If you have been looking for work-from-home options, you are not alone.There are lots of people already enjoying the benefits of working from home, while many others are looking to make the jump from full-time in-office jobs to more flexible work-from-home ones.
Whether you want to supplement your current job or replace it entirely, working from home is becoming the order of the day for many workers around the world. The pandemic, as well as COVID-19, have played a part in facilitating this tremendous shift in the workplace culture. At the advent of COVID in April 2020, about 50% of hiring managers admitted to working with remote workers. However, that has taken a sudden leap to 94%.
While work-from-home jobs are shown to pay as much and sometimes more than regular jobs, you will find that remote jobs have been found to be equally rewarding. Some of the benefits of working from home include making money online, working with a flexible schedule, working for companies that you would never be able to work for locally thus tapping into the international space, and more. There are simply a lot of possibilities a remote job can offer that it is worth trying out even if that means getting the alternative to work from home in your current place of work.
While a lot of remote jobs do not require experience and degrees, some require. Depending on the jobs that you are targeting, the educational and experiential requirements may differ.
In this article, we share with you work-from-home jobs. Some of them require some skills, others require some experience while others will require education to get a well-paying job that brings you decent money.
1. Software Engineer/Developer
Software developers are responsible for programming software and also improving existing programs. For a software developer, the company and department you work in will determine a lot of what you do.
For a startup, the majority of your work will probably be building a new product, testing and improving it as well as removing bugs. Software developers and engineers use a host of skills and knowledge in various software programming languages such as Java, C#, .Net, C, Sybase, and Oracle to create the desired outcomes for their employers.
While knowing how to code and program software is the most relevant hard skill for software developers, it quickly becomes less important when solving complex problems in your software. Skills such as your ability to learn, work with a team, and stay resilient during coding sessions will get you ahead faster. Having a mentor to guide you especially through the career path is one that many software developers employ to get ahead in their fields.
Software development jobs may require educational qualifications, but some don\’t. Since programming is a skill-based role, having the skills and portfolio to back you up is perhaps the most important aspect of landing well-paying remote job roles. According to Payscale, the typical software developer in Ghana earns GH₵ 36,000 a year.
2. Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistants have become the daily drivers of high-powered executives. A virtual assistant is an assistant who works remotely and handles tasks such as emails, calls, appointments, and bookings such as flights and meetings, event management, report writing, transcription, social media, and other basic digital marketing tasks.
A virtual assistant is limited by location and can only perform those tasks that can be done online. However, it is typical that virtual assistants can team up with other aspects of the company to get projects done. Experienced virtual assistants can be very helpful to any high-powered executive. Virtual assistants typically earn $43,229 a year or an hourly rate of $16.06 according to Payscale.
3. Customer Service
Customer service is an important business function that is often executed remotely. Almost every business, government unit, or service brand needs customer service. This is because customers need support before, during, and after they buy a product or service. Customer Service Representatives have the job of helping them through and making sure that they are satisfied.
To be a successful customer service representative, you need to have a high level of professionalism, be patient and always think about the customer first. This requires training, but not all customer service representatives are formally trained. The average customer representative in Ghana earns GH₵ 14k a year according to Payscale. On the international level, a customer service representative can make $14.78 per hour of work done.
Customer service representatives are part of the experience of a brand and company Therefore, they should be well trained and equipped to provide the best of experience. Being professional in handling complaints, helping customers with inquiries, and making sure they have a good experience.
4. Social Media
Social media is no longer seen as a mere social norm. Businesses and individuals have experienced the commercial benefits of leveraging a social media audience. This has led to the proliferation of social media manager roles around the world for both personal brands and businesses alike.
It is no longer nice to be on social media, but rather important and necessary to be on social. A social media manager’s job is to manage the presence of corporate clients on social media by creating content, aligning with internal marketing strategies to build, grow and nurture customer relationships on social media.
Depending on the objectives the brand has for social media, this may involve content creation, running ads and media buying, working with influencers, scheduling posts, interacting with the audience, and many more.
As a social media manager, you could decide to work as a full-time remote worker or go down the business path as an agency owner or a freelancer.
There are lots of options for social media managers with great earning potential with an agency specializing in running ads, content creation, and media buying.
5. Data Scientist
Data science hasn\’t been around for long. But the need for data scientists has skyrocketed over the past few years of the existence of the field. It indicates the times we are in; the age of data.
A lot of data is available to the 2022 organization, and making sense of that data is no longer simple enough. Tracking data, harvesting it, and analyzing it for informed business decisions is now a complex task that requires specialist data scientists to scrape and make sense of data for organizations.
A data scientist is not exactly a statistician, not also a computer scientist, and not a data analyst. A data scientist sits in between all of these fields. In addition to being skilled in those fields, the data scientist must be good at spotting trends and identifying the significance of business decision-making.
Becoming a data scientist requires a degree in computer science, IT, or related fields. It also requires a strong background in mathematics, statistics, and business. Payscale estimates that data scientists make $97,004 a year.
6. Product Manager
Product management is an exciting new field prominent in the tech industry. Most tech companies have hundreds of products and features that need managing.
A product manager is in charge of a single product and is responsible for the success of the product. The product manager makes the day-to-day decisions regarding the direction of the product. The product manager is much like the CEO. But with a product manager, the scope is just a single product.
Product managers often work with teams on their products. making sure there is product-market fit, happy customers, and that the product is always on point.
Successful product managers often have an education, often a degree in a related field. Having a master\’s or a management qualification is often a plus and can open doors for you. A general product manager makes $87,899 while a tech product manager stands to make $99,587 a year according to Payscale.
7. Graphic Designer
Graphic designers have and will always be a high-demand job. Being equipped with design skills provides the ability to help lots of people and organisations. Most of them are willing to pay more if they have specialized design skills such as UX and UI, character design, illustration, and more.
Being a graphic designer typically does not require any education and you can learn all you need from platforms like Coursera, YouTube, and Udemy. There are lots of free and paid courses to get you started.
Being a graphic designer involves a lot of attention to detail, working on multiple projects at a time, and being a master of combining elements to create appealing and effective designs.
Design is hard without an objective or strategy, so having a good grasp of design strategy and business objectives will help you stand out from the crowd and be more valuable in the market.
There are lots of options for graphic designers. You can fit into the corporate world as an employee, start your own agency, or work as a freelancer at the comfort of your home or wherever you happen to be.
The earnings of graphic designers vary extremely based on industry, skill, and level of the role. However, Payscale estimates that the average graphic designer earns $47,032 in the US and GH₵ 10,000 a year in Ghana. Freelance graphic designers make $58,903 according to the job site Glassdoor.
8. Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is now the default marketing for a lot of organizations. Despite the fact that the field is broad enough to be a team’s work, various small businesses cannot hire teams. However, they can hire an individual who has comprehensive knowledge to handle a minimal workload.
The problem with many digital marketing roles is that the work quickly becomes exhausting if you are a one-man digital marketing team.
However, the prospects are even better if you specialize. Digital marketing has over 10 categories such as;
- Content Marketing
- Search Engine Marketing
- Social Media Management
- Affiliate Marketing
- etc
Specializing in one of these areas can help you strike a niche for yourself to increase your earning potential as a remote digital marketer.
You can also become a high earner as a digital marketer by upgrading your education. In most cases, you can land a management role with a master\’s degree. A digital marketing manager makes $68,951 while a regular digital marketing specialist makes $50,985 a year.
9. Data Entry
Data is an important part of business, government, and society in general. The job of a data entry clerk is quite simple but involves some long hours of work. This does not mean it doesn\’t pay. The average data entry clerk makes $14.25 in the US every hour and the average data entry clerk in Ghana earns GH₵ 10,000 a year.
Data entry roles are more suitable for people with jobs and are looking for a supplementary job to make up for extra time, income, or perhaps in between jobs.
Being a data entry clerk involves routinely entering data, creating spreadsheets, correcting data, identifying anomalies in data, updating databases, and more.
10. Cloud Architect
Cloud architects are highly specialized employees who create, deploy and manage cloud programs and software. Cloud architects are responsible for overseeing the cloud strategy of an organization.
The organization determines a lot about the nature of the work. However, most companies use one of few select cloud service providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, Alibaba Cloud, IBM Cloud, Oracle, Salesforce, and SAP. Each cloud service provider differs from the other in certain respects so it is common for cloud architects to acquire skills in two or more platforms.
While being a cloud architect can be easier with coding skills, it doesn\’t always require coding skills. It is however recommended that you dabble on the various cloud technologies and platforms available if you want to become a cloud architect. In addition to coding, you may need knowledge in Java, network administration skills, SQL as well as working with a team.
Cloud architecture is a lucrative field with the average cloud engineer earning $128,418 a year according to Payscale.
11. Freelancing
Freelancing is ever-growing. And unlike remote work, being a freelancer allows you to enjoy the benefits of being your own boss, deciding who you work with, and the amount of work you take at a time. Most people look to remote roles because of the flexible work nature. You can enjoy such flexibility as a freelancer as well.
There are many things anyone can do once they decide to become a freelancer. For starters, what you do as a full-time job can be what you do as a freelancer. However, there are specific niches that receive more requests for freelancers which you can tap into to grow your business. Some may require a lot of skill and experience such as being a software developer, but skills like “Freelancer writer” and “Technical writer” are quite common yet require a shorter learning curve.
Whatever path you choose as a freelancer, it is time to throw out the employee mindset and activate the business mindset.
12. Project Manager
Project management is a complex of skill sets that involve managing a team. Being a project manager means handling the day-to-day running of a project and ensuring that the six aspects of a project are handled. This means taking responsibility for the scope of the project, schedule, finance and budgeting, risk management, quality, and resources allocation. Being a successful project manager means being able to synergize a team for a common goal. A typical project manager earns $75,584 a year according to Payscale.
Working from home is one of the most flexible ways to earn a living on your own terms. While working a remote job is not the same as a freelance business, both offer similar added benefits. Work isn’t only about earning a living, but also living your best life. If working as a freelancer makes you happy, go for it. And if working for a company does it, that’s great. Remote work is both a privilege as well as a responsibility and being able to manage yourself will help you get a much better and productive experience working from home.
