Let’s be honest: the best remote jobs are the ones that allow you to travel and pay relatively well.
While the idea of working remotely while traveling is a romantic one, you won’t get far if you’re working for scraps. This is especially true if you’ve got student loans or other large monthly expenses.
If you want to be a digital nomad (or just work from home) here’s a list of the best remote jobs that can get you there:
1) Software Developer
How much you can make: $26,000-$158,000 annually
A typical day: Software engineers and developers are in increasingly high demand, particularly in when it comes to iPhone and Android apps. As such, this one of the most popular options for well-paid remote work. A standard work day for a software developer may involve catching up with co-workers on Slack or Skype and having assignments to complete in applications such as Pivotal Tracker or Harvest.
Reasons to love it: “Other than my physical location, not much has changed and that’s kind of the point,” said Josh Black for Remote Nation. “Working remotely as a developer is fundamentally the same as if my location were in an office.”
2) Project Manager
How much you can make: $65,000-$105,000 annually
A typical day: Project managers are responsible for completing and implementing projects. This can involve managing teams in order to plan, carry out, and close projects throughout their lifecycle. A standard day may include coordinating the work of team members and working with customers and users, especially with IT projects.
Reasons to love it: “The time you save from a long commute can be channeled into the actual workings of the project,” says Aakash Gupta for Project-Management.com. “Consequently, you’ll be able to get hold of your teams online and remain informed of how tasks are shaping up from individual progress updates.”
3) Virtual Assistant
How much you can make: Up to $75 hourly
A typical day: Organizing documents, responding to emails, routing phone calls, writing basic content, booking meetings, calendar management, and other administrative tasks required by the business.
Reasons to love it: “I get to pick and choose my clients depending on our/their availability and requirements are,” says Terri Boote, director and founder of VirtualAssistants.nz.
“Because we are also able to take on clients from anywhere in New Zealand (or the world), we get the opportunity to work with some awesome businesses and are able to employ our agility and adaptability to cover almost any administrative, bookkeeping and design task our clients might need assistance with.”
4) Translator
How much you can make: $31,000 – $60,000 annually
A typical day: Translating documents such as scientific and technical papers, court forms, medical documents, and more. Sometimes a bachelor’s degree will be needed, but if you are fluent in at least two languages, you can likely find translator positions.
Reasons to love it: Freelance translator Donovan Nagel states, “I’m not a rich guy, but I have no debt and everything of value that I own along with everything I need to sustain myself abroad fits in my backpack which is very liberating indeed!”
5) Travel Agent
How much you can make: $15,500 – $96,000 annually
A typical day: Travel agents arrange flights, insurance and accommodation for travelers, use a booking system to secure holidays, collect and process payments, and advise clients on travel arrangements.
Reasons to love it: “One of the great things about becoming a work-at-home travel agent is that it’s a relatively easy startup business idea and the costs are very low,” states Holly Reisem Hanna for The Work at Home Woman.
“With a basic home office (including internet connection, a phone, computer, printer, and website), you can get started with a host agency right away.”
6) Web Developer
How much you can make: $40,000 – $114,000 annually
A typical day: Web developers spend their days designing, coding and modifying websites in accordance with client specifications.
Reasons to love it: “The added benefit of Web development is, I can do it at home,” stated Evan Williams for Medium. “I don’t need any special hardware.”
7) Medical Transcriptionist
How much you can make: $17,500 – $120,000 annually
A typical day: Medical transcriptionists spend the day listening to recorded dictation of doctors or other healthcare professionals, then interpreting and transcribing it into operative reports, referral letters, diagnostic test results and other medical documents.
Reasons to love it: “Just think about it: you get to set your own work hours and make money from the comfort of your home,” says Vira Sadiak for Canscribe Career College.
“Since Medical Transcription / Healthcare Documentation is a productivity-based job, you are in control of your schedule and workload.”
8) Recruiter
How much you can make: A median of $81,000 annually
A typical day: Virtual recruiters find qualified candidates for job vacancies, and work to meet the demands of both the employer and the employee. Strategies can include sourcing candidates through websites, blogs, various job posting sites and social media sites.
Reasons to love it: “The best part of being a virtual recruiter is that my office is wherever I am so I can work virtually anywhere,“ says interview coach Dorothy Rawlinson.
9) Graphic Designer
How much you can make: $36,000 – $76,000 annually
A typical day: Graphic designers spend the day creating visual concepts using computer software. They develop the layout and production design for websites, ads, magazines, corporate reports, brochures and more.
Reasons to love it: “I love that I work with a variety of clients and a variety of creative styles,” states remote graphic designer Rebecca of A Creative Nomad.
“Working with a variety of companies allows me to be learning about different industries and different styles of design.”
10) Online Marketing Manager / Growth Hacker
How much you can make: $20,500 – $130,500 (a median of 64,124)
A typical day: Virtual marketing professionals develop and implement all aspects of marketing plans, design campaigns, manage marketing budgets, and so on.
Reasons to love it: “Digital marketing involves a lot of activities that can be done independently,” according to HiveDesk.
“This makes remote employees well suited for many digital marketing jobs. Employees can write new blogs or edit videos without needing to be in office. Many daily activities like link building, social media updates and email outreach can also be done effectively by employees working remotely.”
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While this list features some of the most popular remote jobs, it’s not a fully comprehensive list of every possible position. There are plenty of other remote jobs that might be perfect for you depending on your priorities!
You could even try to convince your current boss to let you work remotely if you’re not ready for new position.
If you find yourself missing some skills to fully live the remote life, there are plenty of online courses you can take on site like Udemy or EdX to quickly pick up any skills you lack.
With a little creativity and the right strategies you’ll land yourself the remote job of your dreams.
Happy hunting! 🙂
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Are you ready to finally land a remote job that actually pays you well (even if you have little or no experience)?
I know what it’s like to have a little bit of your soul die every single day you drag your a$$ into the office, feeling totally unfulfilled and KNOWING there has to be a better way to make a decent salary that doesn’t leave you drained and depressed.
I became a corporate ‘dropout’ over 5+ years ago, moved to Spain and never looked back. I’ve now worked remotely with companies and clients from all over the world and I want to help you do the same!
If you’d like a little help landing a remote job in the next four weeks, be sure to check out my free Remote Jobs Roadmap.
