Whether you are looking for a work-at-home job to augment your income, or find an opportunity to earn extra money, there are a number of work at home careers and jobs that you can consider.
Learn various opportunities, jobs and careers that will allow you to work from home.
1. Become a freelancer.
Skilled professionals can find a number of freelance job opportunities on the Web. You can find a number of jobs online if you are adept and highly skilled in programming, website design, financial analysis, online marketing, and writing among others.
As businesses look to cut costs and outsource some of their work, there is a huge demand for professionals, consultants and freelancers. Small businesses that lack resources to hire full time staffs also form a huge market for these freelance websites.
You will need to create a thorough profile. Then don’t wait for invitation from potential employers but start bidding on projects, even the low cost ones just to get started. The downside, of course, is that you will be competing with other skilled freelancers from all over the world, some of which may offer a significantly low price than what is acceptable to you.
Here are places where you can find freelance work:
- Elance http://www.elance.com
- Guru http://www.guru.com
- Freelancer.com http://www.freelancer.com
- GetACoder http://www.getacoder.com
- ODesk http://www.odesk.com
- Scriptlance http://www.scriptlance.com
- Crowd Spring http://www.crowdspring.com (for logo design, web design and writing services)
For tips on how to succeed in freelancing, read How to Start Freelancing and Succeed as a Freelancer
2. Join the growing call center industry.
One of the growing work-at-home opportunities is the virtual call center. As more businesses move from traditional call centers to more low-cost alternatives, more companies use home based call center agents to provide customer service support.
Some companies where you can apply include:
- Alpine Access http://www.alpineaccess.com = no fees and you will be considered as an employee, not as an independent contractor
- LiveOps http://www.liveops.com/ = considers agents as independent contractors; no upfront fee but requires applicants to pay for the background check
For more listings of virtual call center job opportunities, read the article Work from Home as a Virtual Call Center Representative
3. Provide tech support.
With the increasing number of computer users, from small businesses to students, chances are computers may crash or get affected by malwares and viruses. One work at home opportunity is the computer technical support service.
If you are a programmer or information technology professional, you can apply to several companies that allow you to earn from home troubleshooting computers and similar equipment through the phone or onsite by visiting the client.
You can provide tech support over the phone, or in some cases, clients may require you to provide computer support onsite.
Here are some companies that you can join:
- GeeksonTime.com http://geeksontime.com/working-with-geeks.aspx
- ComputerAssistant.com http://www.computerassistant.com (provides both remote support by phone and onsite support)
- PlumChoice.com http://www.plumchoice.com/company/careers.asp
- Gurus2Go.com http://www.gurus2go.com/about/gurus2go-computer-service/become-a-guru
- Fastteks.com http://www.fastteks.com/Technician-Inquiry.aspx
4. Become a virtual assistant.
The virtual assistance business is the reinvention of the secretarial and administrative assistance business in the age of the Internet. As a virtual assistant, you can offer a number of services such as Internet research, data processing, desktop publishing, bookkeeping services, web site development and maintenance, word processing, email handling, marketing services, among others.
You can start a virtual assistant business and use these organizations to help you find work
- International Virtual Assistants Association http://www.ivaa.org/
- Alliance for Virtual Businesses http://www.allianceforvirtualbiz.com/
- International Association of Administrative Professionals http://www.iaap-hq.org/
- Virtual Assistant Networking Forum (VANF) http://www.vanetworking.com/
- Virtual Business Group http://www.virtualbizgroup.com/
- Virtual-Professionals.com http://www.virtual-professionals.com/
Read the article “Starting a Virtual Assistant Business”
5. Create your own products.
If you have a knack for designing but no interest in manufacturing the items yourself, you can work from home by creating your own products. You can customize the design of t-shirts, sweatshirts and other types of clothing. You can also sell your design for use in mugs, hats, posters, and other items.
There are sites on the Web that allow you to create your own products. You get a commission for every item sold, with some sites allowing you to set your own royalty rate. These sites include:
- Zazzle http://www.zazzle.com
- Cafepress http://www.cafepress.com
- Spreadshirt http://www.spreadshirt.com
6. Earn from the Web.
There are a number of ways you can earn online. You can sell on the Web, whether your own storefront or through online auctions. You can also start your own website offering a service. You can also write a blog or informational articles and earn money through advertising.
Read the article How to Earn Money on the Web for ideas on how you can make money online.
7. Start your home-based business.
Of course, you can also choose to start your own business from home. It will depend on what you can do, what suits you and what could fit in your resources. Some examples
- Lawn care and landscaping
- Errand or concierge business
- Greeting card business
- Wedding coordinator business
- Personal shopping business
Check out Small and Home Business Ideas for other businesses you can start from home. Read the article 20 Qualities of Successful Entrepreneurs for ideas on what you need to succeed as an entrepreneur or business owner.
For more ideas on how to earn from home, visit Earn Money Online from Home
How to Decide What Business to Start
WOW. Isabel this is the best work from home opportunity blog I’ve ever read (and I’ve read lots)
This is the FIRST blog I’ve ever read about work from home opportunities that actually has some worth. I’m fed up of reading the same old drivel with no substance, so It was really nice to stumble across your article which actually gives some useful links to sites other than ‘do online surveys for £5 a month’ .
There’s one really big work from home opportunity that you’re missing though. I’d be grateful if you would review http://www.mykleeneze.com/angelaandpaul and http://www.moreleisuretime.co.uk we offer a fantastic opportunity with little or no upfront costs, less than £10 a month operating costs, and virtually unlimited growth potential. Please contact me by email if you have any questions or wish to discuss the opportunity further before including it in your blog/future blogs.
Thanks
Paul
A good way to make monye is buy selling Photos.
And Dreamstime is the best place to sell them.
This is nice article give great ideas on making money.
Thanks from
I second what Paul said above.
This is a very good info.
Tks for sharing
I’m not worthy to be in the same forum. ROTFL
There are many important tips to apply when choosing to work from home or start a business from home. The first tip for me is that important to remember that home-based business is a business(!!!), and it takes time to make it profitable business. More importantly, it takes money to make money. It is very important not to rush and leave the current job (which is most of your income) to your business will start to rise and drive profits …. So, keep your old job and work your business until it is time for you to focus on it full time. If you don’t give up too soon, your chances to making good money with your home business are pretty good.
Very detailed information! Here are another ideas how to work from home. Become an online tutor, online transcriber, & start building a website list.
wonderful article..Thanks for sharing with everyone….
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Insights like this liven things up around here.
These are truly wonderful ideas in on the topic of blogging. You have touched some pleasant things here. Any way keep up wrinting.
AFAICT you’ve covered all the bases with this answer!
Thanks Isabel for the information about working from home. It’s very helpful as all the information about starting a home based work, the websites I can go to and the different home based work available are in this article.
I’ve used oDesk, Elance and Freelancer as an employer, and have been very impressed with the quality of workers you can hire at those sites. Currently I have a team of 5 working for me at oDesk, and it’s going well.
Understand that there is a LOT of competition for freelance writing gigs. Because of differences in the economies of varied countries, you may be competing against people who will work for very small wages. But, keep on persevering and, if your writing skills are truly good, you will find something.