depression
• Health levels can decline since you won’t be as active
• Feelings of loss of motivation
• You never really leave work – work-life vs family life.  You might feel like there is always something to do.
• Easily lose focus, more distractions at home.
• Printing is a pain
• Neck issues, poor posture, and back pain can be the result of working from home

The 18+ Best Work From Home Jobs

If you can avoid poor posture and you’re open to dressing up even when you sit in your kitchen, chances are you’re a great candidate for work from home jobs. Below is a comprehensive list of some of the best work from jobs.

1. Virtual Assistant

A virtual assistant is someone who provides administrative, assistant-like, and creative services for businesses, entrepreneurs, or executives. Some assume the role of virtual assistant in a freelance manner, working for clients on a per-hour basis.

Others might have a more steady executive assistant role that is 40 hours a week. Either way, virtual assistants typically have a ton of flexibility and can get paid anywhere from $15-$30 per hour and up. While the average pay may vary, if you’re someone who is organized, efficient, and task orientated becoming a virtual assistant is worth consideration.

2. Freelance Writer

Do you enjoy writing, have a background in English, or perhaps you even have a blog of your own? Chances are if you answered “yes” to any of the above, you can make money as a writer while doing it from home or anywhere for that matter!

Full-time freelance writers can pull in or $60,000 per year with the appropriate credentials are met. However, a stay-at-home mom or even someone looking for a lucrative side hustle can create written content at a rate of $50 all the way to $200+ per article depending on the scope of the project.

To find work as a freelancer, start by visiting Fivver or Upwork.

Bonus: Want to know how to charge as a freelance writer? Aim for .10 to .20 per word when you start writing.

3. Freelance Editor/Proofreader

Similar to being a freelance writer, a freelance editor or proofreader can make a full-time income working from home. While you may prefer a quiet home office, a freelance editor can work from anywhere and the only tools required are computer and internet access.

As an editor, you have the option to do your proofreading for a large company or offer freelance services. Most proofreaders charge $30-$35 per hour, meaning you can make $60,000 per year as an editor from home.

Obviously, the appropriate credentials are required in order to become an editor/proofreader!

4. Social Media Manager

Perhaps one of the most in-demand work from home jobs to take advantage of is working as a social media manager from the comfort of your own kitchen/home office!

Whether you serve as a social media manager hired by one company or you operate as a freelancer/business owner yourself, managing social media is a great gig if you want to work at home.

Requirements to effectively manage social media accounts include knowing how social media platforms reward users, the ability to track performance, scheduling posts, and growing social media brands. To some people’s surprise, technical knowledge is required to effectively manage social media accounts and the pay can vary from $10 to $30 per hour all the way to $150 to $450 per monthly client.

5. Customer Service Representative

You don’t need to work from an office cubicle to answer phones, hence why many customer service representative positions are now work from home jobs!

If you like answering phones and you can keep your cool when dealing with an uncompromising person, you can make an average of $15 per hour working as a customer service representative. Companies such as Liveops serve as outsource call centers for businesses and provide flexible working hours and decent pay for those wanting to answer phones from home.

There is typically training required to become a customer service representative along with the right tools such as a headset. The average salary of a customer service representative is approximately $35,000 per year according to ZipRecruiter.

6. Graphic Designer

If you want to work at home and you have a background in graphic design work, you can search the internet or work as a freelancer for design gigs! Whether you like to design or edit graphics, the average graphic designer can command anywhere from $15-$30 per hour.

Unlike data entry jobs below, you need to have experience and technical knowledge to effectively make money as a graphic designer!

7. Data Entry Specialist

Working in the field of data entry is a great way to bring home over $2,000 per month and do it in your own home! Needing zero experience, just the ability to punch numbers into an excel sheet or on a computer, you can bring home $10-$17 per hour as a data entry specialist and do it remotely.

While it might not be the most glamorous position in the world, data entry is in high demand and you can simply search for “Data Entry Jobs” to find related work from home jobs.

8. Transcriptionist

A transcriptionist is similar to data entry, only instead of punching in numbers, you will codify verbal communication.

Traditionally, most transcriptionist jobs require you to listen to recorded conversations in either business, law, or medical settings, followed by typing every single word. Because these transcribed documents are sometimes used in litigation, a senior transcriptionist can charge $30 per hour. To work as a transcriptionist, you must have the necessary equipment along with being able to type at least 70 words per minute.

9. Bookkeeper

Business owners and entrepreneurs are constantly in search of someone to manage the books for them. A bookkeeper is a great way to make money from home by simply managing money!

Using software like Quickbooks or other applications, a bookkeeper’s job duties require them to itemize expense reports and prepare them for accounting purposes. Different than being an accountant, a bookkeeper can work independently or directly with one company.

Requirements include knowing IRS code, accounting procedures, and organization. Depending on the scope of your workload, a bookkeeper can make $25 an hour or charge monthly per client!

10. Web developer

If you happen to have experience designing websites or if you’re like a friend of ours in a blogging group who used his blogging skills to create websites for others, an at-home web developer makes the list of great work from home jobs.

Working in the solitude of a home office or kitchen, most web developers need privacy to let the creative juices flow, and unless collaboration is needed, more companies are letting developers work from home.

You can design websites full-time for a company or as a freelance developer. Pay can vary greatly depending on how often you design websites and your skills level.

11. Pinterest Manager

Similar to working as a virtual assistant, a Pinterest Manager or Pinterest VA is someone who specializes in running Pinterest accounts for bloggers and small businesses.

Pinterest VAs offer their services in a wide variety of ways from full-service management at several $100 per month to Pin design and consulting. Understanding how the Pinterest platform works is a must, but if you know someone who is in need of Pinterest services you can offer your expertise from any location in the world!

12. Facebook Ads Manager

Facebook has an entire backside to what most just think is a giant social media platform. On the business manager side of things, Facebook Ad Managers can create Facebook Ads that specifically target desired target audiences and charge a premium in doing so.

Whether you want to work part-time or full-time, a Facebook Ads Manager requires not only experience, but technical knowledge in order to pull this remote job off. People who own small businesses want to be able to reach a target demographic.

Knowing this, Facebook provides tons of user data for ad managers to use so they can create custom ads for clients. While simply writing this might make it seem easy, a good ad manager can charge $500 to $1,000+ per client, hence why you need to know what you’re doing.

Luckily there are plenty of courses out there to learn how to become a Facebook Ads Manager!

13. Event Planner

When you punch into a job search “Work at Home Opportunities” chances are you wouldn’t expect event planning to be on the list. However, much of the work completed by an event planner can be done behind a computer screen from anywhere!

Aside from the day of coordination of an event such as a wedding, corporate convention, or special occasion such as a banquet, many event planners find themselves working primarily from the comfort of their own office.

While the average events coordinator might make $50,000 or more per year, chances are you will need to have the ability to visit the site of the event leading up to the big day!

14. English Tutor

If you happen to enjoy teaching kids and you speak English, you will have no qualms about working with online tutoring platforms such as VIPKid or Wyzant where you can teach students English.

Primarily working with students from China, VIPKid, in particular, allows you to stay at home and work while making roughly $20 per hour. Paying $7-$9 per 25-minute session, VIPKid in particular offers bonuses when you teach at least 45 classes in a month.

Granted, there are requirements to become a teacher with many online tutoring platforms. If you think you have the right tools to make it happen you can consider work from home jobs using:

• VIPKid
• Wyzant
• Chegg
• Tutor.com

15. Sell Items Online

One of the quickest and easiest ways to make money is to simply sell your gently used items online with platforms like Facebook Marketplace, Offerup, and Poshmark. On the other hand, you can step it up a notch and make full-time like income at home when you make your own goods or flip items.

Websites like Etsy allow you to sell items you make from your home, working in the manner of having your own unique store. There is quite a bit of know-how to running an Etsy store but this is one platform where you can sell your things online.

Of course, powerhouse Amazon.com provides you with the opportunity to sell items online with its platform. Whether you get accepted to sell your designs with Merch or you sell as an FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) seller.

People have also been known to buy and sell items using eBay or even Craigslist in what is called “Flipping.” If you happen to enjoy restoring furniture in your garage and want to sell it online – here is your shot!

16. Run a Blog

Looking for something you control and that has the potential to be lucrative?

Starting a blog along with the next two items on the list (Courses and YouTube Channels) is one surefire way to make sure you never set foot inside an office again if that is your goal. While the effort behind starting a blog is great, the rewards can also be amazing.

Pros to blogging include being able to do it anywhere, teaching about subjects you enjoy, being able to reach others, and monetizing a passion. That said, to effectively run a blog you need to be able to invest fully with regards to both time and money while learning the ins and outs to make it a profitable business venture!

To learn more about the blogging tools and courses we recommend, check out our recommendations page.

17. Create a Course

Have something to teach and do you want to create passive income in the process?

Creating an online course can be done from your home, and is a great way to make money. Keep in mind that there is quite a bit that goes behind successfully launching an online course, but platforms like Udemy or Teachable make the process simpler!

18. Start a YouTube Channel

It isn’t as easy as it sounds, but starting a YouTube channel is one of the most lucrative business ideas out there and it just so happens to be something you can do at home.

Requirements to create a successful YouTube channel start with having something valuable to share/discuss, followed by editing skills and a fundamental understanding of promoting your channel. That said, once you create a channel with over 1,000 subscribers you can monetize the channel and receive ad revenue.

Serving as a great way to create an ongoing passive income, most YouTube channels start at home!

Ways to Find a Work From Home Job

Whether you plan on working as a freelancer or simply doing a full-time job from home, there are a few strategic ways to go about finding a work-from-home job. Here are some simple ideas to help you:

Negotiate a Work-From-Home Job With Your Current Employer

Believe it or not, many companies are realizing they can cut their costs by allowing employees to work from home. Additionally, some companies are considering allowing their employees to work at home, this is is why it pays to ask.

Set up a time to talk with the person in charge of HR to see how you can negotiate a work-from-home position. If you’re planning on looking for another work-from-home job,  it doesn’t hurt to ask your current employer first to see what is possible.

Visit Websites That Advertise Work From Home Jobs

In addition to exploring all the possible opportunities listed above, visit websites that advertise work from home and remote positions such as:

• Flexjobs
• Indeed
• Zip Recruiter
• LinkedIn
• Glassdoor
• Lensa

Be Mindful of the Requirements

Keep in mind when you’re searching for work from home positions that some require job site attendance from time to time. While there are countless career categories to consider, it’s vital to keep the requirements in mind when applying. If you live on the east coast and a west coast job description says 75% remote and 25% in person, well you would need to meet the in-person commitments, thus this might not be a good fit.

Additionally, you can’t overlook degree requirements. If you’re not a software engineer, don’t apply to software engineer positions – as obvious as that might sound!

How to Avoid Work From Home Job Scams

Sometimes you will run into a listing that seems too good to be true. You can work remotely, sign in when you want, make $85,000 a year, have full benefits, and they’re willing to interview you tomorrow.

Unfortunately, if you stumble upon a career listing that sounds like this, chances are it’s not legit and even possible a scam. Some home-based work opportunities are simply not what they say they are and here are a few tips to be mindful of when searching for work from home opportunities:

• Too good to be true? If a company seems to promise too much to the point where you are getting this weird feeling in your gut, trust your gut. In most illegitimate work from home jobs, the feeling of too good to be true is usually the first indicator it most likely is!
• Is this company legit? Be sure to research websites like Glassdoor or use search engines to find out more. Ask probing questions if you find yourself an interview where the company offering a remote position doesn’t seem legit.
• Does the job ask for your money? No job asks for money upfront. Chances are, if a “Work at Home” opportunity presents itself, followed by asking for money it’s most likely not a job. Chances are, it is either a multi-level-marketing opportunity (which is not a job) or worse, a real scam. In either case, you don’t pay to get a job.
• Did they ask you to attend a webinar? A friend recently was asked to sign on for an “Interview” the day after he applied to a supposed work from home job promising an amazing salary. It was of course a pre-recorded webinar for him to work within the financial sector. He immediately signed off. A legitimate job interview doesn’t make you watch a webinar promising fast riches!

Do Your Research:

Aside from some of the more obvious red flags listed above, considering you have a home computer and the internet, don’t be afraid to do some research on the company you’re considering applying to.

Simply evaluating the listing, asking for references, and doing a little internet research can provide you with enough details to figure out if the job you’re contemplating is a legitimate work-from-home job… or a work-from-home scam!

The Verdict on Work From Home Jobs

How does the idea of trading in your cubicle and time-consuming commute for a slow morning in pajamas, followed by signing on to work from your couch sound?

For some, the idea of remote work may come across as too good to be true, but that isn’t the case when you find the right fit. With countless opportunities to work as a virtual assistant, transcriptionist, in the marketing field, or even healthcare services – remote work is only going to continue to grow after COVID-19.

That said, here are a few key takeaways to consider before you work from home:

• Know your personality type. If you’re a social butterfly who thrives on interpersonal connections, working from home may not be suitable.
• Review the pros AND cons. Don’t forget to address the possible negatives to a new remote position, no matter how excited you might be.
• Be mindful of the market. There are plenty of opportunities to work from home, but be mindful of potential work from home scams, commission-only jobs, and the pay rates of some careers that are remote!

Looking for more ideas? Here are 9 Best Freelance Jobs You Can Do From Anywhere!