Dream Careers From Home

Working from home eliminates travel-related costs and office politics.

Forget about travel-related costs, office politics and donning appropriate attire for work. Do what you love from the comfort of your own home. Sleep in, run errands, spend more time with the family and schedule your work day around the things you want to do versus being tied to an office for eight hours a day.

Writing and Copy Editing

A knack for grammatical correctness or an ability to create written works of art, will make you a good candidate for a work-from-home career as a copy editor or writer. Sites like Elance.com and Demand Media offer opportunities to earn a living from home doing both. You'll enjoy the flexibility of setting your own hours and working for multiple companies. Your income potential will only be limited by your ability to render the requested services on time. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, most jobs in this field will require a college degree, preferably in the areas of English, communications and journalism.

Education

According to an article by Liam Julian, managing editor of Policy Review, nearly 1,030,000 American children across two dozen states took online classes between 2007 and 2008. If you love to teach, opportunities as a teacher or tutor abound. At the collegiate level, entire courses are made available through learning portals, and adjuncts can designate specific timeframes to engage in virtual classroom chats and discussion sessions. The proliferation of online universities and colleges also provide many teaching opportunities. You have the freedom to work part time or full time and teach or tutor for several educational facilities concurrently. Job boards like Monster, CareerBuilder and Indeed.com serve as resources to aid in your search. In 2008, the highest 10 percent of post-secondary teachers earned in excess of $121,850. Compensation will vary according to your qualifications and the subject areas in which you specialize.

Information Technology

Monitoring and troubleshooting computer systems and networks are tasks that can be performed right from the comfort of your own home. If computers fascinate you, a career as a system or network administrator, IT engineer or a data communication analyst may be right for you. Degrees are preferred but not required. Certifications may be accepted to gain entry into this field. Occasional travel may be required for issues that cannot be resolved virtually. The contracting company normal covers travel-related costs. The median annual wage for computer systems and network administrators in May 2008 was $66,310.

Translation

Translator services are projected to grow into 2018 with the middle 50 percent of translators earning up to $52,240 as of May 2009. If you are fluent in Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, German or Arabic, demand exists for your knowledge. Each translation project presents new challenges so boredom should never be a factor. Working from home gives you the option to listen to music in your pajamas while working on your projects. Most interpreters need a bachelor's degree and fluency in two languages. Translator Planet is a site that allows translators to bid on translation projects.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Authors, Writers, and Editors
• The New Atlantis: The Rise of Cyber Schools
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Teachers--Postsecondary
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Computer Network, Systems, and Database Administrators
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Interpreters and Translators

Resources

• Elance
• Demand Media
• Translator Planet
• Philly.com: Translating and Interpreting is a Growing, But Uneven, Industry