6 High-Paying Online Work from Home Jobs
Yes, It Works!
By Alida Moore, Payscale.com
In today’s world of mobile technology and 24/7 connection to our networks, telecommuting has become easier than ever. But, while not every job is well-suited to the mobile worker, there are some careers that make working from home a strong possibility.
"The ability to work from home is a privilege, not a right," says Katie Bardaro, lead economist at online salary database PayScale.com. "The best way to prepare yourself for it is to become a star performer in your current role and show the powers that be that you have the ability to succeed in your role with limited supervision."
It is common for employees with work-from-home privileges to report higher earnings than their in-office counterparts. This is probably because trusted and valued workers are more likely to be able to negotiate a work-from-home situation.
"It's very rare to be able to work from home if you're just starting out in your career, because people have no idea whether they can trust you to work well without supervision," Bardaro says. "So it's people who've been in their career for a while, have a defined skill set that's super-useful or have been able to prove themselves and say, 'Hey look, I'm a good worker -- I know what I'm doing, I need very limited supervision.'"
If the idea of telecommuting – and working in your pajamas – appeals to you, read on for our list of six high-paying jobs that can be done from home:
Credit Analyst
Median Annual Salary: $77,200
A credit analyst is responsible for determining whether a candidate for credit is worthy, or a good risk. The bulk of this job requires online research into a credit candidate’s background. A credit analyst also verifies information, such as income, with a person’s employer via the telephone.
Information Technology (IT) Consultant
Median Annual Salary: $72,100
When a job has the word ‘consultant’ in the title, it is a fairly safe bet that workers with that job might have the option to telecommute. IT consultants meet the needs of new, small, or even large businesses. An IT consultant might set up a VPN or even implement a new database management system. Much of the work can be done remotely, making this career a potentially good fit for someone looking to work from home.
Technical Sales Representative (TSR)
Median Annual Salary: $71,500
If you are comfortable with cold-calling, able to sell products you believe in, and enjoy technology, you might find a career as a technical sales representative rewarding. All the time spent on the phone makes it easier to work from the comfort of your home office.
Software Developer
Median Annual Salary: $64,700
Software developers go for long periods without meeting end user clients, a situation that makes their jobs ideally suited for work-from-home status. Their days are spent in the research, design, development, implementation, and testing phases of software.
Technical Writer
Median Annual Salary: $58,600
It takes talent to explain difficult-to-understand technical concepts to the general public in a way that makes them easy-to-understand. If you have this skill, a career as a technical writer might be right up your alley. From technical manuals to detailed textbooks, you could write your days away, perhaps dressed in a Snuggie and drinking homemade hot chocolate.
Employment Recruiter
Median Annual Salary: $57,700
Helping both companies seeking employees and workers seeking employment, an employment recruiter handles both sides of recruiting. If you have a wide network of contacts, you could become a lead recruiter, acting as a professional matchmaker and helping jobs and workers find each other to live happily ever after.
See all work-from-home jobs on Monster.ca.
Source: All salary data provided by online salary database PayScale.com. Salaries listed are median, annual salaries based on annual salary or hourly wage and include bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions and other forms of cash earnings as applicable. All salaries are for employees with five to eight years of experience who indicated that they have the option to telecommute or work from home.