Work-from-home has become an in-demand job that many wish to take on. It’s the dream set-up for those who want a flexible schedule, freedom to work anywhere, and financial gratification. Thus, more people are searching for lucrative and in-demand freelance skills that will enable them to do freelance work. Thanks to the continuous advancement in technology, it’s now possible for people to stay productive and earn outside the corporate office walls.
The opportunities to work from home were limited twenty years ago. However, the job market has grown quite tremendously since then. Many small businesses and big firms are now seeking specific talents to work remotely on their projects.
But you must possess some expertise and skills to book the best projects and succeed in this career goal. Here are a few of the most lucrative skills that will enable you to work from home.
1. Copywriting
Copywriting is among the most in-demand and lucrative in this digitized time. All businesses aim to reach their target audience and sell their products or services. Now, this is where an employee’s copywriting skills come in.
Copywriting involves writing direct and persuasive marketing. It also involves promotional materials through websites, advertisements, sales letters, emails, etc. A good copywriter can engage the customer and convince them to take action. This action could be purchasing or opting into the company, product, or service.
2. Content Writing
Copywriting and content writing are not the same. These lucrative skills may look similar but are used for different purposes. The objective of copywriting is to sell something to the reader. Meanwhile, content writing aims to inform and educate readers about the product or service.
This content needs to be creative, entertaining, and extensively researched. By providing a productive engagement to the readers, they will trust the brand and, in turn, be interested in what they offer.
3. Translation
Learning another language requires a lot of effort and lengthy time. That is why companies pay big bucks for translators, making it one of the most lucrative skills. They are looking for people to use their multilingual knowledge in translating various written or spoken words.
As a translator, you must transfer all information and details from one language to another. It’s a challenging task if no direct translation exists for a specific word. Besides that, it is essential to use the appropriate words, tone, and context to ensure the message is not lost.
4. Transcription
Transcription is one of the most lucrative skills that’s easy to learn. If you’re a fast typer with excellent attention to detail, this job suits you well. You only need to listen to a live speech or recorded audio and accurately type out what you hear. Usually, transcriptionists offer their services in medicine, law, and even sports.
5. Editing and Proofreading
Editing and proofreading are among the essential parts of the writing process. But just because a person can write doesn’t mean they can also edit what they’ve written properly. These kinds of lucrative skills require fluency in the language of the content you will be editing.
With an increasing number of businesses producing online content, editors’ and proofreaders’ demand is also higher than ever. Having an editor and proofreader check the content before it’s published live is imperative to eliminate errors that could embarrass the brand.
6. Data Entry
All businesses operate on and around their database. This load of information allows them to understand their target market better. And, in turn, improve their products and services. However, small business owners can’t manage and organize this growing data volume alone. An admin who can input all these data into the company’s computer system is needed. Data entry is one of the most straightforward freelancing skills to learn and also a high-paying job.
7. Data Science and Analysis
Data Science and Analysis have become the most important and lucrative skills to learn nowadays. Many companies, especially those with an online presence, generate and collect a heavy load of data every day. Knowing how to read, analyze, and use these data can help a company grow.
Take Netflix, for example. They read and analyze what people like to watch. Then, they suggest movies that would keep them engaged in their service.
8. Search Engine Optimization
If you’ve been browsing the web for freelance or work-from-home jobs, chances are you’ve encountered this word multiple times. Search Engine Optimization is among the most in-demand and lucrative skills for many online jobs.
Almost all companies that have an online brand need SEO. What this does is that it increases the visibility of the website or its content in search engines. People with SEO skills can drive quality leads. It can help businesses attract potential and existing customers.
9. Coding
Coding involves using different programming languages to instruct a computer or machine to behave in a specific way. This process is the building block to the many software, applications, and websites you see.
Until recently, this skill was only needed by people who work at pure technology businesses such as computer engineering companies and software development firms. But now, coding is wholly integrated across every industry. That is why it has become one of the most lucrative learning skills.
10. UX Designing
User Experience Design (UX design) is an emerging profitable skill for work-from-home individuals. This is one of the most lucrative skills that are in demand because many brands are now becoming more conscious of their users’ experience.
The previous sales-centered attitude is now leaning towards a more customer-based approach where user experience is everything. It’s not only about the look of a product or service but the whole feel of it. A UX designer aims to provide users with an enjoyable, usable, and helpful product.
11. Video Production and Editing
The majority of internet traffic comes from video streaming. No wonder there’s a high demand for video production and editing skills. This kind of content is highly sought after by consumers, making it one of the most lucrative skills to learn.
Video production and editing skills involve the creation process of the video. To create a raw video, you’ll handle the actors, script, location, crew, angles, and audio. Then, you will need to edit the material from that raw video. You can do this by adding sound or graphic effects, adjusting the light, cutting camera footage, and providing continuity.
12. Video Marketing
Video marketing should not be confused with the skills mentioned above. However, all of these are dependent on each other. While the two focus on how the end product is made, video marketing focuses on how an audience will receive the end product.
A marketer has to identify the brand image, how they want to portray it, and the audience they want to target. In simple terms, video marketing uses videos to market or promote a product, service, or brand.
13. Animation
The popularity of animation skyrocketed as businesses realized the potential that it contributes to the industry. Through this skill, brands can create an advertisement without the need to leave the desk.
Animators can create characters, locations, and stories using 2D or 3D modeling. There is no more need to spend thousands of money to reserve a site and book an expensive actor. This is one of the most lucrative skills to learn for people who are into creatives and art.
14. Illustration
Many businesses have decided to move away from using stock imagery. Now, they prefer the more playful and whimsical approach to using illustrations for commercial designs. If you’re good at drawing, this is one of the lucrative skills you can consider pursuing.
This imagery provides a compelling way for companies to showcase their content. But what’s even better is that this gives a personalized touch for branding. With the current market’s demand for transparency and human touch, an illustration would be a better approach to improving digital marketing.
15. Photo Editing
Photo editing can transform an ordinary-looking picture into something more extraordinary. This is one of the most lucrative skills that will be handy in the fashion, food, travel, and retail industry.
With a beautifully edited photo, a brand can intrigue and draw in customers. This visual cue could be the needed push for a clientele to make a sale.
16. Voice Over Artist
Voice-over artists not only narrate commercials and movie trailers. Due to the thriving educational and online content market, the demand for voice-over services has increased. That’s why it has also been considered one of the most lucrative skills. Typical industries include e-learning instructions, audiobook readers, and even video games.
17. Graphics Designing
Graphics designing is another fun skill you can explore while working at home. If you love designing and presenting information creatively, this will be easy for you to learn.
Over the last decade, job opportunities for graphic designers increased by about 13%. This growth is not surprising since this is one of the lucrative skills that’s useful in a wide variety of projects. You can use this in creating logos, infographics, website design, visuals for online content, and more.
18. Web Development
Web development skill is highly sought-after in the job industry and will remain for years. As long as there is a need for websites, web developers won’t lack in projects. It’s very in demand and undoubtedly one of the most lucrative skills.
This skill may not be the easiest to learn since there are specific computer languages that you need to understand. You must also know about the nitty-gritty website technology, such as domain and website hosting. There are tons of free and paid courses to help you start. Once you grasp everything, you’ll surely reap the high salary it provides.
19. Mobile App Development
With the whole population always on their phones, the market for mobile apps is continuously growing. Market data by App Annie reports that consumers from around the globe downloaded a record high of 204 billion apps in 2019. Moreover, these consumers spent about $120 billion on mobile apps, in-app transactions, and subscriptions in the same year.
Mobile apps are here to stay, and they are incredibly profitable. Thus making mobile app development one of the most lucrative skills out there. You could create the next breakthrough mobile application if you want to learn mobile app development skills.
20. Sales and Business Development
Sales and business development aim to improve the business, but they accomplish this goal differently. A business developer’s job is to answer four things – what, where, how, and who. You need to define the product or service that you want to sell. Next is the location where you will market it. After that, you need to plan out how you will sell it. Lastly, you must set your target audience for your new product.
Defining sales is simple. It is all about closing that product deal. The job of a sales representative is to generate revenue using the product in the chosen demographics. Although both skills are different, they must be integrated and work side by side to ensure business success.
21. Systems Development
Systems development is another example of a profitable complex skill for people who wish to work at home. This broad skill scope includes hardware, software, data, procedures, and people. This skill involves defining, analyzing, designing, testing, and implementing a new system or program.
Systems developers usually work at banks, law firms, technology consultancies, software development companies, telecommunications companies, and financial services firms.
22. Social Media Marketing
If you devote hours to social media, you should consider a career with it. Luckily, social media marketing is the perfect opportunity for you. It is one of the most lucrative skills to learn where you can use your social media accounts to connect to an audience and build a brand. Once you have established your brand, you can generate leads, increase sales, and drive website traffic.
Like most marketing gigs, you must publish engaging content on your account. You must also connect with your followers, analyze your data, and do advertisements.
23. Affiliate Marketing
If marketing your product or brand is not your thing, consider earning an income by promoting other brands and products. Affiliate marketing is a productive skill that will let you make money even while you sleep.
The concept of affiliate marketing is simple. You get to earn a commission by marketing the product of another person or company. You get a small profit Every time someone buys a product from your link. It’s a win-win situation for both parties.
24. Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistance is an excellent and one of the most lucrative skills to learn for those who enjoy being productive and organized. The work of a virtual assistant revolves around assisting business owners in managing their daily tasks. It could include errands like scheduling appointments and meetings. You’ll also be responsible for answering emails, customer inquiries, and more.
The best thing about working as a virtual assistant is that you only need fast internet. No specialized training, formal qualifications, or programming languages are needed.
25. Accounting and Bookkeeping
Accounting and Bookkeeping is a profitable job and one of the lucrative skills you can learn and practice at home. These two essential business functions are necessary for every business organization. Bookkeeping involves recording all financial transactions. Meanwhile, accounting consists of analyzing, interpreting, reporting, and summarizing all financial data.
26. Computer-Aided Manufacturing
Computer-aided manufacturing is a highly profitable, complex skill that helps the aerospace, ship, vehicle, and machine tool industry. This skill uses software and a computer-controlled machine to aid the manufacturing process of objects. You can send any design and specification to the software. Then, it will translate the details into an instruction the machine will follow.
27. Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing is a field of specialization for IT professionals arising from migrating data and servers from on-site installations to hosted environments. Tasks include leadership and technical support. It ensures the non-disruption of operations from such migrations and the ensuing maintenance and monitoring activities. Cloud computing practitioners can start by acquiring skills and certifications from reputable groups. Within the field of cloud computing, practitioners may also provide consultancy services for particular tasks.
28. Digital Security
Digital Security refers to work involving the protection of identity and data from intrusions and breaches. Unauthorized access to a computer and digital assets often results in disruptive losses. Many licenses and certifications are available for IT security specialists. Practitioners will benefit from acquiring such certificates and skills to increase engagement with prospective clients or employers.
29. Artificial Intelligence Specialist
The Artificial Intelligence Specialist makes computers think more efficiently and speedily like humans. For example, they may develop programs to make computers recognize faces. Analytical skills, logic, and creativity are common among AI Specialists. Most AI Specialists have also acquired familiarity and skills in mini-max, expect-max, alpha-beta, and other decision node projects. Given the knowledge this field requires, AI Specialists can charge a premium rate, and many tech companies are willing to pay enormous salaries. Therefore making it one of the most lucrative skills nowadays.
30. Amazon Web Services Expert
The Amazon Web Services Expert is a cloud computing specialist knowledgeable with AWS, an Amazon online subsidiary. AWS is a broad spectrum of reliable, scalable, and inexpensive cloud services. AWS has opened the door to many organizations and communities to get a web presence in the cloud. This paves the way for many AWS experts to offer their skills and services to a growing clientele.
31. Legal Entity Structuring
Legal Entity Structuring is a skill and knowledge in providing options and advice on what business structure to adopt for a particular operation in a specific location. Countries and states have varying laws and regulations allowing other entity structures. Choices have implications on ownership, taxation, and the size of operations. A solid business law and finance background will help practitioners deliver sound advice.
32. Trade Law
Trade law is an emerging legal specialization centered on business organizations and government units conducting trade across their borders. The field is changing in a complex political and cultural environment. Cross-border trade and trade agreements between countries need sound advice as they pose significant challenges. A growing number of companies and practitioners specialize in providing advice and services in cross-border trade.
33. Trademark Consulting
Trademark consulting is a business advisory service for handling trademark issues in global and local settings. Practitioners should have a particular knowledge of the processes of local trademark registration, securing applicable permits, and payment rates. Since issues on trademarks owned by a business are not part of the day-to-day activities, engaging a consultancy service is preferable over hiring a full-time employee.
34. IT Strategy
IT Strategy has been viewed as a ‘necessary evil’ that any organization must develop and plan to make a balanced development in technological capability vis-a-vis its resources. The IT strategy should be viewed as an essential part of the organization. Preparing a workable IT strategic plan adopted and implemented by all the organization’s stakeholders is daunting. Advisory service companies and freelance specialists are available and ready to help facilitate this needed process. Such outside help bridges the organization’s business needs with accessible and affordable technologies.
35. Blackline
Blackline is the name of the software company that offers a cloud-based finance and accounting solution platform. The Blackline software suite aims to automate and control client businesses’ entire financial close process. The company started with the goal to replace the use of Microsoft Excel with a more sophisticated suite of financial software. The company and the software have gained various recognitions and awards, reflecting its user base’s growth. User certifications and training are available as a continuous service in the software company Blackline University.
36. Orcad
OrCAD is a software suite of tools for electronics design automation. The term is also the original company (OrCAD Systems Corporation) that developed the devices in 1985. If your work involves electronic design, OrCAD products include industry-standard design automation tools. The tools are indispensable in designing and simulating electronic schematics and printed circuit boards. The current owner, Cadence Systems Corporation, acquired the products and the original company in 1999.
37. Google Adsense API
The skill in using Google AdSense API is for web developers who upload content. These include bloggers, web publishers, and persons who manage wikis and forums. The API allows web owners to register with Google AdSense, generate revenue-sharing reports, and host other web management tools.
38. DHTML
DHTML stands for Dynamic HTML. While HTML is the programming language for designing web pages, DHTML, on the other hand, is a collection of technologies.
While HTML delivers static web pages, DHTML utilizes tools to make the web page more interactive. Along with HTML and CSS, DHTML includes Document Object Models/Events and JavaScript. The resulting web pages are usually more engaging for audiences.
39. Lucene Search
Lucene Search is a powerful search engine library that is free to use and supports cross-platform. It is a full-featured text search tool. Some common uses are text mining, document indexing, and flexible searches. Web developers will find Lucene Search easier to use than other search engine libraries.
40. SAP CPI
If you work with a company that uses the SAP system, you may need to get skills in using SAP CPI (Cloud Platform Integration). This extension is the most used among several SAP middlewares. With the increased reliance on cloud computing, transitioning from on-site systems to cloud services requires skills in using middleware to integrate various subsystems and applications.
41. P-CAD
P-CAD is an Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software. Its last release was in 2006 and was superseded by Altium Designer. In its heyday, it boasted of the most extensive user base. Many electronic design engineers and technicians continue using P-CAD for schematics, simulation, and PCB.
42. VWO
VWO is a company engaged in web optimization services. Its most famous product has made the company synonymous with A/B Testing. With A/B Testing, the evaluation between any two innovations may be analyzed and measured objectively. A/B tests are also called split testing or bucket testing. Skills in using testing tools are needed to determine which promotional or marketing variants produce more conversion.
43. SQR
SQR stands for Structured Query Reporter and is part of the Oracle Business Intelligence Suite Enterprise Edition. The product is more formally called the Hyperion SQR Production Reporting. Skills in SQR allow users to access many data sources within the Oracle database systems in the enterprise. SQL queries may be issued anywhere in the program codes. The SQR produces printed report formats.
44. MySQL Programming
MySQL programming is an open-source tool to access, manage, and query a relational database system. Other free and open-source relational database management systems exist, but MySQL has become the most popular. MySQL skills are often combined with knowledge of Apache and Hypertext Processor for server access and web-based display. These three tools are cross-platform and available in Windows and Linux operating systems.
45. Python
Python is a popular and versatile general-purpose programming language. In addition to being open-source, it is adequately documented. An active community of users continuously produces and develops libraries to expand their functionalities. Python is widely used in web development, data science, machine learning, and web scraping, among many other uses.
46. Magneto 2
Magento 2 is a platform for E-commerce that is free and open-source. It uses Hypertext Processor frameworks, among others, like Zend and Symfony. The functionalities of Magento include shopping carts and catalogs. There is also a commercial version of Magento.
47. R Development
Learning the R language and environment is another complex skill that generates high income. It offers an immense library of statistical and graphical methods, including statistical inference, linear regression, and machine learning algorithms. Data miners use this programming language for polls and surveys.
48. Virtual Machine
A virtual machine is an environment that allows users to run a different operating system within another system. It is a virtual computer with storage, memory, CPU, and network interface. This skill is helpful to software developers who perform tests on applications that require a different operating system from the physical computer.
49. Executive Coaching
Many CEOs, executives, and top managers hire executive coaches to identify and help them achieve their business goals. The service of an exceptional coach doesn’t come cheap, so learning this skill is highly profitable.
A coach also asks critical questions to guide them to develop better insight. They create a safe space for their client while challenging them to leave their comfort zones to improve business.
50. Behavioral Design
Behavioral design is a skill set for persuasion and influence, not coercion. People with this skill understand how others think and make decisions. By better grasping how people work, you can create cues that will influence a person to behave in a certain way. In business settings, behavioral design can be used as a motivation for employees to work.
51. Event Management
Many companies seek organized people to manage an event, whether it’s a corporate party, team building, conference, or promotional event. An event manager’s job involves the whole process, from the planning phase to the post-event evaluation. The objective is to correctly deliver the event’s message and ensure the participants are engaged.
Your next step
Now that you know the skills that will give you profit while staying at home, your next step is to pick what you want to learn. While it’s good to consider a high-earning skill, you must also focus on what interests you the most. Learning and becoming an expert in something requires time, energy, and money. So please find an intersection between what you love to do and what will help you earn big bucks.
Angeline Licerio
Angeline Licerio is the blogger behind Dollarmize.com. After working online as a writer and SEO strategist, she decided to start this blog to give advise to people who would like to earn money online. She is also the founder of SEO Tutorials for FREE, a Facebook community that helps aspiring freelancers and SEO specialists to kickstart their work from home journey.
