How to Make Money Online
There are as many reasons for working from home as there are people who choose to. Whether the reason is location, child care or just about anything else, going to an office is simply not possible (or desirable) for many.
However, startup costs for training, schooling or equipment can be a real barrier for many people who want to make money from home and are limited to what they already have in hand to get started.
The good news is that with the foundation of a computer, internet access, and in some cases, a smartphone with a digital camera, your work-from-home options are fairly broad. While you need to seriously examine your inclinations, interests and skillsets before you invest in any job, these low-cost ideas allow you to work from home without the drag of pricey equipment or training.
Many of us already start at the baseline of having a computer, word processing software, headphones and internet access, so if you possess these things, there are little to no startup costs to work as a transcriptionist. As a transcriptionist, you need to be a fast and accurate typist, and you also need basic computer skills, including being able to download media files (so if you don’t have a media or audio player on your computer, you can download what's needed), attach files to emails and send them and convert word processing files into whatever file format the client needs.
This job requires a computer and internet access, with, perhaps, some on-the-job training. A chat agent assists customers online for various companies across a range of different industries. Often, there is an actual person behind that chat box that comes up that says something along the lines of, “Hi, is there something I can assist you with today?” when you’re on a website.
Chat agents assist people with a spectrum of customer service needs and escalate to the next service level if the issue can’t be resolved. The job requires messaging people frequently and juggling different chat streams. It can be done remotely from home, depending on the company.
To become a chat agent, you will need a computer with internet access and the ability to type a certain speed with a level of accuracy. Some employers may test you. The pay varies, but a chat support specialist make an average of $14.62 an hour.
This is a customer-facing job, so possessing a polite and friendly computer manner helps, as well as the ability to ask questions to gain insight to help resolve the issue. It depends on where you’re working, but it helps to know about the business, products, services, processes and policies of the company you’re working for.
Data entry work offers a flexible schedule and independent work from home. It also doesn’t require investment in equipment or skills training. Data entry work boils down to entering information on a computer. While it doesn’t requires previous experience or a bachelor’s degree, the work does require basic computer skills, such as knowledge of typing, accuracy and speed, as well as installing and removing software, creating new folders, sending emails and using the internet.
The average U.S. salary for a data entry clerk is $31,153 a year or $12.55 an hour. (Some companies pay by the completed piece or keystroke.)
If you want to get your feet wet in the data entry field, you can create a profile on freelance job sites, such as Freelancer, Amazon Mechanical Turk, Upwork, The Smart Crowd, Fiverr, Working Solutions, Clickworker and Microworkers. Once your profile is created, you can either do a search for “data entry” to find gigs to apply for, or you may be contacted for work.
For more ongoing part-time or full-time data-entry work, visit more general job sites, such as FlexJobs, Glassdoor, Monster, ZipRecruiter, CareerBuilder and Indeed. Type in “data entry” as your keyword. (Beware of any scams you see soliciting money to be registered in a data entry jobs database.)
Copy editors review written material and check for factual accuracy, spelling, grammar and readability. This is an extremely detail-oriented job for people who already possess a solid foundation of English language, grammar, punctuation, spelling, as well as a high standard of accuracy. Copy editors often refer to writing style guides while copy editing -- the AP Stylebook or The Chicago Manual of Style are the go-to standards. If you already possess a knack for grammar, punctuation and spelling, then this could be a good way for you to earn money.
The hourly wage for a web copy editor in the U.S. is $29 to $31 an hour, and the median annual salary in the U.S. is $45,506.
Often, copy editing is contracted out to freelancers who work remotely, and the industries you can work in as a copy editor or proofreader are varied: from print magazines to financial institution reports to web copy to nonprofit newsletters. If you already possess knowledge in AP or Chicago styles, then you’re better suited for copyediting and proofreading for the media publishing industry, as well as for many advertising agencies. However, academic and medical written material tend to follow different guidelines, such as the AMA Manual of Style.
You can fine tune your copyediting and proofreading skills by taking an online copyediting course for certification at recognized online organizations, such as the American Society for Editing, Mediabistro or Poytner. These courses, at minimum, cost several hundred dollars.
To find work as a freelance copy editor or proofreader, you can check out major job sites including LinkedIn, FlexJobs, Glassdoor, Monster, ZipRecruiter, CareerBuilder and Indeed. You can also look for similar jobs by typing in “proofreader.”
Programming code is highly skilled work, but it doesn’t require a lot of equipment. If you have a knack for writing computer language for software, apps and/ or website, there is an abundance of free learning resources online such as Code Academy (which offers classes in 12 coding languages, including JavaScript and Python, as well as markup languages HTML and CSS) and Udemy, where the classes aren’t free, but they’re extremely affordable. Classes at General Assembly tend to run pricier, and the coding school offers one-shot classes and intensive six to 12 week training sessions online and in-class for a cost ranging from $140 to $3,500.
Coders must be detail-oriented and meticulous. There is high demand for freelance coders, and much of the work can be done from the comfort of your home.
Coding is a general term. There are many different coding languages you can learn. For instance, JavaScript and HTML are common programming languages used for website development. The upside of programming from home is that you can set your own hours and the mean hourly wage for programmers in the U.S. is $38.39. The median annual pay for a programmer is $79,840.
Online consignment offers a great opportunity to make money through a completely virtual process from home. All you need are a computer, Wi-Fi and a digital camera that takes good photos. You’ll also need mailing materials to package and ship your clothing to the buyer, however you can recoup the shipping and packaging costs by passing the costs onto the buyer.
There are a number of online platforms -- such as Asos, Bib + Tuck, Poshmark, SnobSwap, The RealReal, Vestiaire Collective, Tradesy and ThredUp-- specifically for selling your unwanted clothing, jewelry and accessories. Also, you can always list on eBay. Make sure to research the sites to see what sort of items they’re looking for -- high-end designer, super vintage or Zara-friendly.
Pick a great user ID or name for your shop, use quality images and vivid descriptions of what you’re selling and if you’re doing the selling (some of these sites are peer-to-peer selling and others sell for you for a higher cut of the profits), make sure you offer responsive customer service.
The job of social media manager requires a lot of time online and can be done from pretty much anywhere there is a computer or smartphone and Wi-Fi. If you have a knack for social media and have a good sense of the tools available, or are willing to learn, you may have a future in social media marketing, a job you can do from anywhere with a computer or smartphone.
The responsibilities of social media marketer includes setting up social media accounts, performing a social media audit (examining client’s social media presence), developing a strategy to create, curate and manage all published content across social media accounts as well as developing marketing campaigns. Social media managers grow sustainable social media followings.
There isn’t one way to become a social media manager. Most full-time positions look for, at minimum, a bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism or marketing. If you don’t have one, then look for freelance work to build your experience and credentials. You can also seek additional training, for a price: Hootesuite Academy offers certification, and General Assembly offers bootcamps and workshops on social media management.