5 Work-From-Home Jobs that Don't Require a Degree
It's a clickbait cliché: "Make $1500 a Day from Home (No Experience Needed)!!" There are a lot of get-rich-quick scams that bill themselves as work-from-home careers. And if you sign up, someone will get rich...it's just not going to be you. But there are legitimate sources of income out there that will let you work from home. Some can lead to a career with long-term prospects, and some don't even require a college degree. They're not easy, and working from home brings its own challenges. But the opportunities continue to grow as employers recognize the advantages of an at-home workforce. Here are a few careers that fit the bill.
#1: Graphic Design
In the age of the internet, there will always be a demand for talented graphic designers. Sure, amateurs can spit out some graphics with online tools (sometimes even for free). But for effective design, there's no substitute for a professional eye and a creative mind. It's not for the faint of heart. Say goodbye to your artistic integrity and hello to interpreting vague and contradictory client requests. You'll almost certainly be freelancing and it might take time to build a reputation for steady work. But if you've got the goods, it's a career with no limits. Potential clients range from local businesses to Fortune 500 companies and everything in between. Education's not a factor. All you need is skills, experience, and a good network. But if you're struggling with the business logistics or looking to up your game, there are courses out there to help.
#2: Customer Service Representative
Call centers are rapidly becoming ext. As phone calls give way to email and chat, companies are discovering that reps can work from home just as effectively as an office. Potential employers include corporate giants like Apple, but lots of online businesses need chat or phone support. Sometimes they hire direct, and sometimes they hire out through customer service providers like LiveOps and Working Solutions. It's a growing industry with no particular educational requirements—experience is king. Never worked call-in or online support? If you have any customer service experience at all (food service, retail), you can argue that those skills will translate.
#3: Medical or Legal Transcription
If you're a fast and accurate typist with good grammar, you can make a living turning dictated audio into text. Transcription jobs exist for a range of topics, but the medical and legal fields need specialists familiar with their lingo. There are tons of transcription services hiring employees who want to work from home. Potential employers include ubiQus, which hires both legal and medical transcriptionists. If you have a background in medical or legal terminology, you might be able to simply jump right in. If you need to build knowledge of the jargon, you can find reputable online training for both medical and legal transcription.
#4: Bookkeeping
You need a degree to be an accountant, but daily bookkeeping tasks require no formal education, just a good head for numbers and attention to detail. "Virtual bookkeeping" (working from home) is in growing demand. Potential employers include outsourcing services like Supporting Strategies or AccountingDepartment.com. You can also freelance with sites like Upwork. If you're starting from scratch or your experience is outdated, you can improve your hiring prospects by getting QuickBooks certification.
#5: Medical Coding
Medical facilities and insurance companies always need medical services, diagnoses, and supplies translated into billing codes. Yeah, not a glamorous job, but an in-demand one. You may need to earn some experience in an office before you get paid for the pajama life. But once you have it, potential employers include the bigs like UnitedHealth and contractors like The Coding Network. Accuracy is extremely important, so being detail oriented is a must. You don't need a degree but you do need certification, and it's an investment. You can find legitimate certification programs online—just be careful to avoid scams. If someone promises you certification in 30 days, run the other way.
Bottom Line
Work-from-home careers (not just jobs!) are no longer a myth. That includes options with decent pay where they'll hire you without a college degree. But you should check that opportunities are legit, always, and that includes any job training or certification you might need.
