The 22 Best Jobs That Can Be Done Remotely
If you’re looking for jobs that can be done remotely, then this list is for you.
We’re going to look at the best work from home jobs and remote jobs available right now, and what it takes to get them.
Here’s what you’re going to learn:
- What are the best jobs that can be done remotely? (also known as location independent jobs)
- How much do these jobs pay?
- What type of companies offer these positions?
Let’s get started…
Location Independent Jobs: 22 Jobs That Can Be Done Remotely
Writer
Writing isn’t just low-paid work that anyone can do; at least not if you specialize.
If you have some sort of technical background or specialization, you can earn six figures as a location independent writer. So if you’ve always enjoyed writing or want to become a writer, don’t rule this option out in your job search.
For example, if you have a medical or nursing background, you could become a medical writer and earn $100K-$150K or more while telecommuting. I spoke to one writer doing this from the Caribbean when I was working as a recruiter, earning $130K.
You could also become a technical writer in non-medical fields. Many industries need technical documents written, from investing & finance, to software technology.
Working as a writer is one of the best location independent jobs, whether you work for a single employer or decide to test the waters as a freelancer. You also don’t need an ultra-fast internet connection on most days, since you’re typically just writing, editing, and submitting documents.
Editor
If you were surprised to hear how much writers can earn above, then this one may shock you, too. Professional editors can earn great money too, and in some rare cases – six figures per year. Whether editing books, online articles, technical documents, whitepapers, or any other corporate documents, this is one of the best ways to earn a great living while working remotely.
Every online website and publication has an editor, or a team of editors, too. That article you read on Forbes? It had to get past an editor. That article in the New York Times? It’s been edited, too.
For every piece being written online, an editor is needed, and there’s no reason this job cannot be done remotely or from home, so it’s a great career option if you want this flexibility.
Project Manager
Almost every modern industry has project managers. They oversee large projects, delegate tasks to multiple people and multiple teams, and are responsible for the overall project timeline and completion (as well as providing updates to clients).
It’s common for a Project Manager to earn $100K+ in many industries including software technology, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and more. And these people typically do not need a highly-technical background. This is more of a business & people position that requires excellent communication, organization, strategic thinking, problem-solving, and more.
And while not every project management job will be remote, some are. This will depend greatly on the industry and company, but it’s worth looking into if you think this type of job fits your strengths and skills.
Read more about how to get into project management here.
Software Engineer
No list of location independent jobs is complete without mentioning software engineering.
This is an incredibly broad field that includes mobile app development, web development, and other types of software engineering (such as developing in-house tools for a large bank, or developing a script that analyzes data for a company to improve their advertising).
Software Engineers regularly earn $100K+ including when working remotely. This is also one of the easiest types of work for getting an employer to let you go remote. A significant percentage of software engineers work remotely, whether freelance or for a single employer.
This page has a list of the best tech job boards.
And this page has job boards focused on remote job listings.
Both of those resources above can help you find remote jobs in technology and software development in particular.
Web Designer
If software development isn’t your thing, you could consider learning web design instead. Before a programmer creates a web page, someone needs to design it – the graphics, color schemes, layout, buttons, and more.
It’s possible to earn six figures as a remote web designer, whether working for an agency, a large corporation, or freelance.
As a web designer, you’ll work closely with the tech-focused people in an organization – like software engineers – but you won’t need the same technical background.
UX/UI Designer
If you’re not familiar with the term – this stands for user experience & user interface. In this job, you’d focus entirely on what an online user sees when interacting with your company’s software and website.
You may survey users, observe behavior and patterns recorded via software, and come up with changes or improvements to help the business attract more customers, keep people on the website longer, or any number of other goals. (This depends heavily on the business. For example – a site like YouTube simply wants to keep people on the site for as long as possible so they watch more ads. Whereas a site like Amazon wants you to make purchases).
This field does require training, and may not be as easy to break into as some of the others mentioned above, but it makes a great location independent career once you have the skills. And it can often pay $100K+, making it one of the highest paying remote jobs available.
Product Designer
A product designer takes an idea or concept through to becoming a real product that’s ready to be sold. This can include some areas mentioned above, like UI/UX, but often involves more as well.
This is another great job that can be done from home and can earn you six figures, especially in an industry like technology.
As a product designer, you’ll work with prototypes and sketches, all the way through to testing and finalizing a product that’s ready for consumers to buy!
Product Manager
A Product Manager is responsible for overseeing the success of a product.
Unlike a product designer, they typically work with a product that’s already on the market and being sold. And unlike a Project Manager, they usually take ownership of one single product, or one area of a large product, and continuously work to try to grow and improve that product.
Whereas, a Project Manager (mentioned earlier), will take on many projects throughout the typical year. Each one has deadlines, milestones, etc. Projects finish, new ones start. So that’s how they differ.
As an example, when I was a tech recruiter in NYC, I spoke with Product Managers who oversaw specific parts of a large software platform. For example, at Uber, there isn’t just going to be one Product Manager, even though it’s technically one app/service.
Whether you join a large tech company or a smaller start-up, product management is a great way to build a high-paying tech career with the possibility to go remote.
Graphic Designer
Companies need all sorts of graphics – from logos and website images to PDF designs, product designs, and more.
And as long as you have a powerful laptop, there’s no reason that this job can’t be done from home or anywhere else.
While the average pay may not be quite as high as other jobs mentioned above, it’s still a great option for being well-paid while telecommuting.
According to PayScale.com, the average salary in the US is $45,000 per year.
Content Marketer
Content marketing is the creation and distribution of content (like blog posts, videos, social media posts, and more) to acquire new leads and customers for a business.
It’s the main way I grow this blog, CareerSidekick, and it’s how many businesses grow. This means there are a lot of content marketing jobs available.
While the starting salary won’t be six figures, there’s a ton of room for growth and upward mobility in this industry. It’s also one of the best fields to find remote jobs since almost nothing you do requires you to be in a physical office location.
Social Media Manager
Practically every company has social accounts these days – Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and sometimes YouTube or LinkedIn.
And they need someone to manage these accounts. This is a relatively new field that most managers/CEO’s don’t know much about, so if you have this expertise, you can easily land a high-paying job, and are very likely to be allowed to work from home if you ask!
You could also do this as a freelancer, and manage the social media accounts of multiple small companies. With this method, it would be possible to earn six figures per year… by charging $1-2K per month and having 5-10 clients.
Digital Marketer
Digital marketing is a broad field that includes some of the areas mentioned above (such as content marketing).
Any company with a website or online presence needs digital marketing help. Along with social media and content creation, digital marketers also manage paid ad campaigns in many companies.
Because of this, you’ll often be paid more than a content marketer or social media manager. Companies can earn far more from successful advertising campaigns (because they control the budget and can “scale up” quickly once they’re seeing some success). So you can absolutely earn $100K-200K in this field.
This article has the best websites and courses to learn digital marketing
Email Marketer
Email marketing is one specific sub-set of digital marketing. Most companies maintain an email list – whether it’s potential leads who signed up for a freebie or past customers who gave their email address during checkout.
And companies can earn a ton of money by re-marketing to their email list, so email marketers are very highly paid. Everything can be done remotely, so email marketing is one of the best jobs if you want to be location independent. You’ll find that many of these jobs are listed as “remote”, and if not, you’re likely to hear “yes” if you ask for it.
Attorney
If you have a law degree, you could look into turning this into a remote career – whether it’s providing consultations to clients as a freelancer or serving as counsel for one company.
If you take the second route, you’d probably want to target an internet company, since they’re most likely to allow you to be remote. Employers in more traditional industries like pharmaceuticals, banking & finance, etc., are probably going to want their lawyers on-site at the office each day.
Accountant
If you have an accounting degree, it’s possible that you could find an employer that allows your position to be remote.
For example, I know multiple tax accountants who are completely location-independent and work online, some fro foreign countries.
They either work for a large company and do tax returns and consultations for the company’s clients, or they open their own private practice and start taking clients directly.
Sales
Sales is one of the highest paying corporate jobs you can get, period, and it’s also a position that lends itself to being done remotely.
Plenty of salespeople do their work on the phone only, rather than selling in-person. And for those people, there’s no reason they can’t do the job from home, as long as the company allows it.
And you can earn $200K-300K+ while working in sales; sometimes millions. This is because employers typically pay commission, so you’re earning a percentage of the deals you bring in, not just a flat salary.
In fact, in one of my first jobs, I sat next to the sales team (despite working in Account Management – a separate area), and one of the people there earned more than a million dollars a year by selling on the phone.
To earn as much as possible, look for B2B (business-to-business) sales jobs, not business-to-consumer, and look for companies with high-priced products or products with recurring billing, like expensive software that customers pay each year to use. That’s most likely to get you a good commission structure.
Here’s an article with everything you need to know about sales jobs
Account Manager
If sales isn’t your thing, you could also work as an Account Manager, overseeing existing customers for a company. Some Account Managers can earn commission, too, if they convince their clients to bring more business over.
For example, I worked as an Account Manager for a telecommunications company. Our customers used us for phone and internet services. I didn’t do the initial sales call to bring the client on, but once I was managing an account, I’d get paid a commission if they added more phone lines or services with us.
If they decide to spend more with us, I get paid for it!
And like sales, many Account Manager jobs could be done remotely; it’s just a matter of finding a company that’s open to the idea and finding a job where you don’t need to be meeting with clients in-person. This will depend on the industry.
Recruiter
Some recruiters meet every candidate in person and need an office to do this. However, many recruiters do not. In my most recent recruiting job, I was located in Boston but recruited only in the New York City market! No face-to-face interactions in a typical week. (My team did make the occasional trip down to NYC on the train, but it wasn’t extremely often).
You can also earn great pay working as a recruiter (six figures and up). Many people don’t realize, but it’s similar to sales, and you earn commissions if you work at a recruitment agency.
Look for a position where you’re recruiting in many different cities and regions. That way, it’s more likely that the company will let you do it remotely.
Here’s an article with the pros and cons of working as a recruiter
Business Analyst & Business Intelligence
These are actually two slightly different roles, but they’re very similar and it’s possible to do both while working from home.
A Business Analyst works to improve efficiency within a business – looking at different groups, divisions and departments to find improvements.
Whereas someone working in business intelligence focuses on macro-trends… the overall market and industry, competitors, new channels for acquiring customers, etc. They’re more focused outward, on how the company is performing as a whole, compared to industry peers.
If you like business, data analysis, and analytical thinking, then this could be the ideal remote job for you.
Teacher
While not as high-paying as some other options above, online teaching can earn you a full-time income and can be one of the best remote jobs if you don’t have any advanced qualifications.
You could teach a specialized field that you’re knowledgeable about (fitness, yoga, cooking, etc.), or one of the most common is online English teaching.
Depending on whether you work for yourself or for a larger company, and what you choose to teach, you can earn thousands of dollars a month teaching online from home.
Customer Service & Support
Many online companies need massive customer support departments. Airbnb, Amazon, Uber, etc.
So we’re going to see more and more remote jobs of this type, and there are already many available. You could answer customer service phone calls or answer chat/email requests, or both, depending on the company.
This isn’t the highest-paying remote work out there, but it does provide a full-time income and is one of the best remote positions if you need something quickly, because there are SO many jobs of this type available.
The Job You Already Have
If you’re currently employed, then it’s possible that your current job could become a remote work opportunity if you just ask! So don’t overlook that option. It’s often much faster to negotiate to telecommute with your current position than start a whole new job search.
So ask yourself: Could someone with my job work from home? Is it feasible with what I do each day?
And if so, plan how to approach your boss to ask!
I’d recommend asking to try one or two days per week first. That way, you can demonstrate that you’re still productive while you work remotely.
This is also how I’d recommend negotiating for a new job to be remote. Many companies are open to the idea, but they might be nervous if you ask to never come into the office from the beginning. They want you to meet the team, prove yourself, etc. So by asking for one to two days per week, and making sure you perform like a rock-star on those days, you’ll be able to work up to having a fully-remote job with the company.
Now you know 22 great remote/location-independent jobs. It’s up to you to decide which you’re qualified for and which you’d enjoy.
After that, it’s time to start researching companies and applying so you can get interviews and land a position!
Additional work-from-home job search resources:
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