Top 10 Work from Home Careers

If you have been scouring the Sunday newspaper and the Internet for work from home opportunities, you should probably know that you are not the only one. Increasingly, people have been looking for opportunities that allow them to work from a remote location, which in most cases is their home.

Their reasons for seeking such opportunities may be different. Some are victims of circumstances while others make a choice, but the motivation behind their pursuit is the same – greater flexibility, minimal or no commute, more time for family, and the likes.

Well, your search for genuine work-at-home jobs ends here because we have complied for you a list of top 10 home-based careers.

Medical Transcription: It’s perhaps one of the most popular, but also often misunderstood work-at-home career. Many people make the mistake of thinking that just about anyone can take a shot at medical transcription. After all how difficult can listening to recordings and typing them out be? But that couldn’t be further off from the truth. The job is quite complex and hard to break into without formal medical transcriptionist training or prior clinical experience. Courses in medical transcription can be completed at career and community colleges or vocational schools.

Medical Coding & Billing: An important part of health information management, medical coding and billing involves assigning international codes to all the procedures that are performed in a healthcare unit and using codified documents for billing private health insurance carriers and the government. This job requires knowledge of different coding standards, medical terminology, pharmacology, anatomy, medical record format, etc. The best way to gain this knowledge is through a medical billing and coding course from a vocational school or a health information degree from a four-year college or university.

Web Design & Development: Almost all businesses, from the smallest entity to the biggest corporate, now have a presence on the web. This has created a demand for people who can develop and design websites and web applications. Depending on your training, you could either be involved in the frontend design and layout of a website or writing the backend code that serves visual and textual content on a website. Often companies, especially smaller ones, hire freelance designers and developers to create their online properties.

Virtual Assistance: When the whole world is going virtual, why should administrative support services be left behind? Yes, that’s right. It’s possible to perform a variety of admin and clerical tasks remotely using a computer, high-speed Internet connection, telephone, and a fax machine. Job prerequisites may not be much on paper, but completing administrative assistant training from a vocational school will do your chances no harm. What will further boost your marketability is a Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification. This may necessitate further training in Microsoft Office courses.

Translation: Globalization has created a demand for multi-lingual people like never before. As countries continue on the path of aggressive business, cultural and political exchange, the need for professionals who can remove the language barrier between them has increased. These professionals translate a multitude of written materials from one language to another and are required to understand not just the subject at hand, but also cultural nuances of the countries to which these languages be long.

Accountant: Accountants perform a variety of tasks for individuals and businesses including tax consulting, financial planning, payroll management, tracking finances, preparing financial reports, etc. According to the Department of Labor, approximately 8 per cent of about 1.3 million accountants and auditors were self-employed in the year 2008.1

Content Writing/Editing: The Internet has just exploded over the last few years and there is a lot of content on the web that needs writing, proofing, polishing, and presenting. There’s a world of opportunity waiting to be explored for those who are gifted writers or have taken courses in publishing and editing. Considering the vastness that is Internet, it’s safe to assume there’s enough work to accommodate many, many, many writing and editing professionals!

Telephone Nurse Triage: Telephone triage nurses are RNs who respond to health questions over the phone. They rely on their academic background and training to listen to patient symptoms and offer an assessment of their health situation. They also advise patients about follow-up procedures required and may even direct them to appropriate emergency services.

Customer Support Rep: Customer support representatives respond to client calls and troubleshoot problems related to a product or service they have bought. Although people would have you believe that all customer support jobs have moved overseas, but it’s worth noting that customer service was among the largest occupations in 2008 with 2.3 million jobs.2 The educational requirements are rudimentary at best with many employers hiring high school graduates who demonstrate good communication and problem solving skills.

Childcare: If you love having kids around, childcare services is a great work from home option you can explore. The Department of Labor states that 33 percent childcare providers are self-employed and most of them offer their services from home.3 As a childcare provider, you will be required to care for children while their parents are away at work. Part of a childcare provider’s job is to teach, nurture, and supervise children of different age groups.

Source:

*bls.gov/oco/ocos001.htm
*bls.gov/oco/ocos280.htm
*bls.gov/oco/ocos170.htm