Even before COVID-19 transitioned workers deemed non-essential (for in-person work, that is) to work-from-home environments, many people were already seeking jobs that would allow them to work remotely. And some employers were being accommodating, increasingly permitting more flexible situations. 

As we kick off 2021, there is hope on the horizon, with two new coronavirus vaccines currently in limited circulation. Will this mean that workers who have gotten used to working from home will have to return to the office — if they haven’t already? That remains to be seen. There are clear benefits of remote work for employees and employers alike.

If you’re in search of a remote job — one that will stay remote post-pandemic — look no further. We’ve rounded up 25 jobs you can do from home, plus tips for landing them.

7 steps for finding remote jobs.

1. Look on job-search sites.

There are several job-search sites specific to helping people find remote work, as well as general job-search sites that include work-from-home jobs and have filters that allow you to specific your preferences. Some examples are:

• Fairygodboss

Along with a job-search engine, Fairygodboss offers career advice, company reviews, articles, forums and more aimed at helping women succeed and advance in their careers.

• We Work Remotely

We Work Remotely offers jobs in categories include programming; design; copywriting; DevOps and sysadmin; business, management and finance; product; customer support; and sales and marketing. There are other jobs listed on the site, too, including both contract and full-time work. The site also offers resources for remote workers.

• FlexJobs

Flexjobs has remote, work-from-home, telecommuting and flexible job listings spanning more than 50 categories. There are also articles and resources for finding a remote job.

• Remote.co

Remote.co posts remote jobs in many categories, along with a blog, remote courses, remote companies, Q&As and much more.

2. Network online.

While you can certainly find positions on job-search sites, networking is often a pivotal step for landing any position, work-from-home or not. Now, there are many substitutes for in-person networking events, especially while face-to-face interactions are unsafe. For example, you can attend virtual conferences, connect with professionals in your industry on LinkedIn and set up informational Zoom interviews.

3. Build your work-from-home skills.

Working remotely is more than just doing your regular job at home. It demands additional skills, along with the ones you need for excelling in your career in an office setting. If you’re in search of a work-from-home job, start building up the skills you’ll need to succeed. 

For example, you’ll want strong technology skills, such as project management tools and videoconferencing. You’ll also need to be adept at organization and time management, since you’ll be the one tasked with keeping yourself on track.

4. Learn how to market yourself.

Once you have these work-from-home skills, it’s important to learn how to market yourself so you showcase them and make it clear that you have the abilities to do the job independently with self-direction and no hand-holding. 

Incorporate your remote-work skills and examples that demonstrate them into your cover letters and resumes, and be sure to discuss them in your interviews. Describe experiences you’ve had working remotely (including this past year) and how you dealt with the challenges they presented, as well as any methods you use to keep yourself focused.

5. Talk to other remote workers.

Other people you know who work remotely can help you in numerous ways. They can give you tips and advice on best practices and give you ideas of where to look, based on how they found their own positions. They may even know of remote jobs that could be a great fit for you and your skillset.

6. Create an online portfolio.

Showcase your work in an online portfolio so people can easily find you. Make sure to include your contact information (in a secure way) in case anyone wants to get in touch — they might even be looking for someone with your knowledge and experience to work with them on a project or longer-term position. 

Some industries lend themselves to online portfolios better than others, like web development, graphic design and writing. But even if you can’t showcase a visible product, you can still tell your story, including case studies of projects you’ve worked on and past work you’ve completed.

7. Negotiate with your current employer.

Many traditional office jobs (at least pre-pandemic office jobs) can also transfer to remote-work situations. If you believe you’re currently working in a job that you believe you could reliably do from home, then you should talk to your manager about the possibility of telecommuting (beyond the pandemic, if your in-person work is set to resume once the vaccine is more widely distributed). 

This could be the best-case scenario since you wouldn’t have to look for a new job. Many managers may well be especially amenable if you’ve performed well from home during COVID.

25 high-paying work-from-home jobs.

These jobs all have the potential to be fully completed from home. You can find openings for many of them near you by searching the Fairygodboss jobs page.

(Listed salaries are based on reported averages on Glassdoor but can vary widely based on location, experience level, highest degree earned and many other factors.)

1. Web Developer

Average annual salary: $68,524

Web developers are responsible for building possibly the most important sales and marketing tool in a business’s repertoire: their website. Responsibilities can vary based on the specific position — for instance, in some cases, web developers and designers are one in the same — but ultimately, they code, create and maintain web pages. They must have strong technical skills, including a knowledge of programming languages.

2. Software Developer

Average annual salary: $76,526

The particular roles may differ somewhat from company to company, but generally speaking, software developers, software engineers and computer programmers have overlapping responsibilities: developing and updating computer software, applications and systems. Like web developers, they must have strong programming skills and technical knowledge.

3. Graphic Designer

Average annual salary: $45,677

Often, graphic designers work as freelancers, but they can also be full-time employees of companies (while working from home) in a wide variety of industries. They should have technology and creative skills to create visually-appealing designs that range from websites to catalogs to logos, along with many other materials.

4. UX Designer

Average annual salary: $89,038

User experience (UX) designers must have skills that intersect many fields, including marketing, graphic design, writing and programming. They’re responsible for the user-friendliness of products, including websites and apps, ensuring that visitors and consumers have an enjoyable experience. They should have the ability to write, research, prototype, wireframe and design, to name just a few of the many competencies that are involved in this increasingly in-demand job. 

5. Social Media Manager

Average annual salary: $50,473

Every business needs a social media presence these days, along with someone (or many people) to oversee it. This, too, can be a freelance or full-time job. In your role, you’ll develop strategies for increasing your brand’s presence and improving content on a variety of channels, such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. You might also create the actual content or direct others to do so. Additionally, you’ll analyze trends, track performance and research competitor accounts.

6. Business Development Manager

Average annual salary: $65,937

As a business development manager, you’ll identify new growth and sales opportunities for your business. This might mean generating leads, establishing partnerships with other organizations, performing market research, finding new clients, pinpointing opportunities with existing clients and developing additional strategies for success. 

7. Marketing Specialist

Average annual salary: $65,834

Marketers often don’t need to be on-site to do their job, which can vary widely depending on the industry and company. Generally speaking, you’ll devise marketing plans and strategies, create promotions, determine how to best position products and strategies and liaise with other departments, such as the sales team, to reach customers and clients.

8. IT Manager

Average annual salary: $85,253

Information technology (IT) managers are much sought-after these days. They’re playing a vital role in helping employees use the technology, programs, software and systems while they work remotely, but they’re also integral to on-site operations, too. At the manager level, IT specialists will create IT strategies, such as identifying the technology a business needs to run smoothly, upgrading systems, installing hardware and software, troubleshooting and providing general support.

9. Blogger

Average annual salary: $33,128

A blogger’s success depends on many factors, such as their niche, the visual appeal of their site and most importantly, their ability to grow their audience by producing compelling content. This might start out as a side hustle, but once you start attracting readers and followers, you could gain advertisers and other income streams.

10. Project Manager

Average annual salary: $66,137

This is another role that can vary considerably from industry to industry and company to company. Project managers are tasked with keeping projects on track, ensuring that they are completed according to the established timeline, budgeting, communicating with all departments involved and much more. You must be extremely organized and have exemplary communication skills to excel in this role. There are specialized project managers, such as those focusing on technology or construction.

11. Animator

Average annual salary: $69,168

Animation blends creativity and technical skills. The job involves creating animations and special effects for media like TV, movies, commercials, video games, applications and more. Your artistic sensibility is central to the role, but you’ll also need to be strong in other areas like graphic design and certain computer software.

12. Bookkeeper

Average annual salary: $30,875

Bookkeepers can often perform the entirety of their responsibilities from home, as long as they're highly organized — a crucial quality for on-site bookkeepers, too. You’ll be responsible for keeping track of your organization’s expenses, transactions and income and delivering financial reports to the business’ leaders.

13. Recruiter

Average annual salary: $49,315

Recruiters may work independently, through a dedicated recruitment firm or with a single business. Their job is to seek out and identify qualified candidates for specific roles, using methods like reaching out to professionals on LinkedIn and other platforms or placing ads on job boards and job-search sites. They often perform screening interviews before passing along potential fits to the hiring manager. These individuals must have good people skills, be highly organized and have some knowledge of the industry in which they specialize.

14. Accountant

Average annual salary: $53,748

Accountants are responsible for tracking and assessing clients’ financial activities, including businesses and individuals, such as working on and filing taxes on their behalf. Many become Certified Public Accountants, a designation that enables them to provide certain services that those without the certification cannot.

15. Sales Manager or Representative

Average annual salary: $99,299

Working remotely allows sales representatives and managers to establish relationships with customers in their local areas. They are tasked with maintaining current customers, assessing and helping meet their needs and developing new leads. Successful sales representatives usually have excellent communication skills and the ability to connect with and support others. 

16. Technical Writer

Average annual salary: $57,282

There’s a huge market for people who can deliver complex information in a digestible and comprehensive manner. While having existing knowledge of the specific industry isn’t necessarily a prerequisite, you’ll need to be able to perform thorough and accurate research and be able to grasp difficult topics quickly to create materials like technological documentation, instruction manuals, test scripts and more.

17. Actuary

Average annual salary: $97,776

By analyzing statistical data, an actuary predicts the consequences, benefits and impacts of financial risk. They must be excellent with numbers — mathematics and statistics, most specifically — in order to assess how events like accidents, diseases, death and more will affect certain financial issues. Industries like insurance, healthcare, government and others typically have a high need for actuaries.

18. Cybersecurity Specialist

Average annual salary: $69,123

Technology professionals with experience and skills in cybersecurity should consider becoming a specialist in their field. You can work remotely, developing and implementing security protocol and systems. Given that malicious attacks have been increasingly prevalent, this role is hugely in-demand.

19. Data Analyst

Average annual salary: $62,453

You must be adept with quantitative and qualitative data and have excellent technical skills, including coding, to be a data analyst. Your role is to gather and analyze data to solve problems within and help your business succeed. Many data analysts, particularly those with significant expertise and experience, can do their jobs from home.

20. Market Researcher

Average annual salary: $59,753

Many businesses hire outside market researchers to help them identify prospective consumers and clients, figure out the needs of this base and define the value of their products and services, ultimately improving the business. Much of their job is done independently, making it ideal for a remote setting.

21. Public Relations Manager

Average annual salary: $50,145

Public relations (PR) managers represent individuals and businesses and are essentially responsible for helping them cultivate and maintain their public image. As part of their job, they’ll pitch stories to media outlets, write speeches for their clients and develop media kits and PR strategies.

22. Financial Manager

Average annual salary: $95,162 

An important role in any business, the financial manager oversees and directs financial and finance-related activities of companies. Among other responsibilities, they’ll analyze data, create and deliver reports and make recommendations, all toward the goal of helping the business succeed financially.

23. Copywriter

Average annual salary: $58,465 

Calling all wordsmiths! As a copywriter, you’ll craft compelling copy for advertisements, websites, promotional materials, packaging and more. Some copywriters focus on a particular industry — and practically every industry needs copy in one way or another — or work with advertising agencies. 

24. SEO Specialist

Average annual salary: $49,589

Search engine optimization (SEO) is both an art and a science, something that’s constantly changing and evolving. That’s why many businesses employ or outsource work to SEO specialists, who help them identify areas to optimize their digital content to increase their rankings on search engines like Google. To succeed in the role, you’ll need to have a deep knowledge of marketing, digital trends, copywriting and keyword research methods.

25. Translator

Average annual salary: $45,158

If you’re a master at languages, translation could be your calling. You’ll need to be completely fluent in at least two languages so you can accurately translate written and oral material. Translators work in many different sectors, such as travel (airlines, for example), the government, healthcare, education and many others.

These are just some of the jobs that you can successfully work all from the comfort of your own home. Do you have a remote job you love or advice for others looking to work from home in 2021? Let us know in the comments!

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