Some links included here are from our sponsors. Please read our affiliate disclaimer for more information.
Working remotely doesn’t have to mean taking a pay cut. There are more legit online jobs than ever. All it takes is being aware of the possibilities.
Below are 33 legitimate online jobs where you can earn over $50,000 a year without a degree — and most of them allow you to make your own schedule. Whether you’re looking to escape the cubicle or just earn extra cash, these options can help. Best Full-Time Online Jobs for Beginners
These top online jobs have the ideal mix of high demand, a low supply of talented individuals, and the opportunity to start earning fast.
Have an interest in a particular online job? In the Learn More section at the bottom of each listing, we’ve included a free, beginner-friendly resource to help you kickstart your journey. #1. Proofreading Entry-Level PayTop Earners$18/Hour$30+/Hour
If you’re the type of person who spots every typo and grammar mistake in the articles you read, consider a career as a proofreader. This is a great example of a job that needs no certification, and you can use your set of eagle eyes to make solid money.
With the explosion of web content that has occurred in recent years, it’s a job that’s in super-high demand. That means you can land your first client today.
Learn more: How to Become a Proofreader and Earn $40+ Per Hour Working From Home.
Suggested resource: Caitlin Pyle — who has earned over $40,000 per year proofreading part-time — has a free introductory workshop: Learn the Skills You Need to Start Your Freelance Proofreading Hustle. #2. Bookkeeping Entry-Level PayTop Earners$18/Hour$60+/Hour
At the top of most business owners’ list of “Least Favorite Work Activities” is bookkeeping. Of course, it’s a critical task for ensuring that a business runs smoothly and survives into the future.
If you’re someone who loves to work with numbers, you can earn very good money in the field. There are also a lot of opportunities to charge higher hourly wages the more you specialize. And, just like proofreading, bookkeeping doesn’t require a certification.
Learn more: How to Become a Bookkeeper at Home: A Beginner’s Guide.
Suggested resource: Ben Robinson, who has now helped thousands of beginner bookkeepers launch their own careers, has a free three-class series on how to get started as a bookkeeper. #3. Virtual Assistant Entry-Level PayTop Earners$15/Hour$50+/Hour
For years, most people thought of virtual assistants as low-paid overseas workers that could be trusted to handle basic administrative tasks. But now the trend isn’t to hire a VA for $5 an hour; it’s to find the highest-quality VA possible — someone who will really add value to your business.
And because of that, businesses of all sizes are willing to pay significantly higher wages to the right person with the right skills. So instead of just doing boring, repetitive tasks, you’ll be working for a successful business owner as a remote executive assistant.
Common tasks carried out by VAs include: Answering emails. Managing social media. Scheduling appointments. Some VAs take on multiple clients, allowing them to earn over six figures a year.
Learn more: How to Make Money as a Virtual Assistant.
Suggested resource: Check out Esther Inman’s free online class “How to Work From Anywhere as a Virtual Assistant.” #4. Blogging Entry-Level PayTop EarnersVaries widely$100+/Hour
Blogging used to be seen as a hobby. But online media has evolved. Now, everyone from major publishers to parenting bloggers is earning serious cash with their websites.
Case in point: I started this blog in 2016, and a little over a year later, left a job I held for 10 years due to its growth. While there’s a steep learning curve with blogging, it certainly has a lot of potentials.
Learn more: How to Start a Blog and Make Money.
Suggested resource: To get a more in-depth look at what it takes to build a successful blog, we created a comprehensive email course titled “How To Make Your First $1,000 Blogging.” It goes over everything you need to know to get started — from how to pick a domain name to how to actually monetize your content.
Free Email Course “How To Make Your First $1,000 Blogging”
Join over 10,000 others and get the step-by-step blueprint to make your first $1,000 blogging. Opt-in below to have it sent straight to your inbox! 100% Free!#5. Freelance Writing Entry-Level PayExpert-Level Pay$15/Hour$75+/Hour
Freelance writing is one of the more lucrative side hustles I’ve tried. I started small, but in a year I was earning over $100 an hour. And thanks to the growth of content marketing, it’s also a skill that’s more in-demand than ever.
In the beginning, you can expect to earn around $10 to $20 per hour for online writing jobs. But over time, as you build your portfolio and client base, you’ll be able to charge significantly more (and even make six figures a year).
Learn more: How to Make Money as a Freelance Writer. #6. Website Design Entry-Level PayTop Earners$30/Hour$100+/Hour
Web designers have been in high demand for some time, and job growth is expected to be even higher than average over the next 10 years. Traditional coding experience isn’t required to get started, since several high-quality, no-code design platforms allow beginners to create beautiful websites (which they can charge a premium for).
In fact, before starting this website, I freelanced as a no-code designer (using Unbounce). I was able to command rates of over $150 per hour on Upwork. Mastering the ins and outs of one of the many no-code platforms available is a great way to build a lucrative freelance business.
Learn More: How to Make Money Building Websites (A Beginner’s Guide). #7. Graphic Design Entry-Level PayTop Earners$26/Hour$75+/Hour
For the artists out there, graphic design is a great way to monetize your hobby. The web is becoming more visual, especially as mobile devices become the primary method of browsing.
The highest-paid graphic designers combine multiple skills into their designs. Knowledge in branding, sales, and direct response marketing allow many graphic designers to charge over $100 per hour.
Learn more: How to Make Money as a Freelance Graphic Designer. #8. E-Commerce Store and/or Amazon FBA Entry-Level PayTop EarnersVaries$100+/Hour
Amazon FBA is a business idea that’s getting a lot of attention lately. The idea is to buy products directly from a manufacturer or wholesaler, then sell them online via Amazon. The most popular option is to use Amazon FBA, which handles all the warehousing and shipping (the “fulfillment”) for you. In fact, you can even have the manufacturer or distributor send the products directly to Amazon, so that you never have to physically touch the items.
But you don’t have to limit your selling to Amazon. You can also use FBA to ship products you sell on eBay or your own website. It’s much easier than packing and shipping everything yourself, and the shipping rates Amazon charges you are much lower than you’d pay to UPS or FedEx.
Learn more: How to Make Money With Amazon FBA. #9. Coding (Developing and Programming) Entry-Level PayTop Earners$40/Hour$125+/Hour
There’s a huge demand for coders (i.e., developers and programmers). And while it helps to have a computer science background, many people today are entering coding as a second career choice, even without a technical background.
There are now dozens of coding boot camps — which are short, intensive programs that build competency in a particular coding skill — that allow you to go from beginner to job-worthy in weeks. And like most of the jobs on this list, you can do this work as both a full-time work-from-home gig for a major company or as a side hustle from smaller projects you find on freelance sites like Upwork.
Learn more: How to Become a Coder Online — A Guide to Coding Career Paths and Salaries. #10 Sales Copywriting Entry-Level PayTop Earners$30/Hour$100+/Hour
Copywriting is the ability to write the text that gets someone to take action. It’s a skill that can be used online (through ads, landing pages, and email) or offline (in things like sales letters and brochures).
There are simply not enough skilled copywriters out there today, so once you’ve established yourself as someone who can get results, the opportunity is plentiful.
Learn more: How to Become a Copywriter (Even With No Experience). #11. Social Media Marketing Entry-Level PayTop Earners$20/Hour$100+/Hour