Working online has a huge number of advantages: from giving you new freedom to work when and where you choose, to giving you access to opportunities you simply wouldn’t be afforded any other way. Working online is becoming increasingly common, and it is the future that we are all headed toward. That’s why the list of top online jobs is constantly growing.
In fact, the main challenge in picking the top online jobs is narrowing down the list. You see, a huge number of “regular jobs” can now be performed entirely online: including nearly any job you would typically perform in an office. The options are nearly endless, and that can make the sea of potential tricky to navigate.
In this list, I will be breaking down the top online jobs in terms of versatility, ease of entry, enjoyment, stability, and profit. This will include both your “classic” online jobs, as well as a number of roles you may not have previously considered.
So without further ado, let’s dive into the top online jobs for 2020.
Table of Contents
The top online jobs
Copywriter
A copywriter is someone who provides copy for a website or business. Typically, copy refers to text that serves as marketing spiel, homepage content, or advertising, rather than long-form content designed to entertain and inform. That said, copywriting is often used as a broad term that can also encompass blog writing and more.
What’s so great about being an online copywriter is that the work is so flexible. You can make do with the most underpowered computer in the world, as long as it has a good keyboard! Often the deadlines are flexible, and finding work is relatively easy.
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You’ll often get paid by the word, meaning that the more you write, the more you earn! For those that are great at focusing, this provides a competitive edge. The downside is that you’ll likely be competing with freelancers from all around the world. And some of those people will have low living costs that make them tough to compete with.
Read also: How to find online writing jobs, as a copywriter
Writer
Of course, you might alternatively opt to become a “proper” writer and focus your efforts as an author or a journalist.
Working as an author is a challenge, as you’ll need to prove you have what it takes to publishers (when just getting them to answer emails is hard enough!) If you have technical skills, then becoming a technical author can provide a useful “in.” Otherwise, getting some work published elsewhere can help you go stand out from the crowd.
Writing as a journalist is easier, and you can begin by looking for job openings or submitting articles to publications that accept them. Working as a journalist has many of the same advantages as copywriting, but with the added benefit of seeing your name appear on your work! This job is creatively rewarding, and you may even get the opportunity to travel, or to review cool products.
Developer
Becoming a developer is a smart move for anyone that wants to futureproof their career. This is likely to be one of the top online jobs for centuries to come! The demand for software engineers is only increasing, as we rely on technology to perform an increasing number of crucial everyday functions.
Software developers can command healthy salaries and can find roles in a wide variety of organizations (or work freelance). There are plenty of job listings available for developers of every variety, but you should make sure to continuously add to your resume with new skills and proficiencies if you want to compete at the highest level.
Read also: How to work as a software developer online: everything you need to know
There is a huge difference between a games developer who works in Unity, versus a full stack web developer. Learn the differences, choose your niche, and then hone your skills.
Web designer
A web designer is a specific type of developer who will combine basic (and sometimes not-so-basic) coding chops with graphic design skills.
A website is something that nearly every business needs, ensuring that there is no shortage of work available. Just keep in mind that this is also a very competitive industry, and you’ll need to work hard to be chosen over the alternatives. If you can do that, then this is certainly one of the top online jobs.
Consultant
No matter what your area of expertise, if you have a lot of experience in an industry, then you can share that knowledge as a consultant. This service can be provided over the phone or via Skype calls, but you’ll need to prove that you can bring value and you’ll need to work to ensure your calendar stays fully booked.
Consultants can charge a lot of money, making this one of the best online jobs in terms of remuneration. But you do usually need some element of success in your career before you can properly market yourself as a consultant.
Data analyst/scientist
Becoming a data analyst is a very smart move for those looking to thrive in the future jobs market. That’s because data collection and extrapolation is increasingly at the heart of business models, and will play an even larger role in machine learning, IoT, and more.
Also read: How to become a data analyst and prepare for the algorithm-driven future
The job of a data scientist or data analyst is to manipulate data. This means they’ll be looking for useful patterns and insights in large data sets: translating huge amounts of numbers into plain English. They may then use visualizations to report this data, or simply make suggestions for businesses to help them make use of it.
With a background in math, computer science, statistics, or economics, you will be a good fit for this kind of role and may be able to land a permanent position working from home, or find freelance opportunities to provide your work.
Digital artist
Being a digital artist means getting paid to express yourself creatively – which some of us would consider a wonderful opportunity.
Also read: How to become a digital artist
Digital art is increasingly useful for businesses from all walks of life. Whether you are creating artwork for albums and computer games, or you’re designing t-shirt or flyers. There are other ways to monetize this skill too, such as selling your art from a website.
Digital marketer
A digital marketer is someone who works to ensure that a website is as discoverable as possible. That means helping it to rank highly on Google, as well as growing its visibility on sites like Facebook and Twitter.
This type of marketing is fairly mechanical and technical, and can involve a lot of relatively dull work (posting links and writing blog posts). However, there is a rewarding logic to it, and it’s another role that is in extremely high demand and growing all the time.
And of course, if you can market other websites, you can also market your own, creating many more opportunities for the top online jobs!
Coach
Not all the top online jobs are business to business (B2B). You can also make a living online by selling to consumers (B2C). One great example of this is to become a coach.
It is becoming more and more common to find work as a fitness coach online. This way, you can train someone to improve their physique, lose weight, or prepare for a sport – all without being physically present! As long as you have all the relevant information from your clients and they’re able to keep you up to speed with the details of their training, you can advise on the best programs and diet plans for them to follow. Just make sure you have liability insurance!
There are many other types of coach, too. If fitness coaching isn’t for you, then how about life coaching? Or career coaching?
Also read: How to work online in health and fitness
Whatever the case, as long as your clients have Skype, you can provide knowledge and advice remotely. You don’t even strictly need a qualification, though getting an online certification can certainly increase your credibility and help you to find more clients.
Reseller
Lots of people have dreamed of opening up their own high street store. With more and more such stores closing down all the time though, it is an increasingly risky proposition.
What is an increasingly viable option though, is setting up an online store. Becoming a reseller simply means that you’ll be buying items in bulk and then selling them on for a profit. The simplest way to do this is by buying bulk items from manufacturers via Alibaba.com, and then selling on eBay or even through Amazon.
But there are plenty more options! For example, you could consider using Fulfilment By Amazon (Amazon FBA) in order to let Amazon handle your storage, shipping, and delivery. Get this right, and it can become an entirely passive and automated business model!
Blogger
A blogger is someone who runs a blog, writes posts, and earns money from a combination of advertising and direct sales of digital products/affiliate products. As a blogger, you’ll be getting paid to write about subjects you find fascinating and to engage in interesting discussions with your fans around those topics.
Blogging can be an extremely lucrative online job once you make it big. However, it does take a long time to get to that point in most cases, and that means you’ll spend the first several months or years writing content that no one reads! There are also many different elements to a successful blog: from the quality of the writing and branding, to the site design, to the SEO.
If you are technically minded, if you love writing, and if you are willing to take a big chance on a project that may or may not take off, then blogging can lead to one of the very best online jobs.
Influencer
Yes, we live in a time where “influencer” is a legitimate job role. In fact, being an influencer is probably the best paid option on this list – if you do it right!
To put this in perspective, a creator with 10,000 followers can potentially stand to earn $1,000 for a sponsored post.
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So, if you have that many followers and you can get a few sponsors each month, you’re effectively making a full-time living by taking a few photographs each month!
Of course, it’s not quite that simple. Becoming an influencer in the first place is an extremely tough challenge. Not only that, but you’ll also need to think about how you’re going to engage your audience, and how you’re going to provide value. An eye for a good photo op and an engaging personality will go a long way too. Not to mention a unique USP that helps you to stand out!
But still, if you can land this job, it’s one of the sweetest deals around!
Create your own role!
There are many more types of work you can perform online. A few honorable mentions go to:
- Business consultant
- Talent agent
- Affiliate marketer
- Proof-reader
- Professional gamer
- IT support
- Virtual assistant
- Inventor
- Day trader
- Cryptocurrency trader
- Graphic designer
Then there all the jobs that no one has thought of yet. Because that’s really the most amazing thing about working online: there is nothing to stop you from coming up with your own business idea and making millions!
The web provides you with access to extremely powerful, distributed tools. It lets you work with and for people across the world. And it gives you a megaphone you can use to communicate with nearly everyone on the planet. This gives us endless opportunities to earn money online and to create any kind of business imaginable.
You could even become a serial entrepreneur! Why settle for one of the top online jobs when you can actually work multiple jobs at once? You could write for one client, program for another, and all the while make money from a blog. And you can fit all of this around the lifestyle that you feel most comfortable leading!