Now, remember, a career change and a job change are two different things. The average person changes jobs 10 to 15 times according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). You might change jobs for a number of reasons: 

• Better pay 
• Relocating
• Career advancement 
• Layoff
• Work/life balance
• Schedule change

Whatever the reason, a job change simply means stopping one position and starting another. Often, when you change jobs you keep the same or a similar title but go to a different company. When you change jobs, you use the same skills you’ve acquired at previous roles. The only training you need is for your new place of work. 

Job Change Example

For example, let’s say you’re a bookkeeper. Currently, you work for ACME Bookkeeping as a Junior Bookkeeper. However, you don’t enjoy the company culture so you accept a Senior Bookkeeping position at Mr. B’s Bookkeeping (shoutout to my cat, Mr. B!). This is considered a job change. At Mr. B’s, you use the same bookkeeping skills from ACME. The difference is how Mr. B’s operates which will require some training. But, for the most part, you hit the ground running at Mr. B’s because you are still a bookkeeper — you’re just working at a new company. 

What is a career change?

Now a career change, on the other hand, is more involved. Career changes mean taking on new work that is different from your previous positions. A career change requires you to learn a new skill, receive certain training, or complete specific certifications. These new skills/training/certifications prepare you to work for roles you don’t have experience in. Most often, people change careers to improve their quality of life or increase job satisfaction. 

Let’s revisit our bookkeeper example. After working as a bookkeeper at ACME for years, you realize bookkeeping isn’t something you truly enjoy anymore. You want to pursue a creative career. After a little research, you decide you want to become a writer. It’s something you’ve often dreamed about but unfortunately have zero professional writing experience. So, you enroll in an online writing program and learn how to become a professional writer. Now you’re able to successfully transition from bookkeeper to writer.

This is a career change. You have to learn a whole new skill set so you can make the switch from bookkeeper to writer. 

10 Remote Jobs You Can Quickly Learn to Make a Remote Career Change 

As a career coach, I work with plenty of job seekers who want to change careers. Often, they hope for a new position that more closely matches their interests and, of course, is remote friendly. Over the years, I’ve helped job seekers make career transitions like teacher to freelance graphic designer, bank teller to home-based transcriptionist, registered nurse to virtual assistant, and so many more. 

If they can do it, so can you. However, I know it’s not easy to make career changes. It’s harder still when you’re just starting to contemplate a change. That is, you know you’re ready for a professional transition to telecommuting, but aren’t sure where to start.

So, to offer some real remote work inspiration, I’ve put together a list of 10 easily-learned remote job-ready skills to make a career change quickly. Check them out and get inspired to kick your cubicle to the curb. You won’t have to get a new degree or spend years on your education. Instead, you can finish your training quickly — often in as little as a year or less.

1. Transcription 

What is transcription? Broadly, transcription is the process of listening to recorded audio and typing out what is being said. This written record is called a transcript and can be used in a lot of ways like medical records, court proceedings, and market research. 

What is it like to work in transcription? The most common transcription jobs from home include medical transcription, legal transcription, and general transcription. Often, these positions are contract based. That means you are hired as an independent contractor which offers greater flexibility than employee positions. Professional transcriptionists use special software and equipment, like a foot pedal, to increase their typing speed and accuracy. Most are paid per audio hour and average earnings hover around $28/hour according to ZipRecruiter. 

Where can I learn transcription skills? It depends on what type of transcription you want to pursue. For Medical Transcription and Editing training, CareerStep is a great online option.

TranscribeAnywhere is ideal to tackle Legal Transcription, General Transcription, or both! All programs are self-paced, completely virtual, and can be completed in as little as four months. 

2. Writing

What is writing? Writing is a broad profession that includes a lot of niches. Some examples include grant writing, technical writing, content marketing, and so much more! 

What is it like to work as a writer? Most writers are freelance. That means they find potential clients, pitch their work, and negotiate pay rate. Often, freelance writers are paid per word but can also be paid per piece. For example, a writer might charge $0.05 per word or ask for $150.00 per blog post. 

Where can I learn writing skills? SmartBlogger has a highly-rated Content Marketing Certification program. This in-depth training prepares graduates to hit the ground running (or writing) and start earning a living as a writer. My friend, Elna Cain, also has a beginner-friendly online course called Write Your Way to Your First 1k where, you guessed it, she teaches you what it takes to earn your first grand as a paid writer! 

3. Proofreading/Editing

What is proofreading and editing? Proofreading and editing are two different career paths that often collide in the remote world. Editors focus on big picture writing issues like flow and structure. Proofreaders are the final set of eyes that check writing for spelling errors, grammatical issues, and typographical mistakes. 

What is it like to work as a proofreading pro or editor? Proofreaders and editors can work for large publications or independently with indie writers. They also handle different types of content like romance novels, academic articles, dissertations, ebooks, marketing materials, and so much more! 

Where can I learn proofreading and/or editing skills? My top recommendation for general proofreading is ProofreadAnywhere. You’ll learn the ins and outs of proofreading as a beginner and where to find work when you’re done. For editing I highly recommend Edit Republic. This fully online course focuses on editorial skills you can put to work quickly to work remotely. 

4. Medical Billing and Coding 

What is medical billing and coding? In the U.S., a universal code system is used to identify medical supplies and procedures. These codes are applied to a patient’s chart and are a part of their medical record. Insurance companies use these codes to pay hospitals, doctors, and clinics for the services they provide. 

What is it like to work as a medical billing and coding professional? This is a healthcare career that is very remote friendly! Most virtual medical coders work for hospitals or large agencies to help accurately assign codes. Typically, medical billers and coders are hired as remote employees which come with benefits like health insurance and paid time off. 

Where can I learn medical billing and coding skills? CareerStep provides training for medical billing and coding professionals. In less than a year, you are prepared to be a competitive entry level candidate in your career. Plus, CareerStep partners with remote-friendly companies that readily hire new grads.  

5. Bookkeeping 

What is bookkeeping? Bookkeeping is different from accounting. Bookkeepers do not require a formal degree or certification. That’s because bookkeepers keep records of transactions without providing financial advice. 

What is it like to work as a bookkeeper? Bookkeepers routinely record incoming and outgoing payments within a corporation. They run reports and monitor the flow of money. Sometimes they make sure bills are paid on time or help collect payments. Many small businesses and self-employed persons use a bookkeeper to help them stay on top of business finances. Remote bookkeepers can contract with an agency or source their own clients as a freelancer. 

Where can I learn bookkeeping skills? Since you don’t need a formal degree to become a bookkeeper, a program like Bookkeeper Launch is a quick way to grab in-demand bookkeeping skills. You learn up-to-date bookkeeping skills, efficient systems, and how to find high-quality clients. 

6. Project Manager 

What is project management? This high-growth role plans, organizes, and runs projects. Project managers work at small businesses to large corporations. They help company projects run smoothly so that they are completed on time and within budget. 

What is it like to work as a project manager? Project managers are responsible for a variety of tasks. They estimate budgets, run meetings, manage risks, and navigate team dynamics. Most are natural problem solvers and use these skills daily to prioritize tasks, build relationships, and deliver results. 

Where can I learn project management skills? Grow with Google offers a Google Project Management: program via Coursera. This online course does not require prior experience. You’ll learn job-ready skills in about six months designed to prepare you for work right out the gate. Graduates even get to connect with employers actively hiring entry-level project managers. 

7. IT Support

What is IT support?  IT support is part customer service and part technical troubleshooting. Support professionals diagnose tech issues and walk users through solutions. Computer hardware, software, and internet applications are just some of the products IT support pros work with. 

What is it like to work as an IT support professional? It really depends on the industry you work within. Some popular industries that actively hire IT support professionals include technology, retail, finance, education, government agencies, startups, energy, and many more. One day you might help fix a computer issue. The next day you could help debug a software problem. Each day will bring new tasks and challenges as you help users resolve issues that arise when tech fails. 

Where can I learn IT support skills? The Google IT Support via Grow with Google and Coursera is the perfect online training program to gain entry level skills. Again, you don’t need previous experience or come from a tech background. This program teaches you troubleshooting along with customer care so you can work a remote help desk like a pro. 

8. Data Analytics 

What is a data analyst? A data analyst is someone who collects and organizes data. This data is then used to uncover trends and patterns so businesses can make predictions. The goal is to provide data driven recommendations. 

What is it like to work as a data analyst? A data analyst will create visualizations to share with others. You routinely compile data in a meaningful way so you can find patterns. Some days you might create spreadsheets. The next you could hold a meeting to share predictions with stockholders. Regularly, you will compile and analyze data to draw conclusions. 

Where can I learn data analytics skills? You can obtain a Google Data Analytics Certificate online through Coursera. Students do not need previous experience to get started. You should, however, know and understand high school mathematics and be genuinely curious about how things work. 

9. UX Design

What is a UX designer? UX (user experience) designers help make products user friendly. Their ultimate goal is to make technology more enjoyable for people to use. To do this, they conduct usability tests and make improvements based on results. 

What is it like to work as a UX designer? You will develop user personas and create journey maps to help you empathize with users. Usability studies or tests can also help with this. From there you create prototypes that implement positive changes. Then wash. Rinse. Repeat! 

Where can I learn UX design skills? Sign up for a Google UX Design course at Coursera. You will learn the foundational concepts of UX design and prepare for entry level work. This program even helps you build a professional brand including a portfolio and online presence. 

10. Android Development

What is an Android developer? An Android developer is someone who builds Android mobile applications. They also maintain these apps or help troubleshoot known problems. If you have a Samsung phone or device, you’re already familiar with Android apps! 

What is it like to work as an Android developer? It really depends on the nature of your work! Some developers work alone while others collaborate on team projects. While every day will bring new challenges, you will work to build, maintain, and troubleshoot Android apps. This can include writing code to bring new features to life or detail a plan to create an app in the future. 

Where can I learn Android developer skills? The Android Basics in Kotlin certification is delivered by Google to prepare graduates to take the Associate Android Developer Certification exam. You can complete the course on your own terms to get a Google credential to display on your resume. 

Remote-Friendly Career Changes 

There you have it: 10 quickly learned skills you can use to make a remote-friendly career change. Remember, a career change almost always requires you to learn a new skill. Fortunately, it’s easier than ever to do today thanks to online, self-paced learning options.

Plus, when you focus on job-specific skills you can get to work faster in your new career (and without the expense of enrolling in a traditional degree-seeking university!). 

Have questions? Confused about career changes? Let me know in the comments below. I’m happy to help. 

Happily, 

Ashlee

PS This post contains affiliate links. Check out my disclosure statement to learn more.

The post 10 In Demand Skills You Can Quickly Learn for a Remote Career Change appeared first on Work from Home Happiness.

And though career changes are common and even necessary at times, they often seem overwhelming. For most, it’s like starting over again. 

But, the truth is, you’re not starting from scratch. Instead, you’re simply using your transferable skills to make a pivot. That is, you’re taking what you already know and applying those skills to a new job title or industry. We can make these seamless career transitions thanks to our transferable skills. 

It’s important you know what transferable skills are and which transferable skills you have. That way, if you become an unemployed remote job seeker or find yourself unfulfilled, you can highlight these skills to make a purposeful change. 

Settle in. This guide will define what transferable skills are, how to identify yours, ways to highlight them, and best practices for using them to make strategic career moves. 

What are transferable skills? 

Transferable skills are portable skills. You can take them with you from one job to the next. Generally speaking, one transferable skill can be applied to multiple industries or job titles. Your transferable skills are likely valuable to any employer. For example, strong written communication skills are universally helpful in pretty much every remote job. Period. In fact, it’s one of the skills remote companies look for in (almost) all of their hires. 

Where do transferable skills come from? 

Transferable skills can be both hard skills and soft skills. As a reminder, hard skills are learned skills. These include languages spoken, software you can use, and tons of other technical abilities.

On the other hand, soft skills are our unique traits and interpersonal abilities we use at work. I often tell my clients that your hard skills will get you a job interview, but your soft skills will get you a job offer. 

Remember, your transferable skills are not restricted to your most recent role. You can pull transferable skills from past positions, volunteer roles, internships, hobbies, side hustles, or virtually any activity you engage in. 

Take it from Janet, a career coaching client of mine. Allow me to share her story. 

Transferable skill inspiration story 

Janet was a longtime teacher. In her spare time, she enjoys crafting and creating. She often spends time on Pinterest getting inspired by all the visuals. On the side, Janet has a small Etsy shop she uses to sell Cricut templates to fellow teachers. Janet always believed teaching was her calling. But, when her district shifted to online learning, Janet soon found she enjoyed teaching less and less.

However, online teaching gave her more opportunity to create content for her virtual students. Janet was in love! She already enjoyed making Cricut templates, but now she was creating more digital content than ever before. Soon, Janet contemplated a career change. But, she felt stuck as an educator.

That’s when Janet came to me seeking career advice. She loved working remotely, but wasn’t in love with teaching anymore. But she worried, “I’ve only ever been a teacher. Who will hire me for a non-teaching role?” 

Don’t Get Caught Up by Job Titles

I reminded Janet that she is more than her job title. Janet communicates with parents, plans lessons, creates educational content, designs workbooks, makes interactive worksheets, and can quickly create learning materials using design platforms like Canva and Adobe InDesign. Clearly, she was more than “just a teacher.” 

Together, Janet and I used my three-step system to identify her career ideals. From there, it was pretty easy to see that Janet was a creator at heart. Sure, her job titles were education based, but her transferable skills were definitely marketing and design forward.

Ultimately, Janet decided to make a career change that put her transferable skills to work. Soon, she was interviewing for editorial and marketing positions within the education industry — somewhere she wanted to stay.

In about six months, Janet ended up landing a remote curriculum creation role for an online K-12 school. Now, her entire day is spent creating instead of teaching. She credits her transferable skills for allowing her to effortlessly make the change! 

What is not a transferable skill? 

Now that you have a real life example of what transferable skills are (thank you, Janet!), let’s look at what they are not. Transferable skills are not skills that are so specific that they really only apply to a certain role.

For example, if you’re a phlebotomist, drawing blood for medical tests is an essential skill that really won’t transfer elsewhere. However, that doesn’t mean a phlebotomist has zero transferable skills. Likely, a phlebotomist has great customer service skills, an ability to place people at ease, and time management capabilities — all highly desirable transferable skills for just about any new remote role or industry. 

When is it important to know your transferable skills? 

First and foremost, transferable skills are most helpful when you want to change careers or switch to a different industry. But, they’re also important when you’re unemployed, underemployed, or feeling stuck in your current role. 

Recent college graduates can also use transferable skills from internships or life experience to help them get established in their chosen industry. 

Similarly, your transferable skills help you get ahead at your current company or give you opportunities to work on new and interesting projects that otherwise would pass you by. 

So, how do I figure out what my transferable skills are? 

Your transferable skills are constantly changing. And, they will be different depending on where you want to go. Let’s revisit Janet’s scenario for a minute. Because she wanted to move to a content creation role, Janet focused on design and curriculum development transferable skills to navigate her career change.

However, if Janet wanted to move to a finance role, her transferable skills would have focused more on classroom budgeting, supplies inventory management, and fundraising activities she did at her school. 

You too should identify your transferable skills based on where you want to go and the skills needed to be successful in that role. A great place to start is with a job description.

For example, let’s say you’re a sales representative who wants to move into project management. You would find a remote project manager listing and carefully read the job description. Here’s a real example with relevant sales-to-project management transferable skills highlighted: 

Now, you realize that your sales background has prepared you to be an organized, multi-tasking, deadline-driven, cost-conscious project manager with an ability to communicate effectively with clients. These are all skills you routinely did in sales and can take with you to project management. In other words, these are your relevant transferable skills. 

What if I don’t know what I want to do?

When you don’t quite know your ideal role or where you want to end up, think about skills you excel at. Reflect on previous roles, hobbies, or volunteer experiences. Which tasks did you enjoy the most? Are there any things you do exceptionally well and often get complimented for? Chances are, these are skills you will want to regularly use at work. Similarly, these are transferable skills you can highlight to help you find a remote job you’ll love. 

You can also explore in-demand remote jobs to see if anything piques your interest. If so, great! Further research that role to see what skills are needed to get hired.

You can also work with a career coach to help you identify and highlight your transferable skills as they relate to your ideal remote role.

How do I highlight my transferable skills during my remote job search? 

Change Your Resume Format 

First up, it’s time to change up your resume’s format. Get rid of the objective statement and opt for a Professional Summary instead. Use this space to connect the dots from previous roles to the new job you want to pivot to. 

Also, be sure to include a Skills Summary section. Here, you will specifically state your transferable skills that directly relate to the job you’re applying for. 

In my experience as a career coach and resume writer, here’s an example of the BEST resume for career changers: 

Update Your Resume Every Time

Next up, always optimize your resume. You have to do this for every single position you apply for. Remember that technical skills section I just talked about? You’ll specifically pull transferable skills keywords directly from the job ad and place them into your skills section. This is known as keyword optimizing your resume. 

Since hiring is automated now, more than ever, you stand a better chance of getting past Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and in front of an actual human that makes hiring decisions. Remember, ATS is the special software companies use to make hiring simpler. The ATS scans your resume to find relevant (transferable) skills to determine whether you’re a good fit for a role. 

When you have these skills in your resume, you get placed in the ‘yes’ pile. If you don’t have them, your resume is rejected or, worse yet, placed in dreaded resume limbo where you never hear anything back one way or the other. 

Tell Your Career Story on LinkedIn 

Your LinkedIn profile gives you a chance to tell your unique career story. Like the Professional Profile in your resume, use the About Section of your LinkedIn Profile to tell recruiters where you started, where you are, and where you’re going. This helps them see you in your desired role, even if you haven’t held that specific job title before. 

You need to think about keywords in your LinkedIn profile too. Use your headline to insert the job title you want to land. This helps you rank better in searches! So, when a recruiter heads over to LinkedIn to find [insert your specific remote job title here] you’re more likely to show up in their search results if you have the job title in your headline. 

Another thing, ask for endorsements for the transferable skills you need to change careers. LinkedIn Endorsements work as social proof to hiring managers that you do, in fact, have the necessary skills to seamlessly change careers. 

Use your Cover Letter to Explain Your Career Change 

Today, cover letters aren’t as common as they used to be. But, if you have the opportunity to upload a cover letter to an online job application, I highly recommend you do it! 

When you change careers, you can use your cover letter to explain your career change and highlight the transferable skills you have. 

For example, if Janet didn’t explain her desire to change from educator to content creator, a recruiter would have been confused by her application. Instead, Janet clearly explained that both in her personal life and professional career, she thrived at content creation and was ready to turn it into her full-time role. Now, recruiters reading her resume read it from the right angle instead of wondering why she’s applying for a seemingly unrelated role.

Use Transferable Skills to Make a Career Purposeful Career Change 

As you can see, your transferable skills are insanely valuable in your remote job search. They are important for unemployed, underemployed, and even entry-level candidates. 

When you’re ready to make a career move from one job to the next, focus on your transferable skills first and foremost. From there, you can clearly show employers why you’re a great hire, even if you don’t have the right job title. 

Remember, you’re way more than your job title. You are a unique professional with a combination of hard skills and soft skills you can take with you from one job to the next.

It’s a matter of highlighting those transferable skills to successfully make a career move. Amazing things happen when you find a job that combines your professional interests and personal passions. Fortunately, your transferable skills are the ticket to helping you find (and land) your ideal remote role.

The post Transferable Skills: Your Ticket to Getting the Job (Even if You Have No Direct Experience) appeared first on Work from Home Happiness.

Think you don’t have any work at home skills? Does a remote career change sound like a dream? It doesn’t have to be. Today, more and more people telecommute. In fact, nearly 18% of global workers are fully remote. This number is expected to rise in the coming years. 

That means, it’s no longer unheard of to transition from lifelong office worker to brand new home office worker. 

But, if you want a quick transition, there are some work at home skills in greater demand than others. Here are 19 niche skills you can use to work remotely in a jiffy.

1. Legal Transcription 

Fun fact: Legal transcription was my very first work at home job. As a legal typist, I listened to recordings — depositions, mostly — and typed them out verbatim. To do this, I used a headset, transcription software, and a foot pedal. 

There are a number of companies that regularly hire legal typists. Often, you don’t need previous legal transcription experience to be considered. However, I HIGHLY recommend some type of training. At the very least, proper training will make you a more efficient typist. And, in the world of transcription, this is big since the quicker you can type, the more you can earn. 

Before you jump all in, check out the free Legal Transcription Course at TranscribeAnywhere. From there, you can determine whether or not legal transcription is one of the right work at home skills for you.

2. General Proofreading

The world is filled with content. On the Internet alone, there are about 1 billion websites. This amounts to a never-ending stream of words that make their way to the worldwide web, every single day. 

Many of these words aren’t published on a whim (granted, some are). Instead, they’re carefully vetted before going live. Part of the vetting process involves proofreaders. 

As a general proofreader, your job is to go over content — blog posts, website copy, ebooks, articles, and more — with a fine-tooth comb. Your objective is to find all the spelling mistakes and grammar errors that were missed during the editing process. And, there’s plenty of work to go around. 

Do you think you have what it takes to get paid to read all day? Sit in on this free webinar for aspiring proofreaders to find out. 

3. Copywriting and Copyediting

The right words can sell. So much so that businesses and brands pay a lot to get their message across just so. Often, this task is outsourced to copywriters and copyeditors. 

A copywriter’s main objective is to craft content that sells. Think of websites, sales pages, product descriptions, and even emails. The messages these relay can persuade you to make a purchase or keep you from buying altogether. 

Good copywriting is one of the work at home skills that can be learned, but you have to love to write. My friend, Phon, is a longtime copywriter and copyeditor who’s made a living with her words. Be sure to check out her FREE masterclass to get an insider’s look into the world of copywriting. 

4. Customer Service

Of all the work at home skills on this list, perhaps the most in demand is customer service. There are no shortage of customer service jobs from home. From Fortune 500 Companies to small startups, all types of businesses embrace virtual call centers. 

Generally speaking, remote customer service pros receive inbound calls via their computer. Calls can range from general questions to billing issues, and everything in between. Really, it depends on the company and their line of work. 

Many customer service jobs from home are entry level. That is, you don’t necessarily need any experience to get started. However, if you want to give your resume a boost, you can always take a super affordable customer service course on Udemy. 

5. General Transcription

General transcription is another entry-level friendly work at home job. If you can type quickly and accurately, you just might be great at general transcription. However, keep in mind, it takes quite a bit of skill to listen to something and type what is being said. To be successful, you need a strong grasp of grammar, the ability to multitask, and quick fingers. 

There are plenty of low-paying general transcription jobs that will take a chance on a newbie. But, if you really want to transition to a work at home career, you’ll need the training to back up better pay. 

TranscribeAnywhere has an amazing and free general transcription course you can sign up for. There, you can learn what it takes to create a successful career typing from home.

6. Medical Transcription

Medical transcription is a much more specialized form of transcription. You will need some type of training in order to be considered for these remote-friendly roles. Often, medical typists deal with complex cases and tricky terminology — that’s where the training comes into play. 

The transcripts you produce as a medical typist become part of a patient’s medical records. So, it’s super important that they’re 100% accurate. And, although you need formal training for this line of remote work, it’s something you can learn relatively quickly and also from home! 

Thanks to Career Step, you can complete the Medical Transcription and Editing program in less than a year and on your own schedule. As a bonus, Career Step works with remote-friendly companies to help place students post graduation. How’s that for a win, win? 

7. Bookkeeper

In the United States, all businesses — no matter how large or small — are required, by law, to maintain bookkeeping records. For many smaller businesses, it doesn’t make sense to have a full-time bookkeeper on staff. Instead, they choose to outsource the work to a virtual bookkeeper. 

Virtual bookkeeping has been named the most profitable of the work at home skills by Entrepreneur. With low overhead costs and plenty of work to go around, it’s pretty easy to see how bookkeeping get this honor. 

As an added bonus, bookkeepers don’t need formal training (unlike accountants). Many bookkeepers learn their trade through on-the-job training or by taking a course.

I recommend Bookkeeper Business Launch as a good starting point for aspiring bookkeepers. There’s a free introduction series you can take to see if bookkeeping is the right work-at-home career change for you. 

8. Facebook Ad Pro

You’re probably on Facebook throughout the day. Businesses and brands are too. They use Facebook to promote products, interact with customers, and even respond to complaints. 

But there’s a side of Facebook you’re probably not too familiar with as a consumer — and that’s Facebook Ads. The Ads platform is a popular way for businesses, bloggers, and brands to get their names and products in front of new customers. This paid-for platform can help driv new leads and sales, but only when done correctly. 

Because it can be tricky, many businesses outsource their Facebook Ads to the professionals. These pros create campaigns and strategies that get ‘likes’ and ‘shares.’ With a little bit of training, you too can become one of these sought-after pros with Facebook Ad knowledge.

A great place to start is Facebook itself. But, you can also check out Facebook Side Hustle to learn the ins and outs of ads on the world’s most popular social networking site. 

9. Virtual Assistant

Another of the work at home skills that are in high demand are administrative ones. I’m talking everything from online research, to calendar management, and even email answering. Honestly, there are no shortages of tasks that can be done by a virtual assistant. 

As a blogger, I too turn to a variety of virtual assistants — or VAs, as they’re called — to help me manage my day to day operation. This includes responding to emails, helping with social media, creating graphics, and doing keyword research. 

If you’re great at getting things done and an expert delegator, you’d probably kill it as a VA. This is one of the work from home career paths that has exploded in recent years, and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Head on over to Horkey Handbook if you want to undertake training to become a VA. That way, you can start marketing and selling your services as an administrative pro that works from home! 

10. Graphic Designer

Design is all around us. From the layout of a webpage to the logo on a shampoo bottle, we’re constantly surrounded by design. But good design and bad design are two very different things. And, for businesses and brands, can make the difference in how memorable and successful they are. 

That’s why the design process is often done by a third-party — someone who can objectively look back and lend their eye to the creative process. It goes without saying that graphic design is one of the work at home skills that is both in demand and super lucrative too. 

And, since it made this list, graphic design is also something you can learn in a short amount of time. Thanks to Graphic Design Startup, you can get up and running as a professional graphic designer from home in just a few weeks! 

11. Pinterest Assistant

Pinterest has come a long way from an invite-only, idea-saving app. Today, it is a visual search engine used by millions of men and women every day. 

And because it has such a far-stretching reach, many businesses and brands actively use Pinterest as a way to generate sales and find new customers. But, like all things social media for business, Pinterest can be a big time suck. That’s why many opt to outsource the work to a Pinterest Assistant. 

A Pinterest Assistant can create pinworthy graphics, promoted pins, or new group boards. Often, they are tasked with filling a queue to automate Pinterest activity using a platform like Tailwind. Sound confusing? It’s not! It’s a work at home skill that can be easily learned and lead to a new remote-friendly career in no time. 

Head on over to Become A Pinterest Assistant to learn more about this in-demand career and whether it’s one of the work at home skills you want to develop. 

12. Medical Billing & Coding Pro 

The healthcare industry is booming. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this field is slated to grow 18% in the upcoming years — much faster than the national average. 

Although you don’t typically think of healthcare as being a remote occupation, that has changed in recent years. One such occupation with tons of telecommute options is that of medical coding and billing. 

Medical billing and coding pros assign unique labels to patients’ medical procedures. These codes are eventually used to file insurance claims. This job, in particular, is highly in demand. In fact, a CNBC study found there are far more medical billing and coding jobs than there are professionals to fill them. 

So, if you want to switch gears to a career in healthcare that also lets you work remotely, this is a great option. Keep in mind, you will need to obtain training and certification.

Fortunately, Career Step has a fully online program you can complete quickly and be up and running in about a year’s time. Career Step even works with remote-friendly employers to help you find a telecommute position after you’ve graduated. 

13. Real Estate Assistant 

Realtors are busy. They show properties, track down new leads, and negotiate their way to the closing table. It’s no wonder, then, that these professionals often need an extra set of hands to help them get through the day. That’s where real estate assistants come into play. 

This is on the list of work at home skills you can quickly learn in no time. And, it happens to be a highly in demand as virtual assistants become mainstream. As a virtual real estate assistant you may help respond to emails, gather documents, and keep in touch with home buyers and sellers. 

The best part? You don’t need to be licensed to get started. Instead, head on over to Horkey Handbook to learn more about this telecommute career that you can start learning today. 

Work At Home Skills You Can Learn Quickly 

There you have it — 13 work at home skills you can easily learn. Remember, it’s never too late to learn a new skill. In fact, now is as good a time as any. Remote work is on the rise, and is projected to grow in the coming years. 

And, as a rule of thumb, the more skills you have, the more opportunities you have to earn. That’s why it never hurts to learn as many work at home skills as you can! 

Happily, 

Ashlee

P.S. This post contains affiliate links. Check out my disclosure statement to learn more!

The post Ready For A Remote Career Change? Here Are 13 Work At Home Skills You Can Learn This Year appeared first on Work from Home Happiness.

What are the skills employers are looking for? In a world of artificial intelligence and robots on the rise, the answer is simple: Human skills!

You can’t deny that automation is eliminating jobs. But the one thing robots won’t ever quite perfect (no matter how hard they try) are the very skills, attributes, and traits that make you uniquely human.

Sure, technology is still important. You’ll flounder in a virtual work setting if you can’t navigate Google Drive or communicate via Slack. Similarly, you need technical skills to perform your job duties. For example, graphic designers need to know PhotoShop, virtual bookkeepers require QuickBooks know-how, and web developers should understand Java.

Even still, it’s your ability to work, interact, and communicate with coworkers that will make you stand out in the crowd. Often, we refer to these as your interpersonal or soft skills. But, remember, soft skills aren’t the only skills employers are looking for. You need the right combo of expertise (hard skills) and personal attributes (soft skills) to be successful.  

Hard Skills vs Soft Skills

There are A LOT of different skills out there. The particular skills employers are looking for depend on the industry, nature of business, company culture, and job description.

Even the exact same job title can require a different set of skills based on the company, its mission statement, and even its customers or industry served.

But, generally speaking, you can look at your skills as a combination of hard skills and soft skills. But, what makes a hard skill a hard skill and a soft skill a soft skill?

Good question. You can think of your hard skills as the ones that give you your knowledge base and your soft skills as the ones that make you human.

Hard Skills Employers Are Looking For

Robots can solve math problems. Computers can make calculations. Machines can build things. You can too. Your hard skills are the ones you learned and can easily be shown.

Hard skills are acquired. You are not born with them. Perhaps you learned them in college. Maybe you took an online course. Sometimes you learn hard skills from on-the-job training.

Either way, your hard skills are ones you have learned. They’re also skills you can easily demonstrate. For example, if you are a virtual bookkeeper, you can show your proficiency in mathematics and QuickBooks.

And although each job requires different hard skills, some of the common hard skills employers seek include:

• Accounting
• Administrative
• Analytics
• Bookkeeping
• Data Entry
• Data Management
• Design
• Editing
• Financial
• Information Technology
• Math
• Mechanical
• Project Management
• Programming
• Proofreading
• Research
• Software
• Technology
• Translation
• Transcription
• Word Processing
• Writing

Of course, this is just a short list of hard skills employers are looking for. Make sure you check out O*Net Skills Search to identify your skills and careers that match them.

What Are Soft Skills?

As a career coach, I tell my clients their hard skills get them an interview and their soft skills get them the job. That’s because your hard skills can be displayed on paper and featured on your resume. Hiring managers and recruiters will evaluate these hard skills to determine if you have the knowledge to perform the basic duties of a job. If your skills match up with the job description, great! You get an interview.

Your soft skills, on the other hand, won’t be on full display until you get to the interview. You can put “interpersonal skills” on your resume, but that doesn’t prove you can do them.

That’s because your soft skills are the ones that make up our ‘work personality.’ Soft skills determine how you interact with your coworkers and how you’ll behave while on the clock.

People generally want to work with others who are easy to get along with and can play nice on a team.

Think of it from a hiring manager’s standpoint. Let’s say you have two candidates you’re choosing between. Both of them have the same education, know identical programs, and have the skills required to perform the job well.

But Candidate A has amazing interpersonal skills and Candidate B was lacking in that department. Who would you hire?

Candidate A because they are a team player and you know they will fit well within the current structure of the department.

You can know how to do something, sure, but that doesn’t make you someone people want to work with. Be sure to highlight your soft skills both on your resume and during the interview. These will be the memorable skills that hiring manager will use to determine whether or not to hire you!

Need a refresher on soft skills? No problem! Check out the slideshow below for soft skills employers are looking for:

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How To Include Skills Employers Are Looking For In Your Resume

You want to get found by recruiters and managers. That’s the whole point of your work from home job search, after all. To do that effectively, you need to include the right combination of skills employers are looking for directly on your resume.

But keep a few things in mind:

Robots Are Reading Your Resume

Most online resumes go through an applicant tracking system (ATS) before they ever see a human. The ATS scans your resume. It looks for keywords, usually in the form of skills. If it finds these keywords, your resume gets passed onto a real, live person. If not, it gets discarded — never to be seen again. Of course, you want your resume to land in front of a real person every single time. To do that, you have to pick the right combination of hard skills and soft (or human) skills to highlight.

But, which should you include and which should you ignore?

The Job Description Has All The Right Keywords

When you submit a resume online, you have to (have to have to have to) send a custom resume each and every time. That’s because your resume will only be effective if it actually gets past the ATS and in front of a recruiter. If you send a generic resume to the ATS, there’s a high chance it will get rejected.

Instead, take the time to read the job description. Then, read it again. As you go through it, take note of the hard skills listed and any soft skills mentioned. These are the keywords you must place in your resume. When you do, you greatly increase your resume’s chances of getting past the ATS and on the desk of a hiring manager. From there, you can land an interview and use your amazing human-driven soft skills to actually get a job offer.

Soft Skills Employers Are Looking For in 2019 and Beyond

Automation is a real concern. The future of the workforce will be increasingly technology-driven. Many jobs and industries are even at risk of losing jobs to machines that can work more efficiently and for less.

But, remember, it’s not just what you know that’s important as a worker. Almost every job out there requires some sort of human interaction. And, it’s your work personality and interpersonal skills that make you employable.

Before you worry too much, remember, skills employers are looking for include both hard skills and soft skills — and a robot can’t replicate being human as well as you.

Happily,

Ashlee

The post The Skills Employers Are Looking For in 2019 (And Beyond) appeared first on Work from Home Happiness.

I get a lot of questions about picking the right bookkeeping course. And, it’s a good question! After all, successful bookkeepers can earn as much as $20 an hour, even when they’re just starting out. 

Plus, bookkeeping happens to be one of the popular (and lucrative) remote career paths you can start today.

But, not every bookkeeping course is created equal. Some will only prepare you for the basic tasks a bookkeeper does and others will show you everything you need to launch a successful bookkeeping biz from scratch. 

For remote job seekers who want to become a bookkeeper, I highly recommend a bookkeeping course that not only shows you what it takes to be a good bookkeeper but also helps you become successful. 

But, before we jump into the nitty gritty details, let’s take a step back and figure out if being a bookkeeper is right for you.

Would You Enjoy Being A Bookkeeper? 

Before you sign up for a bookkeeping course, you need to determine if you’d actually enjoy being a bookkeeper. There’s no sense in paying for a class only to find out it’s the wrong career choice for you. (Trust me, been there, done that). 

That’s why, as a remote work career coach, I ask my clients to determine their career ideals first and then pick a work from home career path that aligns with those ideals. 

When you take the time to determine whether or not a potential career is a good fit for you, you end up finding a job you enjoy — sometimes, you even land on your dream work from home job! More on that in a bit. But first, let’s look at what a bookkeeper is.

What Does A Bookkeeper Do, Exactly? 

I always recommend you do your homework before starting on a new career journey. The more you know about a career, the better prepared you’ll be to determine if it’s a good fit for you.

Remember, I want you to find your ideal work from home job, not just any ol’ remote job. So, let’s get to figuring out if bookkeeping is actually a career that appeals to you. Here are some fun-ish facts about becoming a bookkeeper:

Bookkeeping Is Remote Friendly 

Good news, right? I’m guessing if you’re here,  you’re looking for a career you can do remotely. Bookkeeping fits the bill. In fact, you can be a 100% virtual bookkeeper and work from a location of your choosing. 

Bookkeeper Earnings

According to PayScale, bookkeepers earn an average of $16.87 an hour. Make sure this number falls in line with your salary expectations. But, remember, when you work from home, you save money — and this should be added into your compensation package too. 

For example, you won’t have a daily commute or business casual wardrobe to buy as a remote worker. These savings add up annually and keep money in your pocket. 

Bookkeepers Don’t Need A Formal Degree

You don’t have to hold a formal degree to become a bookkeeper. In fact, according to O*NET, most bookkeepers gain experience from learning on the job or by taking classes that prepare them for a career as a bookkeeper. 

Bookkeepers Work With Number, But They Aren’t Accountants

Bookkeepers and accountants both work with numbers in the business world, but their job duties vary greatly. Accountants, for example, require formal education and offer big-picture financial advice. 

Bookkeepers, on the other hand, tend to work with day-to-day transactions. Most bookkeepers keep track of money coming in and money going out. They don’t serve as financial advisors. As such, bookkeepers don’t need a formal degree. Instead a bookkeeping course provides the information needed to get this career off the ground — a much quicker and more affordable option! 

Want to learn more about becoming a bookkeeper? Check out my complete guide to launching a lucrative bookkeeping biz.

Who Makes A Good Bookkeeper? 

Certain traits are better suited to a particular set of careers. Think about some of your soft skills (remember, soft skills are those inherent traits we have and not those we learn). Your soft skills determine your work personality or style. The nature of the job compared to your soft skills will determine how compatible you are with the position.

Check out this slideshare for a refresher on soft skills and why they matter:

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Keep in mind, there are particular traits that are best suited to remote workers in general. There are specific traits that are key to becoming a successful bookkeeper. These include: 

• Dependability – Being reliable, responsible, and dependable
• Attention To Detail – Paying attention to small things and thoroughly complete error-free tasks
• Integrity – You’re dealing with peoples finances and business numbers as a bookkeeper. You must be honest and ethical at all times. 
• Cooperation – You’ll need to work alongside business owners and do so in a way that is pleasant and cooperative 
• Adaptability/Flexibility – Bookkeeping evolves month to month. It’s up to you to roll with the punches and be adaptable. 

What Skills Are Needed To Become A Bookkeeper? 

Let’s talk about skills for a minute. All jobs require a particular set of skills to hit the ground running. A photographer needs to know how to operate a camera and manipulate lighting. They also need to be able to direct their subjects to get the best shots possible. These are hard skills — those skills that can be learned and demonstrated, not ones that are inherent to who we are.

As a bookkeeper, some of the hard skills needed include: 

• Mathematics
• Active listening
• Critical thinking
• Reading comprehension
• Speaking to relay information
• Writing 
• Monitoring
• Time management 

Now, keep in mind, these are basic skills that bookkeepers need. There are also specialized skills bookkeepers need to have in order to be successful in their profession. Specialized skills often include the software and programs bookkeepers need to be successful. 

Check out the table below to find out common tech skills bookkeepers need to be successful! 

Help! I Don’t Have The Right Tech Skills To Be A Bookkeeper, But It Fits My Interests 

Don’t panic. The easy part is learning the skills, the hard part is finding a remote job that appeals to your interests and work personality. If bookkeeping lends itself well to your work style and your personality type, but you don’t have the tech skills or software knowledge that bookkeepers need, that’s okay. This is commonly called a skills gap. A skills gap is not a big deal, especially if you have the time, energy, and willingness to learn the required skills and bridge that gap. That’s where a bookkeeping course can come into play. 

Bookkeeping Course: What To Look For 

If you’ve made it this far, you’re pretty sure you have the makings of a great bookkeeper. The problem? You might not have all the knowledge or skills needed to actually become a remote bookkeeper. That’s okay. An online bookkeeping course can help. 

But, like I said before, there are many online courses out there that will teach you how to use QuickBooks or basic accounting principles. They won’t, however, prepare you for your new career as a bookkeeper. There is one, however, that will teach you everything (and I do mean EVERYTHING) you need to go from wanting to become a bookkeeper to actually working as a successful bookkeeper. 

Bookkeeper Business Launch 

Bookkeeper Business Launch is the only online bookkeeping course that teaches you how to bootstrap your own virtual bookkeeping business from scratch. 

The course is taught by Ben Robinson, a former air traffic controller turned Certified Public Accountant (CPA). He’s been teaching aspiring bookkeepers, like you, for more than 14 years now. 

In that time, he’s helped more than 4,000 men and women take their careers into their own hands as professional, self-started bookkeepers. He can teach you, too! 

What You’ll Learn 

Ben prides himself in teaching others how to become 21st Century bookkeepers. That means adapting to technology and using common software, like QuickBooks, to your advantage as a bookkeeper. 

It also means being 100% virtual and offering your services to in-demand industries. Keep in mind, there are more than 28 million small businesses in the U.S. alone — and each one of them is required, by law, to keep financial records (bookkeeping!). Needless to say, there are PLENTY of clients to go around.  

How Bookkeeper Business Launch Can Help 

This bookkeeping course will teach you how to be a great bookkeeper. But, beyond that, you’ll learn: 

• To set up your business 
• What to do to get great clients without being sales-y
• How to shift your mindset to small business owner 

Plus, you’ll get tons of help and support every step of the way. As long as you enjoy numbers and can do basic math, Ben can show you how to become a bookkeeper even if you’ve never done it before, have zero business experience and know nothing about working remotely. 

Sound good? Great! Head on over to Bookkeeper Business Launch to learn more about the course. While there, have a look around. There are tons of testimonials from former students turned successful bookkeepers. Remember, if they can do it, so can you! You’ve got this. 

And, of course, feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions. I’m always happy to help point you in the right direction if you think this bookkeeping course just isn’t right for you. 

Happily, 

Ashlee 

P.S. This post contains affiliate links. Check out my disclosure statement for more information. 

The post The Only Bookkeeping Course That’ll Teach You How To Work Remotely appeared first on Work from Home Happiness.

Gone are the days where you have limited work from home options. Or worse yet, had to invest in a program or system which was nothing more than a thinly veiled pyramid scheme.

Today, there are endless ways to kick your cubicle to the curb. They’re all legitimate. Totally in demand. And can even be learned online if you’re a total newbie!

But before you sign up for a course in anticipation of packing up your cubicle for good, make sure you’re ready, like really, really ready to embrace the work-from-home lifestyle.

What Are The Benefits Of Working From Home?

The obvious answer here is that you don’t have to commute to work every day. And, believe me, that is a big one.

After all, the average U.S. commute is now 26 minutes each way, or just shy of 5 hours spent in the car, every. single. week.

The second you don’t drive to work every day, you save yourself those precious minutes spent in the car each workday. On average, that comes out to 256 hours every year!

In that time, you can exercise. Get your kids to school. Learn a language. Sleep. Really, anything you want, it’s your time.

Money Saved

With not commute you get a little extra cash in your wallet every month. For starters, there’s no expensive weekly fill-ups at the pump. And you definitely don’t need a fancy, schmancy business casual wardrobe. Plus, you’ll likely eat out less (no lunches or happy hour Friay!), and stick to home cooked meals. Not only are they more affordable, but typically healthier — win, win.

Happiness Factor

Last, but certainly not least, is the happiness factor. Studies show that those of us who work from home are happier. For me, it’s because I’m an introvert who thrives in my natural habitat (home).

But for others, it may simply be the ability to spend more time with kids or those extra minutes of sleep every day. Either way, remote workers = happy workers. You can cash in on this extra happiness by choosing to forgo your cubicle in favor of remote work!

Are You Set Up For Work From Home Success?

When I tell people I work from home, most think I just sit on my couch all day watching Netflix in Yoga pants. I’m not sure how they think I manage to collect a paycheck doing that, but nonetheless, even close friends and family seem to think I’m not really working because I work from home.

That couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, it’s often found that remote workers tend to log extra hours during the workday, without even realizing it. This can be draining. So, to avoid burnout take these things into consideration first.

What’s Your Home Office Like?

Your home office doesn’t need to be super fancy. But you should have one. Working from your bed is not an option. For starters, it’s bad for your posture and secondly you need to set boundaries when work and home are one in the same.

If you’re looking for an employee position that offers benefits, a home office is non-negotiable. In fact, American Express will physically send out representatives to your home to inspect your office to make sure it meets their standards before they hire you to work remotely.

But for freelancers, solopreneurs, and other creatives, or those who take on full-time work in a less restrictive company, will still need a proper home office to ensure their work from home success. This often includes:

• A desk
• Ergonomic chair
• Laptop
• High-speed internet

The company you work for or the business you start on your own will often dictate what other home-office must-haves there are.

For example, if you seek out customer service jobs from home, you might find you need a landline. For transcriptionists, a good headset and foot pedal may be required.

Don’t get caught up in the nitty gritty details of home office requirements. Instead, make sure you have the basics, like a dedicated space, desk, comfy chair, and high-speed internet. The rest you can easily acquire if needed.

What’s Your Self Discipline Like?

I’m not going to lie, I get super distracted working from home. There are some days that all I can focus on are little things that need to be done around the house when I should be focusing on work. And sometimes, my neighbor’s dog won’t stop barking. Or the water company decides to drop by to address a potential leak. And then there’s the TV. And Pinterest. And your phone.

Seriously, the list could go on and on. The point is, distractions are a fact of life when you work from home. It’s how you handle them that’s important.

If you’re not able to put in a full day’s work when no one is looking, working from home isn’t for you. Similarly, if you can’t focus when little interruptions happen, perhaps a remote-work arrangement may end up frustrating you!

Will You Miss Your Coworkers?

There are a lot of fun apps, like Slack, that make it easy for remote workers to stay in touch with their coworkers. You can even create a virtual water cooler environment by sharing memes and silly gifs.

But for the most part, you’re alone. All day. Every day. For introverts, this is often an ideal work situation (and probably why introverts make awesome work from home employees). But for extroverts or those among us who gain energy from being around others, a remote work arrangement can be super lonely. Remember, you should thrive as a remote worker, not falter.

Help! I Don’t Have The Right Work From Home Skills

So you know what it takes to be a successful remote worker, but don’t think you’ve got the right skills? That’s okay!

Even if you don’t currently work a remote-friendly job, it doesn’t mean you can’t learn a new remote-friendly skill. More skills = more money. And more opportunities to earn an income outside of a traditional office.

If you’re ready to kick your cubicle to the curb, consider taking one of these courses. They each offer step-by-step guidance for beginners. By the time you’re done, you’ll be primed and ready to land a new work-from-home job!

[ess_grid alias=”recommended courses”][/ess_grid]

The post Best Work From Home Courses To Consider If You’re Ready To Get Serious About Remote Work appeared first on Work from Home Happiness.

But, how do you go from wanting to work from home to actually working remotely? The good news is, remote work is on the rise — and shows no signs of slowing. This means there will always be new opportunities to kick your cubicle to the curb. 

It all boils down to having the rights skills to get you from commuter to telecommuter. Fortunately, if you’re feeling a little rusty in the marketable skills department, there are plenty of affordable online courses you can take to quickly and easily boost your know-how enough to get you remote working ASAP. 

Proofreading 

When you take a step back and think about it, there’s a lot of content out there. Let’s look at the Internet. To date, there are more than 1 billion — yes, 1 billion websites in existence. And that amounts to a staggering number of articles, posts, and pages living online.

Granted, not all things online are proofread. I’m sure as you read various blogs and sites you find tons of mistakes. I know I’m guilty of them here on Work From Home Happiness! 

But, that’s what makes proofreading so important and such a marketable skill for aspiring remote workers. You can offer your eagle eyes to those sites that so desperately need a proofreader as well as those that already recognize the value of employing a proofreader to ensure their content is published error free to the masses. 

Believe me, it works. Just ask Caitlin Pyle. She created Proofread Anywhere and her General Proofreading: Theory & Practice course in response to the high demand for skilled proofreaders.

In a short time, you too can go from untrained, error-spotting samurai to highly-skilled and in-demand proofreading pro. But, before you dive right in, be sure to take the free webinar. You’ll learn what it really takes to develop this remote-friendly skill and how to actually put it to work in the real (or virtual) world. 

Virtual Assisting 

We’re all busy. It’s almost like a badge of honor these days to have an overbooked calendar and a to-do list for miles. But just because people are overextended, doesn’t mean they’re actually productive. I know I’m guilty. 

As a full-time blogger and one-woman show, I often find myself stretched pretty thin. My inbox is overflowing. Deadlines are constantly looming overhead. There are more pieces of content needing to be attended to than I care to remember. Plus, did I mention I have a life outside of online and a family who occasionally likes to see me in the real world? I do. It’s true. 

That’s why, I often admit defeat and hire an extra set of hands or two to help me stay on top of things when I just can’t do it by myself. And I’m not alone. Today, many bloggers, busy professionals, and brands call in virtual assistants to lend a helping (virtual) hand. 

A professional virtual assistant, or VA for short, is a magical wizard of productivity and time management. A VA can step in and help answer emails, coordinate a calendar, assist with project management, and generally help things keep moving forward. As an aspiring VA, there are no shortages of skills and services you can market to the perpetually overwhelmed, like me. 

To give yourself a head start in developing this highly sought after skill, visit Horkey Handbook created by the one and only Gina Horkey. A former VA herself, she shows you what skills you can market as a VA and helps you put them to work from anywhere! 

Bookkeeping 

Fact: Entrepreneur named bookkeeping as the most profitable small business you can start. This is due to the fact that bookkeeping has little overhead and few startup costs. And, you don’t need a fancy (expensive) degree to become a bookkeeper. 

Instead, you just need to develop bookkeeping as a skill and market them to small businesses. Sounds easy, right? It is! 

And over at Become a Bookkeeper you can learn the insider secret’s to turning your love of math into a profitable skill you can use to work from home. There’s even a free video training series you can sign up for first to figure out what it truly means to work as a bookkeeper, and whether it truly is something for you.

Medical Coding & Billing

In a recent CNBC report, it was found there are more medical billing and coding jobs than there are trained professionals to fill them. To say this is an in-demand work-from-home skill would be an understatement. The healthcare industry is growing by leaps and bounds. And, medical billing and coding is an important part of the industry that plays a role in keeping patients’ records organized for payment purposes. You can learn a little more about what a medical billing and coding pro does by reading my in-depth article here.

If you’ve always wanted a remote-friendly career in healthcare, this very well may be it. But, developing this skill takes time and training. You will need to attend school and likely obtain certification before you can land a high-paying job as a medical billing pro. 

The good news is, CareerStep has a fully online program that will teach you the skills needed to be successful and pass certification upon graduation. And, that means, you can quickly and easily develop this skill and become a work-from-home medical billing & coding pro in no time. 

Transcription 

I always thought of transcription as a pretty basic skill — if you could type, you could transcribe. Turns out, I was wrong. Transcription is a much more specialized skill than that. After all, you have to simultaneously listen to audio and transcribe what’s being said without making mistakes. And, when multiple people are talking, it’s up to you to differentiate between voices. 

It can all be very tricky. That’s why trained transcriptionists are in high demand in the world of work from home. There are even areas you can specialize in, like general transcription or legal transcription. 

Honestly, you can’t go wrong with either! Trust me, I know. My very first work from home job was as a legal typist. I transcribed insurance companies interviews, often about car accidents or other insurance claims that were being investigated. It was insanely interesting, highly flexible, and paid well too. 

To lay the groundwork to develop your typing skills into a full-on transcription career, head on over to TranscribeAnywhere. There you can sign up for a free general transcription course or free legal transcription course to find out if you’ve got the chops (fingers?) to become a paid typist.

Writing 

You either love writing or you don’t — there doesn’t seem to be any in between. Me? I love writing. That’s why I quit the corporate world to pursue freelance writing, even though I had zero professional writing experience. That eventually lead me to start a blog so I can focus on delivering the content I wanted 24/7/365 while helping others. 

If this sounds like a dream to you, you’ll be happy to learn that writing is a super in demand work from home skill that can be easily learned. As a bonus? You can take your writing as far as you want to. 

• Start a blog? Check. 
• Become a freelance writing phenom? Sure. 
• Self publish the next best seller? Absolutely. 

But, first things first, you’ve got to hone those writing skills in a way you can market them as a work-from-home skill. The best way to get started is by seeking advice from someone whose been in your shoes. And, I highly recommend Elna Cain as that someone.

She launched a freelance writing career while raising twin toddlers, (crazy, I know). And now she shows you how you too can take your love of writing from daydream job to real life dream job. Her course, Write Your Way To Your First 1K, gives you the extra push to put your writing to work, so you too can make your first cool grand — and beyond. 

Medical Transcription & Editing 

After you see a doctor or medical professional, they sit down and dictate notes about your visit. These notes are then transcribed by a medical transcription pro and become part of your permanent medical records. 

Thanks to advances in technology, doctors can also you special software to automatically turn their words to a transcript. However, software isn’t perfect and needs to be professionally edited before becoming medical record. 

That’s where the medical transcription and editing skill comes in handy. CareerStep has a Medical Transcription and Editing course that, you guessed it, teaches you both in-demand skills. In less than a year, you can learn everything you need to both transcribe dictation and edit software generated transcripts. 

In-Demand Work From Home Skills You Can Easily Learn Online 

There you have it — 7 in-demand skills you can easily learn to help you work from home. When you use an online course, like the ones listed here, you get step-by-step instruction that allows you to more quickly reach your work-from-home goals. Before you know it, you’ll trade in your daily drive for a short walk to your home office. You’ve got this!  

What do you think? Which of these work from home skills would you like to develop? Let me know in the comments below. 

Happily, 

Ashlee 

P.S. This post contains affiliate links. Learn more about my use of them in my disclosure statement.

The post 7 Easily Learned Skills You Can Use To Work From Home appeared first on Work from Home Happiness.

But did you know that there are a specific set of traits that employers look for when making remote hiring decisions?

It’s true!

Because remote work is a lot different than a traditional office job, there are a few things you need in your work-from-home arsenal to be a standout remote work candidate.

Sure, an up-to-date computer and high-speed Internet give you the proper home office setup, but what about you professionally? What skills are needed to be a standout remote candidate?

Of course, this answer will largely depend on the type of career you’re after. Designers will need to be able to navigate Photoshop like a pro while customer service reps needs some of the best communication skills in the game to maintain grace under pressure.

With that being said, there are some soft skills and hard skills that are universally shared by nearly all remote workers. These skills are what makes them able to successfully manage a career that doesn’t require them to report to an office day in and day out.

Before you throw your hat into the ring as a remote candidate, it’s time to make sure you’ve got the know-how to competently tread the remote-work waters.

A Day In The Life Of A Remote Worker

Take it from someone who’s been working remotely for the better part of a decade, a remote workday is relatively uneventful. Just like office jobs, there’ll be a steady stream of emails, meetings, projects to work on, deadlines, and interactions with coworkers.

But, because you’re doing everything out of the office, you’ll need a number of skills and tools to successfully manage your day, collaborate with colleagues, and tackle any task thrown your way without so much as batting an eyelash.

In fact, a lot of these skills and know-how are specifically sought out by hiring managers and remote recruiters, believing them to be the cornerstone of remote working success.

Writing

Because most of your communication will be written, remote teams look to hire individuals with writing chops. This is important!

In fact, Zapier, the distributed workforce that literally wrote the book on remote work, suggests that all remote-friendly companies focus on hiring candidates who can write — well.

Don’t worry. This doesn’t mean you have to be a prolific novelist. Instead, you’ll need to be able to put coherent thoughts down in writing using proper grammar, spelling, and syntax.

Without the ability to craft a well-worded email, you’ll find it difficult to communicate with colleagues and collaborate in a remote environment.

Self Motivation

It goes without saying, you’ll need the ability to motivate yourself, even if you’re the only one in the room. Recruiters call these type of people “doers.” Are you a doer?

If so, you’ll be able to get tasks done without a manager-crafted to-do list. And, you can run with assignments with minimal guidance and supervision while producing some killer results.

In the remote working world, you won’t always get a lot of direction on projects. And that’s okay. If you’re a doer, you’re able to get started and make things happen regardless.

Trustworthiness

Recruiters and hiring managers will only hire a remote worker they feel they can trust. Period. Since you’re not being monitored every minute of the day, remote teams need to feel confident all their workers are putting in their best day’s work. If you’re not projecting trustworthiness, you can bet you’ll be passed over for a telecommuting position.

One easy way you can come off as totally trustworthy is by having a strong online presence and personal brand in place. This allows remote recruiters to get a feel for you before they even offer you to interview!

Tools Remote Teams Frequently Us

Remote teams use a lot of different apps and online tools that make it easier to work together, even though everybody is spread out across the globe.

As an aspiring remote worker, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with some of the most commonly used tools by remote offices. Doing so puts you a step ahead of the competition and gives you a good idea what it’s really like to work remotely.

Co-Worker Chats & Virtual Meetings

Feeling isolated is definitely a possibility as a remote worker. On a daily basis, you’ll mostly interact with others in writing or on the phone — not in person. But this doesn’t mean you have to feel isolated from your coworkers.

Thanks to a variety of apps and online tools, you can feel connected to your coworkers without having to share a cubicle with them.

Slack

Slack is the preferred platform for remote teams to chat, as if they were at the water cooler. A lot of gifs, memes, and other ‘fun’ stuff is usually shared here. Go ahead and join the Slack community hosted by Remotive to get familiar with this fast-paced chat platform.

Hangouts

Google Hangouts is a video and text messenger that makes it easy for remote workers to hop on a quick meeting together. In fact, you can launch a Google Hangouts video meeting directly from Slack!

GoTo Meeting

GoTo Meeting is an alternative to Hangouts for larger meetings. Hangouts limits participation up to 10, so for larger remote teams GoTo Meeting allows more participants to jump in and collaborate together.

Join.Me

Join.Me is a great tool for training-type meetings because it lets you quickly share computer screens with other team members. Like Hangouts, Join.Me and Slack can be used together, making it easy to go from quick chat to full meeting.

Project Management & Workflow

In an office environment, it’s easy to collaborate with others. You simply meet up, discuss a project, and delegate tasks to one another.

In a virtual setting, it can get a little trickier. Fortunately, it’s become a lot easier to work alongside coworkers without having to be in the same room.

Asana

This online app is popular in the telecommuting community. With Asana, remote teams can easily track and management projects. Individual workers can be assigned specific tasks within a much larger project and see what’s coming up later.

Plus, there’s a community calendar so everyone knows what’s due and when. Teams can also have conversations within Asana to help track progress and keep everyone motivated.

Essentially, Asana shows each remote worker what they should be doing (and why) as everyone works to move a project to the finish line.

Trello

Another preferred tool for project management used by many remote teams is Trello. This visual organization tool is currently used by millions of people working for startups to well- established Fortune 500 companies.

This platform is popular because it allows workers to see, at a glance, where a project is at and who’s working on what. If you love Pinterest, chances are you’ll love Trello too because projects are organized on boards. Each board can contain any number of checklists, labels, and attachments.

Trello also features an easy-to-use mobile app so you can always check in on work whether you’re traveling or away from your desk for the day. And like several of the other apps mentioned, Trello has the option to be integrated with Slack.

Operations & Administrative

Like working on projects, sharing documents can get a little tedious when you’re in a strictly virtual environment.

How do you get someone to sign off on something? What about faxing?

Fear not! There are even handy online tools you can use to share, sign, and fax seamlessly online.

Google Docs

You’ll need a Google Account (your gmail address) to use Google Docs. You can share docs, spreadsheets, and presentations with your coworkers with a simple link. Others can edit and comment on projects and you can limit who has access to a particular document. Since everything is stored through Google, there’s never the need for sending attachments whenever you need to collaborate or a share a document with coworkers.

HelloSign

For documents that need to be signed, you can’t go wrong with Hello Sign! Traditionally, you’d have to send over a PDF, print it out, manually sign in, scan the signed copy, and email it back to the recipient. Hello Sign does away with all those time-consuming steps by allowing signatures to be given virtually. While you might not use this every day, you’ll be thankful it’s there when you do need it.

DropBox

For larger files that need to be shared, DropBox is widely used by remote teams. Through a simple link, files can be accessed and shared with others without having to send any attachments via email. Recipients can add thoughts or suggestions via comments.

Develop Your Work From Home Skills

Remember, this is just a short list of some of the traits, skills, and tools needed to be a successful remote worker. If you’re familiar with these platforms in advance, it will make your transition from cubicle to home office that much simpler. Plus, it looks great to hiring managers when you’ve already got the know-how to have the best day, every day, as a remote worker.

But what if you’re a little rusty on writing or have no idea how to use Trello?

That’s okay too. You can absolutely learn everything (and I do mean everything) you need to be successful, quickly. Did I also mention you can learn for FREE?

Skillshare

Whether you want to brush up on your writing skills, learn how to make the most of Asana, or need a little help with organization, Skillshare has got you covered.

Classes on Skillshare are purposefully short so you can learn a lot as quickly as possible. For out-of-the-cube thinkers, like you, Skillshare is a valuable source of courses to help you achieve your remote work goals without breaking the bank.

The best part? You can try Skillshare for free. When you first sign up, you receive 30 days of unlimited access to more than 14,000 courses, many of which will prepare you for the transition from office worker to home office worker.

Go ahead and give Skillshare a try today and start learning the skills needed to become a successful remote worker.

Expand Your Knowledge And Your Work From Home Options

Today, there are a number of reputable online courses that will teach you how to work from home in a specific field.

Had your mind set on becoming a freelance writer? No problem!

Ready to try your hand at transcription? Gotcha!

These courses are perfect for beginners who are ready to develop a new remote-friendly skill that can lead to a new career:

[ess_grid alias=”recommended courses”][/ess_grid]

Get Started

What are you excited to learn? Are there any traits you think you should develop? Let me know in the comments below!

Happily,

Ashlee

P.S. This post contains affiliate links. Learn more about my use of them by checking out my disclosure statement. 

The post Do You Have What It Takes To Work From Home? These Are The Top Traits Employers Look For In Remote Workers appeared first on Work from Home Happiness.

Curious to know what your options may be as a newbie? Read on! I’m sharing 8 in-demand career paths you can easily train for online.

Customer Service

Chances are, you have some type of previous experience that would make you a great virtual customer service rep. Having worked retail, in a call center, as an admin assistant, server, or any type of public-facing position can prepare you to tackle customer service jobs like a well-seasoned pro.

But some big-name companies with work from home customer service jobs require specific customer service experience in a virtual setting.

So, how then do you gain that experience and still nab the work from home job you’re after?

Well, consider contracting with an outsourced customer service company that will provide the training you need to succeed, even if you’ve never worked virtually before.

These companies include the likes of NexRep and LiveOps. While two different companies, they operate similarly. As a contractor for either NexRep or LiveOps, you’ll work on specific projects as a contractor. These projects can include everything from sales and support to customer care and management. One day you could take calls to initiate an insurance claim and the next help someone submit a claim for a broken cell phone.

Really, the types of calls you’ll take depend on the individual project assigned to you. Many times, you’ll be able to work on multiple projects at once.

As a contractor, you’ll be able to set your own schedule (in blocks as short as 30 minutes!). And you’ll also receive training and access to continuing education. This means that, even as a newbie in the world of work from home customer service, you get a chance to learn the ropes, while getting paid.

Keep in mind, you will have to pay a small fee for a background check. But, don’t worry, this is one of the few times it’s okay to pay to work remotely. The fee goes to a third-party verification company that ensure you’re eligible to handle sensitive information — remember, many of the call types you’ll take involve insurance, finances, and other personal info.

And you’ll only pay for the background check AFTER you are extended an offer to contract.

Sound interesting? Be sure to check out the types of contracts available at Nexrep and LiveOps to learn how to work from home as a beginner.

Bookkeeper

Bookkeeping is often named one of the most profitable businesses because of its low startup costs and potential to earn up to $60/hour. And many corporations and small business owners don’t mind paying good money for a little help managing their day-to-day finances.

It can be difficult to snag a full-time job from home as a bookkeeper without previous experience. But that shouldn’t stop you from launching your own bookkeeping biz! Remember, it doesn’t take a degree or fancy credentials to get started as a bookkeeper. In fact, you can train to become a bookkeeper online and jump-start your own virtual business without going into debt.

Over at Bookkeeper Business Launch, you can learn what you need to get off the ground and start earning virtually month after month by signing up for their free three-part training series.

Virtual Assistant

So many people are turning to virtual assistants (VAs) to help them get more done in a day. Busy professionals, small business owners, bloggers, digital marketers, and even freelancers use VAs to manage their schedules and tackle to-do lists.

Previous experience in a clerical role is definitely going to help as you work to establish yourself as a VA. But even if you’ve never been an admin assistant, receptionist, or office pro, you can still get started in this in-demand field.

First things first, visit Gina Horkey over at Horkey Handbook. She knows what it takes to build a VA business from scratch, because she did it herself. With plenty of words of wisdom, real world examples, and no-fluff advice, you’ll leave the course armed with the knowledge needed to earn a full-time living online as a virtual assistant in one of 150+ VA niches.

As a former VA myself, I can attest to just how flexible and fun it can be to help others grow their businesses. I specialized as a Pinterest VA. Which means, yep, I got paid to be on Pinterest all day long. If that sounds like a dream come true, you can sign up for the waitlist to be in the know next time the Pinterest VA course launches!

Proofreader

With a set of ‘eagle eyes,’ you can become a proofreader and earn a living from anywhere in the world. Seriously, with so much content out there — websites, blogs, ebooks, and more — there’s a lot of potential work to be found online.

I know. When I was freelancing, I often took on proofreading gigs. My niche were non-fiction ebooks, but there are plenty of other possibilities. For example, my friend Phon created a proofreading career out of reading romance novels. Others have found success proofreading court reporter transcripts. And there’s still even more opportunity to tackle essays, dissertations, marketing materials — anything, really, that you find interesting.

If you can spot errors a mile away and call people out on their grammar mistakes, you just may have the stuff to make it in the world of proofreading. Curious whether or not you have ‘it?’ Take this free 45-minute workshop to find out. You’ll learn the hallmarks of a professional proofreader and whether those are skills you possess.

Transcriptionist

I was surprised to learn just how many professionals use transcriptionists. And, no, it’s not just doctors. Authors, lawyers, marketers, and producers often turn to transcriptionists to put audio down into a written document.

If you’re not familiar with transcription, it’s the process of listening to audio and typing out what is being said. While this sounds super simple, the truth is, you need a good bit of talent to be successful as a transcriptionist. Simultaneously listening to audio and typing out what is being said is tricky. Plus, you’ll need to use proper spelling, grammar, sentence structure, and proofread your work to make it nearly perfect.

But being a transcriptionist can be a great way to earn an income for those with fast fingers, a good ear, and strong grasp of grammar. While jump-starting my freelance writing career, I supplemented my income as a transcriptionist. This was certainly one of the most interesting gigs I held. As a legal typist, I’d listen to recorded depositions and transcribe them verbatim. You can get started too, even if you’ve never typed professionally before.

Great resources for beginners are the free courses available over at Transcribe Anywhere. So, what are you waiting for? Explore the possibility of a career as a legal typist or general transcriptionist by signing up for one (or both) mini courses today.

Writer

I’ve pretty much tried my hand at all the careers listed so far on this page, and for good reason: To pursue my dream of becoming a writer!

While I worked to make money as a writer, I needed income. A girl’s gotta eat, right? Right. So I picked up proofreading jobs, worked as a legal typist, and even took on clients as a virtual assistant all while building my writing career from scratch.

And, honestly, I made a lot of mistakes along the way. So many, in fact, that it took me a lot longer than it should’ve to get established enough to start earning a good income writing. But, fear not, I made these mistakes so you don’t have to. Instead of guessing how to go about securing work as a writer, why not get straight to the good stuff?

When you sign up for a writing course created specifically beginners, you can. I highly recommend two:

1. Write Your Way to Your First 1K
2. 30 Days or Less to Freelance Writing Success

Both courses are directed specifically for beginners who want to learn the ropes quickly in order to start making money online as a writer ASAP — without having to resort to content mills and other low-paying marketplace sites like I did.

While you mull over your options as a beginner, start thinking about which writing niche you’ll pursue. Me? I started out as a legal writer, but there are more than 200 niches you should consider as a writer, giving you a chance to write about subjects you LOVE.

Medical Billing & Coding

Did you know there are more medical billing & coding jobs than professionals to fill them? Needless to say, this is a hugely in-demand remote-friendly career path. Granted, not all medical billing & coding jobs have a work-from-home option, but many do. In fact, when you train to become a medical billing & coding specialist at Career Step, you’ll gain access to employers known to hire entry-level coders straight out of school.

Another bonus about Career Step is the fully online curriculum that allows you to work at your own pace and on your own schedule. So you can train for a high-paying career as a medical billing & coding pro while running a household, holding down a 9 to 5, or doing any of the other many things you do in any given day.

Programmer

Ever wonder who builds the websites you frequent? Or the masterminds behind some of your favorite apps? Well, if you learn to code, that person could be you.

Learning to code opens up a world of remote jobs. This includes job titles like WordPress Developer, Front-End Developer, Software Engineer, and many, many more.

And while tech jobs like programming can land you a pretty hefty salary, learning to code doesn’t have to cost you a single penny. That’s right, thanks to popular learning platforms, like Codecademy, you can learn the skills to land a remote career as a programmer — for free.

For a little inspiration, read Codecademy success stories from students, like you, who started from scratch and wound up building careers because of their coding know-how. You can literally start learning to code today and begin working with clients just as soon as you hone your skills.

Learn To Work From Home for The First Time

There you have it — 8 in-demand remote careers you can train for online. When you’re ready to work from home for the first time, it can be confusing to know where to start. Take the guesswork out of getting your first remote gig by learning what you need to know as a beginner.

Before you know it, you’ll be skipping your commute in favor of working from your home office.

Questions? Ask away in the comments below!

Happily,

Ashlee

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure statement for more information.

The post Learn How to Work From Home For The First Time appeared first on Work from Home Happiness.

That’s why I’m always quick to recommend online courses to remote job seekers who need a little help on their quest to cubicle freedom. This is especially true for beginners who feel they don’t have the right skills, knowledge or experience to launch a remote-friendly career.

But online courses can be a huge investment of both time and money. As such, you don’t want to find yourself in a position where you purchased a course only to learn it’s not right for you.

Fortunately, there are a number of online courses you can try before you buy! These mini courses give an introduction to what you can expect in the full course and help you understand what you’re getting into — before you get into it.

So, if you’re ready to kick your cubicle to the curb but aren’t sure which direction to take to get you there, consider taking one (or all!) of these free online courses to help you figure out which work from home career path is right for you.

Virtual Assistant

The average virtual assistant (VA) earns more than $20 an hour. As an affordable alternative to an in-office assistant, VAs are hugely in demand. Bloggers, small business owners, and busy professionals turn to VAs to help them get more done in a day.

If you’ve got plenty of admin skills and are known for your ability to tackle a to-do list, you just might like working as a VA. To find out, enroll in the free mini course over at Horkey Handbook. Gina Horkey, VA Queen and all around nice human being, will be your guide as she shows you what it takes to be a VA and what you might expect to earn as a virtual Jill-of-all-trades: 

[button-blue url=”http://workfromhomehappiness.com/free-virtual-assistant-course” target=”_blank” position=””]Enroll Today[/button-blue]

Freelance Writer

At any given time, there are roughly 1 billion (yes, billion) websites in existence. That amounts to a lot of online content — blog posts, articles, web page copy, product descriptions, dating profiles, and so much more.

All this content needs to be written. But not all website owners, bloggers, and marketers have the time (or skill) to write it. Instead, they opt to outsource the work to freelance writers. That’s where you come in.

A love of words, good grammar, and spelling savviness are the building blocks of a successful freelance writing career. But there’s more to it than that. To dig in a little deeper to see if freelance writing is for you, sign up for the free online course over at Horkey Handbook:

[button-blue url=”http://workfromhomehappiness.com/freelance-writer-success” target=”_blank” position=””]Enroll Today[/button-blue]

Amazon Seller

Fact: Amazon is the largest online retailer. You can grab a slice of the multi-billion dollar pie by becoming an Amazon seller — and it’s a lot easier than you may think.

Thanks to Fulfillment by Amazon, commonly called Amazon FBA, you can start selling on Amazon without having to worry about shipping orders on demand, customer service or keeping track of sales.

The Selling Family has used Amazon FBA to create a lucrative, family-friendly career. And they’re showing you their trade secrets! To get an idea of what to expect and whether or not you can see yourself selling on Amazon, enroll in their mini course for free:

[button-blue url=”http://workfromhomehappiness.com/sell-on-amazon” target=”_blank” position=””]Enroll Today[/button-blue]

Online Bookkeeper

Did you know that Entrepreneur named bookkeeping as the most profitable business? It’s true. And because you can do all the duties of a bookkeeper without maintaining an out-of-the-house office, it also happens to be a super remote-friendly business to launch.

As a bookkeeper, you can earn an average of $60+ per hour. And you don’t need any previous experience of knowledge to get started.

Ben over at Bookkeeper Business Launch is on a mission to help aspiring bookkeepers launch a profitable business, even when they’re starting from scratch. You too can take the first steps by signing up for the free, 3-day video training series:

[button-blue url=”http://workfromhomehappiness.com/BookkeeperBusinessAcademy” target=”_blank” position=””]Enroll Today[/button-blue]

Proofreader

Are you a self-proclaimed member of the Grammar Police? Do you spot spelling mistakes on everything from cereal boxes to circulars? If so, you’d probably make a great proofreader.

As with any service-based business, I always recommend picking a niche, and proofreading is no exception. One such niche in the proofreading world is for court reporters! This lucrative (and interesting) career path can be done from virtually any location, making it perfect for digital nomads.

In fact, Caitlin Pyle earned more than $40,000/year proofreading for court reporters using her iPad. And she’s teaching you everything she knows so you too can kick your cubicle to the curb.

To start, sign up for her free course to learn more about the world of transcript proofreading:

[button-blue url=”http://workfromhomehappiness.com/ProofreadAnywhere” target=”_blank” position=””]Enroll Today[/button-blue]

General Transcriptionist

Who hires general transcriptionists? You’d be surprised to learn that everyone from bloggers to online marketers and ebook authors use transcriptionists — and that’s just a short list!

If you’ve always been a fast typist with a strong grasp of grammar, you could very well make it in the transcription world. But this at-home career isn’t for everyone. So to find out if it is right for you before you commit to any online courses, sign up for the free mini course over at Transcribe Anywhere:

[button-blue url=”http://workfromhomehappiness.com/transcribeanywhere” target=”_blank” position=””]Enroll Today[/button-blue]

Legal Transcriptionist

Legal transcription is more specialized than general transcription. Where general typists can work on a wide variety of files including market research, entertainment, and finance, legal typists have a much more narrow focus.

Depositions and recorded interviews are two common types of files legal typists handle. If this is new territory for you — don’t panic! You can learn the skills needed to become a successful legal transcriptionist with the help of online courses.

But first things first, sign up for the free course at Transcribe Anywhere to learn more about this career path before you jump all the way in:

[button-blue url=”http://workfromhomehappiness.com/free-legal-transcription-course” target=”_blank” position=””]Enroll Today[/button-blue]

Transcript Editor

We already looked at the possibility of becoming a transcript proofreader. But before a transcript goes to a proofreader, it needs to be edited. This process is officially called scoping.

This unique at-home career offers big earning opportunity without needing a college education. In fact, you can learn everything needed to be successful by taking an online course.

Start for free over a Internet Scoping School to find out if you have what it takes!

[button-blue url=”http://workfromhomehappiness.com/internet-scoping-school” target=”_blank” position=””]Enroll Today[/button-blue]

Skillshare – 30 Days of Free Unlimited Access to 14,000+ Classes

Are you the creative type? Do you have a hobby like art or photography you want to use to create your own cubicle-free career?

You can! And Skillshare has the bite-sized online courses you need to get there. From graphic design, freelancing, blogging, handmade artistry, and more, Skillshare is the place for creatives to learn a new skill.

You can try it free for 30 days and, in that time, learn so many new things. In fact, with the short, actionable courses, you can learn a new skill every day. 

Try it out. It’s free to get started:

[button-blue url=”http://workfromhomehappiness.com/SkillShare” target=”_blank” position=””]Learn Something New[/button-blue]

Free Online Courses to Take Before You Commit

It never hurts to learn a new skill. Today, learning doesn’t end when you graduate. With changing technology and ever evolving virtual workplaces, you need to keep up to set yourself apart from the competition.

Fortunately, there are a number of online courses you can take to keep your existing knowledge fresh and learn new skills that make you a standout remote worker.

So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and sign up for one of the free online courses today. You won’t know if it’s right for you until you try! Let me know in the comments which one you chose.

P.S. This post contains affiliate links. What are they and how do I use them? Check out my disclosure statement for more information.

The post Online Courses You Can Try Before You Buy appeared first on Work from Home Happiness.