Many people are interested in becoming a freelancer these days, and it makes sense when you think about the possibilities and freedoms. Of course, freelancing is not all glamorous and can be tough to initially break into the job market. There are tons of people just like you who have the same interest and desire to work for themselves, and it can get a bit competitive.
But luckily, there are so many categories of freelance jobs you can choose from that any skills you potentially have can become a lucrative way to make money from home.
Here you’ll learn about some of the best freelance jobs that can pay well and freelance job sites that will help you get work much faster.
1. Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is a top in-demand set of skills because every company needs marketing and an online presence. You can be a generalist. That means you do it all in digital marketing, or you can focus on specific areas like social media, paid advertising, email, etc.
Although I do digital marketing full-time, I used to do quite a bit of freelancing and contract work in various digital marketing focus areas. Plus, the more experience and track record you have, the more money you can make.
2. Writing
Probably one of the more popular freelance jobs is writing. Again, this can be a pretty broad category, but getting paid to write can be quite lucrative as you build your portfolio. You can make money from being a blogger or starting your own blog, a copywriter, or an editor/proofreader. Although it can be competitive, there is no shortage of writing work out there.
3. Designer
Similar to digital marketing, looking for quality design work is a much-needed area for most businesses today. Small businesses, start-ups, solo entrepreneurs, and enterprise organizations have numerous areas where quality design work is necessary.
It could be as simple as creating logos and social media banners to create various display ads, even designing a new website’s layout. But being a freelance designer can also be areas like UX/UI design where you help create layouts and interfaces of products. Or, if you are a talented illustrator, there can be needs for your artistic creations too.
4. Data Entry
Although less glamorous than some of the other freelance jobs, data entry is still an in-demand job that many organizations like to outsource. So if you are fast with a keyboard, don’t mind crunching numbers, and are highly organized — then data entry could be decent work for you.
It might not pay the highest at first, but the better you get and the bigger data jobs, the more lucrative it can be. Plus, it’s a great way for you to test the freelance world to see if you like working from home.
5. Online Teaching
Are you incredibly knowledgeable about certain subjects? Do you have previous experience teaching others? Then becoming an online teacher in a freelance capacity can be for you. It may require a college degree and teaching experience in a specific subject, but you can help tutor anyone from anywhere with the internet.
Popular categories would be teaching a language, math, and science — but it can be anything!
6. Virtual Assistant
As digital work began to grow, so did the industry of being a virtual assistant. It’s easy for many entrepreneurs or small business owners to get bogged down by daily tasks that aren’t that important.
If you like doing administrative work and learning, then a great freelance job for you could be becoming a virtual assistant. The tasks you might do include calendar management, researching, bookings, emailing, organizing, and customer support.
7. Translator
Do you speak and write fluently in other languages? Even if you are fluent in just one other language, you can make some good money as a translator.
Many businesses have global offices and offer products or services worldwide. And because of that, they will need their information in other languages. You might help translate ebooks, websites, blog posts, brochures, presentations, legal documents, books, and more.
8. Web Developer or Programmer
The digital transformation era has opened the doors for tons of freelance jobs, especially in web development and programming.
If you have expertise in coding languages like HTML/CSS, PHP, Ruby on Rails, Javascript, Python, and other categories — you can make some good money as a freelancer. Pending the programming languages you know, you might be working on websites, apps for iOS or Android, and even unique software projects.
9. Customer Service
One of the last freelance job categories I’m including is working in customer service. While retail businesses and certain offices will require you to be in person, there is still plenty of customer service or support roles you can do from home.
Additionally, it might be a bit less flexible with your schedule, as you will need to be by your computer or phone during specific business hours.