Are you sick of the daily grind? Looking for a way to work on your own terms, free from nosy colleagues and overbearing bosses?
Making the transition is easier than you might think. And, contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t require a wholesale leap into the self-employment abyss. Most professionals who’ve successfully made the transition to full-time at-home work have done so gradually, taking advantage of scalable part-time opportunities like the six on this list.
What begins as a source of steady side income could eventually replace or exceed your current full-time income — and may even turn into a legitimate business operation with remote employees and contractors.
The sky’s the limit. But first, you’ve got to commit.
- Clinical Research Coordinator
Clinical research coordinators support clinical research studies. Unlike many clinical research jobs, clinical research coordinator positions generally don’t require science degrees; some don’t even require four-year college degrees. Better yet, clinical research coordinators needn’t get anywhere near study principals or subjects. They can handle everything needed to keep their studies running smoothly from the comfort of a home office.
- Fundraising Distributor
Fundraising distributors sell fundraising products that help school groups, nonprofits, and others raise funds for their work. If you enjoy getting out in the community and supporting worthy causes, this is a great opportunity. And, as ABC Fundraising informs us, it’s worth your time: full-time fundraising distributors can earn anywhere from $500 to $5,000 per month.
- Remote Tutor
If you know your way around an academic subject or two, check out any of the top tutoring websites to get started as a remote tutor. All you need to build your practice is a fast Internet connection, AV setup on your laptop or desktop, and a healthy measure of patience. Successful remote tutors can scale with ease, hiring part- or full-time contract tutors underneath them to multiply their efforts.
- Grant Writer
Not sure research coordination is for you? Support scientific research by compiling grant applications for research investigators, who generally don’t have time to do the work themselves. Grant writing opportunities aren’t limited to the research world, either; non-research nonprofit organizations need grants, too.
- Technical Support Specialist
If you enjoy solving problems, technical support is a fantastic career. Although it’s easiest to hook up with major consumer products vendors with insatiable appetites for technical support specialists, you’ll earn more by scaling up a technical support consultancy of your own.
- Contract Photography
Got an eye for a great camera shot? You’d make a good contract photographer. With a home studio (basically, a decent laptop and off-the-shelf photo editing suite) and a can-do attitude, you can build a legitimate business that takes you as far afield as you’d like to go.
Begin Your Work-at-Home Journey Today
As we said up top, you don’t have to leap into the work-at-home life all at once.
In fact, you don’t have to leap at all. Plenty of successful independent professionals take measured steps away from the on-site, 8-to-5 grind and into the vast universe of possibilities presented by at-home work.
What are you waiting for? Freedom from the traditional office is closer than you think, and these eminently scalable at-home business opportunities are just a taste of what’s possible with the right combination of talent and discipline.
A better way to work awaits.