Do you have a nine-to-five job you’re dreaming to step away from? It’s hard not to think about this awesome feat when you are consistently seeing people walk away from the normal work routine. It’s hard not to envy how they create income for themselves and don’t have to move further than the kitchen every day.
Most people are hesitant to take this step because they don’t understand the tasks required in order to achieve this silent dream. However, there’s a freelance job out there with your name on it. You only have to determine which one suits you best.
In this article, I want to talk about ten freelance jobs you may be interested in doing. Not only will you be doing something you love for a living, but you will be able to provide for your family and be one of the many who have achieved this dream on their own.
I want to show you how your dreams can become reality by offering you some freelance job ideas you can start doing today. Pretty much all of these jobs can be found on Upwork, oDesk, Zirtual, CareerBuilder, SimplyHired, and other freelance job platforms.
#1 – Virtual Assistant
There are so many businesses online and so many entrepreneurs who have 100 different responsibilities during the day. You can capitalize on these as a freelancer.
A virtual assistant is someone who helps a business owner with the load of responsibilities they have throughout the day. They can be responsible for many different larger tasks as well as scheduling and keeping up with the day to day tasks. This helps to keep the business owner on track and more productive.
The responsibilities of a virtual assistant can vary dramatically. The range depends on what the business owner could use from you at the point of hire. Most will outline the tasks in the job description and you can determine whether or not you would be a good fit there.
#2 – Web Developer
While you may think you’re not the right person for this job, web building is a fairly easy process to learn. Third party site platforms like WordPress have made the job even easier than it was back in the day. Anyone with a desire to do this sort of thing can learn it with some determination and time.
More often than not, people who need web developers can be found far and wide. You can get hired just because someone has similar thinking to yours – they don’t think they can do it. However, the most common reason is time constraints. Businesses would rather contract this work out in order to work on bigger picture ideas for their growth.
I recommend you choose a specific niche if you decide to build websites. There are a couple of popular platforms, I have already mentioned WordPress, but you could also choose to specifically work on Drupal or Joomla as well. eCommerce has specialty platforms as well, and you can learn Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, or any of the other many popular eCommerce solutions.
#3 – Travel Agent
In 2016, Forbes released the top 35 jobs to work from home and being a travel agent was inserted in one of the companies listed. If you love to travel, manage itineraries, schedule trips, etc, then being a travel agent is something you would love doing as a freelancer.
The demand for a travel agent in a brick and mortar store is outdated. Now, people are searching for their next destination online. Hardly anyone goes into a store to realize their travel dreams. As a freelance travel agent, you could be one of the people who helps families and teams have the best trip they’ve ever experienced before.
#4 – Freelance Writer
Content writing has graduated to Excalibur status for brands and businesses around the web these days. If you fancy yourself a writer, you could land many different clients who need to use your services in order to do many things.
As a freelance writer, you can help business owners grab great links on other websites through guest posting. You can create quality content for the brand’s audience on their own blog and write amazing stories which convert email subscribers. You can even create compelling native advertising which attracts targeted users to your client’s brand.
In any case, content writing is not going to go away. People of all kinds consume content every day. Every minute of the day, 4 million people “Like” something on Facebook, 347,000 tweets are sent, and 2 million Instagram posts are engaged on.
Content is powerful and it is reaching every facet of our lives. You can be part of this tremendous power by creating your own version of great content for someone who needs it.
#5 – Social Media Manager
More than likely you have some form of social media account. I would wager you have a Facebook account which you update at least once a day, maybe more.
Knowing the power of content and the reach it has, you can understand the importance of social media for brands and businesses around the web. Are you someone who enjoys the challenge of interacting and engaging with potential customers on social media? If yes, then a freelance social media manager job could be the one for you.
The social media manager will create posts, images, and advertising, and stay updated on the engagement of your client’s social media accounts and pages. In order to do this job well, you will need to learn how to understand analytics and how to perform according to what the numbers tell you.
Your clients are looking for results and, while social media is challenging from a business perspective, it’s also very rewarding. You can see the fruits of your labor almost immediately when you do something correctly.
#6 – Data Entry
A lot of businesses need someone to capture data which has been realized throughout the day/week. According to the BLS survey in 2013, data entry workers made an average of $28,470 annually.
As long as you are proficient at computers and typing and are good at being consistent, a data entry job could be a great way to break out of the average nine-to-five work day.
#7 – Call Center Rep
There are businesses online that need to have workers to keep the business up and running while they sleep. In order to do this, they need people who can work productive shifts around the clock. This means hiring specific people around the world to perform certain tasks.
A call center rep can be a customer service agent for the business, take messages from clients, etc. There are many different reasons a business could hire you to answer the phones for them. Sometimes, this comes with running a special software like Salesforce, so it’s always nice to be up to speed on any software the business uses before taking the job.
As a call center representative, you are the face of the brand. This means making sure everything is done correctly when speaking to a customer or client. Normally, direction will be given before you are sent out into the wild, so make sure you listen and learn their policies in the training phase.
#8 – eCommerce Expert
One of the reasons so many people are quitting their day jobs is because they’ve learned how to sell different items on eCommerce sites like Amazon, Etsy, eBay, etc. It would be an amazing thing if you could become an expert on all of these platforms. In the beginning, however, I would recommend choosing a specific eCommerce world and learning it before branching out.
For example, you could be given an opportunity to help an Amazon seller make their listing more powerful in some sort of way. Knowledge of a specific platform will be required. This means understanding policy and procedure, not only from the business you’re working for, but also the platform you’re working on. One little mistake could mean the cancellation of a client’s account and this is something you definitely don’t want to be responsible for.
eCommerce is a flourishing niche and sellers need your expertise in this field to make their business run smoothly and more efficiently.
#9 – Graphic Designer
Perhaps you are a lover of art? Honestly, you don’t have to be if you can appreciate the visual stimulation of a good image. You’ve heard the old saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” right?
This old adage is truer than you think. People are impacted by visuals and they react to the images in front of them. Each business online knows this and brands are always looking for the next Picasso of the internet. They need someone who understands the psychology of color and stimulation according to audience retention and targeting.
This can be a high paying job if you really know what you’re doing. Since companies are always looking for someone to create infographics, social media visuals, and images for their blog or eCommerce listing, you have a broad region in which you can pursue clients.
While you CAN make a great visuals through sites like PicMonkey and Canva, it’s also encouraged that you understand the ins and outs of Photoshop. It will make a difference in your pay and give you a better bargaining chip when you get hired.
#10 – Blogging
Blogging is very rewarding. You could definitely quit your job with a successful blog. People have done it and are currently doing it successfully. Being a blogger means you would have to have several things before you could begin.
First you need a self-hosted site (I recommend Bluehost if you are a beginner. Prices are as low as $2.95 per month and a free domain name is included). Next, you will need content on your blog, an audience to read your content, and a social media presence which will benefit the blog you’re working on. And don’t forget about the email list. To start, I recommend MailerLite. It’s a free tool you can use to capture people’s email addresses.
While all of this takes time, blogging allows you to be your own boss and set your own standards. It’s one of the jobs you’ve been dreaming about in order to reach that level of freedom you have been desiring.
As with anything else I’ve been talking about today, start with a niche. This is a specific topic in which you’re going to be good at talking about every week. Perhaps you are a genius in the kitchen? Perfect, now take your ideas and transform them into content on your blog.
Create articles and video tutorials and be consistent with producing this content every week. What your potential audience is looking for is consistency. If they see you helping them week in and week out they will come a step closer to your brand in the form of opting into your email list which allows you to sell to them at a later date.
Being a blogger means more responsibility and more things to keep up with. In my experience, however, it’s probably the most rewarding job you can do. The best advice I can give you is to make sure you stay grounded while you’re blogging. You can allow the excitement of the idea of success to hinder the results with your audience. Stay focused. Have one goal – help the people who are looking for great food recipes (or whatever niche you decide on).
In Conclusion
You want to quit your day job and I don’t blame you. The freedom you have as a freelancer can open up so many doors to your success in the work at home field. Take some time and evaluate your skills and determine which job you would be wonderful at.
You can research your specific job online and see who needs your expertise. Once you have everything figured out, find a Facebook group with other people who are doing the same freelance job you are. You can always find your way when there are other people to point you in the right direction.
Wade Harman is a content writing wizard for FreeeUp with an M.A. in Cognitive Psychology. He shares social media psychology and other marketing tips online related to cognitive trigger response. He loves to fish and read comic books for fun, to get the creative juices flowing.