Go back just a few years and working from home was far less prevalent as it is today. Sure, many people were lucky to have remote working jobs which allowed them to carry out their duties from home. However, these opportunities were rare, especially compared to those available today.
Today, COVID-19 has forced us to change how we do things. Travel, lockdown, and social distancing guidelines have meant employees could not go to their places of work. This has led to companies having little choice but to lay off employees. Instead, they have increasingly moved to hire freelancers able to work from home.
For anyone that previously wanted a work from home job, now is the best time to try to find work. Unfortunately, you cannot work from home in every position, so these opportunities are very career-specific. A restaurant chef cannot work from their home, for example.
So which are the top work from home jobs to apply for in 2021?
1. Web Developer/Designer
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, website design is needed even more now that businesses have had to focus more on their online presence. While some will have their own in-house teams of developers, others will not, and will instead look for qualified and experienced freelance designers.
Of course, this is not an occupation just anyone can jump into. You usually need to have the skills and experience required to develop attractive, functional, and well-optimised websites. This requires the knowledge of several programming languages. But, if you spend some time learning and practicing all of that, you could earn yourself a nice living as a freelance web developer/designer.
2. Virtual Assistant
This line of work is easier to get into and equally in demand. As long as you have a good understanding of computers, and software such as collaboration suites, such as Google Drive, Slack, and Microsoft Office365, you should find gigs you could do from home.
UpWork and Freelancer offer up tons of gigs posted by millions of people around the world. As a virtual assistant, clients will usually task you with handling emails, administration tasks, and scheduling. Project managers today usually acquire a virtual executive assistant to give themselves more time and freedom to focus on doing the things that they love.
3. Online Tutor
The education sector is another one that has been hit hard by the COVID-19 outbreak and therefore, demand for online tutors is at an all-time high. Online tutoring is giving students the ability to recover from reduced access to their schools, colleges, and universities.
If you have strong academic qualifications and teaching experience, you can pick up some high earning freelancing gigs. Some do not even require that. You could find jobs teaching basic English to young children from other countries around the world.
4. Content Writing
One of the most popular jobs working from home is content writing. Websites constantly require fresh new content to post online and will always look out for people able to write valuable and interesting content. How much you earn will depend on your control of the English language but as long as it is at an acceptable standard, just about anyone can go looking for content writing gigs.
Content in-demand ranges from blog posts, guides, reviews, and eBooks. You will also find companies looking for creative writers to produce product descriptions, website content, and emails. Another option is to try transcribing video or audio into text.
5. Graphic Designer
Being able to work online is what each of these roles has in common, and the same goes for being a graphic designer. If you have the skill to design logos, advertisements, fonts, fliers, and more, you could do this from the comfort of your own home and on your own schedule. Simply use a freelancing site such as Fiverr to seek out clients, and before you know it, you could make a steady income without needing to leave the house.
6. Social Media Manager
Social media plays a big part in the marketing strategies of most small, medium, and big companies. These platforms give firms the ability to grow their target audience and create new leads. Of course, with so many social media platforms to manage, many companies struggle to do this without a social media manager to handle it all.
The position usually involves creating new posts, scheduling posts, helping to form new ideas, and replying to any comments.
The Final Word
Whether you are out of work or looking for a change, there has never been a better time to try your hand at a work from home job. It is unlikely there will be as much demand as there is right now. Besides, even post-COVID, work from home is a direction many believe companies will continue to take. So why not take a look at some of the leading freelancing sites to see if there is anything you think you could do? You might find the perfect work from home opportunity.
