Real Skills That Pay and You Can Do Anywhere

Mark Zeni

As the economy shifts from time to time, the way people make a living are also affected. At the dawn of the new millennium, our economy has shifted into a fast-paced, highly competitive and digital economy. While most of us still choose a traditional desk and office jobs, more and more professionals and young adults are considering working home-based and still earn lucratively like a full-time job.

If you’re planning to leave the office scene and work from home, the internet has vast resources and you can look for a job that pays for the skills that you have acquired. 

Virtual Assistant

Many businesses nowadays have online websites and have their transactions processed online. These businesses will definitely need the services of virtual assistants to help keep the flow of their business operations smooth and organized and to help take care of the administrative tasks. If your previous work experience involves administrative functions in the office, you’ll be able to find a job for you. Virtual assistant jobs have a wide range of functions. The tasks different companies and businesses can assign will include email correspondence, creating and distributing business-related documents, setting business appointments, managing business social media accounts, handling social media and business inquiries, writing and creating content and many more. The pay varies depending on the business you work for and the level of skill required for your daily tasks.

Online Survey Responder

This might very well be one of the easiest jobs you can work anywhere and at the comfort of your home. Be careful though, as not all survey sites are legit and may just waste your time and effort. According to a post from SurveyCool.com, you should choose a paid survey site that is reputable and is established as a legit survey site. The top survey sites recommended in the include Inbox Dollars, Swagbucks, Prize Rebel, Survey Junkie and LifePoints. While an individual survey site doesn’t pay out much to be at par with a full-time job, having accounts with several survey sites can increase your chances of making real money. The more survey sites you are a member of, the more you earn for the buying your basic commodities.

Translator

With the global trend of businesses, it comes as no surprise if you see business establishments in different countries aside from the main business headquarters in their home countries. Offshoring and international expansion help bridge the gap of the business world across countries. While the language may be a barrier to the smooth operation of offshore businesses, this is where the services of translators come in handy.

If you are a first-generation immigrant to an English-speaking country such as the United States, there is still a high chance of you retaining your fluency with your native tongue – and that can work to your advantage. Asia is becoming a premiere destination for offshore projects not only for its affordable manpower and materials, but also due to its hard-working people and growing economy. Being a home-based translator can be a source of pride for you as you are indirectly helping your home country grow by making the business you work for operate seamlessly on a foreign land. It’s also possible to get involved with transcribing audio into your native tongue and even doing voiceovers for e-learning and corporate videos

Medical Transcriptionist

The field of medicine can be considered an essential and universal area and your skills in this field can be put to good use even if you don’t work in a hospital. Large hospitals and medical institutions nowadays need assistance when it comes to managing medical records, handling medical records and recording medical procedures. Thus, there is a need for medical transcriptionists outside of the hospital setting to help out with the growing needs of hospitals when it comes to transcription work.

Medical transcriptionists who work from home not only need to have a medical background and skills, they also need to strictly adhere to the provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The home-based medical transcriptionist task generally includes recorded medical dictation, so a computer, a desk and a reliable headset or earpiece are all that’s needed to work in the comfort of one’s home.

Web Developer

Your computer savvy and programming skills can be put to lucrative use even outside of the office setting. Web developers are highly in demand due to the increasing move of business towards digitization. Also, this skill is still not available for everyone, so businesses and individuals who plan to make websites usually employ the services of web developers. With just the relevant post-secondary education, applicable experience and a portfolio of successful sites you have created and managed, you can definitely find attractive work opportunities in both office and home-based settings.

Travel Agent

Having the skill of airline ticketing and reservation can be useful even in a work-from-home setting. There is still a high demand for agents who have the expertise in group bookings, planning tours and adventures, local airline reservations and many travel-related functions. International travel and transportation is still growing as the years go by, and services of those who the skill of making airline reservations and ticketing are very much welcomed and appreciated.

The online environment can be a good place where you can look for jobs that need your skills. Even if your skills are not yet in demand for now, you can always innovate and advertise your skills to make it more attractive for potential employers. Transitioning from a full-time office job to a home-based job requires a lot of patience and diligence in looking for jobs that need your current skill set. Also, if your skills are not yet in demand as of the moment, it is an opportunity to learn new skills that give you better opportunities in landing a home-based job or a job that you can do anywhere.