Working From Home in 2020 and Beyond!
Work from home jobs open up a lot of opportunities for those interested in working remotely. Working from home allows for maximum flexibility as far as location, as working from home really means working from anywhere! Flexibility in the timing of work hours and project completion makes for a more productive and cheaper way of working. In other words, the home office saves you time and money on commuting, lunches and business attire, never mind childcare cost!
This past year, COVID-19 has put a spotlight on remote workers and their careers. As the world entered the lockdown, 88% of companies switched to work from home. Those workers who lost jobs, or needed to stay home with children, started looking for a new career, for new more flexible jobs opportunities, specifically to those jobs that offer a flexible schedule.
A New Direction for Skilled Workers
Unfortunately, another trend emerged with the lockdown during this pandemic. Many small businesses have had to shut their doors as they did not survive the lockdown. Those businesses still going are hanging on by a thread. Some have had to fire their staff to try to keep their head above water. Some business owners who are struggling in their business or who have had to close their business also entered the job market or are looking for a new business to start! Their job search might include part-time positions and independent contractor jobs.
Many skilled workers have entered the job market during this pandemic year. Not all are willing to go back into an office. Not all are able to spend a lot of time learning new skills. Most are willing to make some time and take some effort to learn additional skills to help facilitate their job search or their next business opportunity.
Let’s look at what work from home opportunities are available right now!
5 Popular Remote Jobs To Learn Online
1. Social Media Manager
A Social Media Manager is someone who manages all forms of electronic communication for a brand, business or entrepreneur. That includes being in charge of online social media platforms and communities, to share information, ideas, personal messages and other content.
How can you become a Social Media Manager?
There are several skills all social media managers need to acquire. In addition, those who are interested in a career in social media management should start experimenting with their own social media profiles to understand the social platform trends, analyze user sentiments and have a general understanding of design to create visually aesthetic posts. Last but not least, it’s advisable to gain theoretical instruction on all social media platforms and an understanding of social media strategy. Luckily there are many great courses on that on platforms like Socialmediapro.
What is the job demand for Social Media Managers?
2050 monthly job postings on Indeed, 19782 monthly job postings on Glassdoor.
2. Graphic Designer
Graphic Design is a truly versatile profession that requires inventiveness and imagination. A graphic designer is a digital artist who develops creative solutions including logos, infographics, package design, website illustrations to vector graphics, and 3D modeling.
How can you become Graphic Designer?
To start your career in graphic design, you won’t need a degree, but aesthetic vision, a basic knowledge of color management, and being acquainted with design software. Adobe Creative Cloud, CorelDraw, Sketch are just to name a few. Most graphic designers develop their own style and choose a niche (i.e. vector illustration, developing brand identity, 3D graphics, etc) It may take some time to master graphic design skills, however, these skills will remain demand as long as their are businesses marketing themselves.
What is the job demand for Graphic Designers?
3954 monthly job postings on Indeed, 9589 monthly job postings on Glassdoor.
3. Usability Tester
Although websites and applications are developed by professional teams of business analysts, UX designers, and skilled devs, small nuances might be missed by professionals from time to time (because we are all humans). This is where usability testers come into play— people whose job is to use the service and outline its flaws.
How can you become a Usability Tester?
Being a tech savvy person is certainly beneficial, but not a must-have skill to acquire a job like this. You will need to go through the flow of the application and share your feedback. In addition, you will need to learn how to create detailed written reports on your experience, and sometimes make user sessions recording how you navigate through the testing scenarios.
What is the job demand for Usability Testers?
This is a great choice if you are looking for additional income with a part-time job as there are not so many full-time vacancies. Companies may require usability testing after the re-design or new releases so therefore usability testers work with a variety and number of companies. You can register on specific resources like https://www.usercrowd.com/ or https://www.usertesting.com/ to get on average 5-10 tests per day and choose opportunities.
4. Customer Support Representative
Customer support is the first line of interaction between a client and a company. In most cases, to become a customer support representative, you need a desire to help people, have exceptional communication skills, and have a flexible work schedule as you might be asked to work odd hours i.e. evenings and weekends.
How can you become a Customer Support Representative?
You will need to learn the product or service you support to be able to handle pre-sales questions. Usually, each company has its own policies in assisting the customers, and algorithms for resolving the most common issues. Therefore, most provide in-house training for support personnel.
What is the job demand for Customer Support Representatives?
45223 monthly job postings on Indeed, 84263 monthly job postings on Glassdoor.
5. Virtual Assistant
A Virtual Assistant's responsibility includes helping with administrative tasks. That may include handling calls and emails, taking care of answering social media inquiries, scheduling appointments, booking tickets, and taking care of travel arrangements for busy people.
How can you become a Virtual Assistant?
In order to be a virtual assistant aka VA, you need to have great communication skills, perfect command of time management, be a guru of self-organization, know the tips and tricks of Microsoft Office Suite, and be able to multitask.
What is the job demand for Virtual Assistants?
959 monthly job postings on Indeed, 8809 monthly job postings on Glassdoor. Though it’s more common to search for such opportunities on freelance platforms.
How To Find Your First Work from Home Job!
In our current reality almost any job can be done online. The five jobs mentioned above are only a few of all the available opportunities.
With a varied skill-set, one can find broader online opportunities.
Additional opportunities include online tutoring, translating services and software engineer. Jobs like these do require substantial prior schooling and job experience.
If your skills are limited, be prepared to spend at least several months learning a new skill. Finding your first remote job might take some additional time. To speed up that process, besure to register on freelance platforms and job sites like Upwork, Freelancer, Fiverr, and to leverage your network connections. Check local and national job alerts online.
*Disclaimer: The demand was assessed based on the Indeed and Glassdoor job postings in November 2020.
Last Thoughts on Remote Work from Home
Whether you are looking to replace a current job, need a career change or you are looking for a part-time gig to supplement your income, working from home has its benefits and challenges.
Work from home jobs include entry level jobs as well as executive-level opportunities.
They include data entry jobs, call centers and technical support opportunities.
Not all remote jobs are created equal. Some offer full-time employment and health insurance as well as other benefits, others are temporary jobs or part-time opportunities.
One of the most important indicators to remote work success is having access to a functioning computer and Wifi. Both are a must to work remotely.
Self-discipline, a self-starting attitude and a dedicated work space are equally important to long-term success in working remotely from home!
We live in an unprecedented time in history, when all you need to start a job are your laptop, internet connection, and desire to work. Are you ready?
