Careers you can do from home in the US
Every career here lists remote work, a home office or a home studio among its usual work settings on its own page. Most still involve time on site, in an office or with clients, and the career page says what the mix looks like. Careers based at remote camps or work sites far from town are not counted.
51 careers in the United States
Health
4PsychiatristA medical doctor for the mind. Twelve years of training, and the only mental health job that can prescribe in every state.Typical pay$282kTo qualify12 to 13 yrsDemandVery highHealth Information ManagerOwn the medical record. Who can see it, whether it is correct, how it gets coded and billed, and what happens when a hospital changes systems.Typical pay$124kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highMedical Records SpecialistTurn what happened to a patient into codes and clean records. Office work, health pay, and no bedside.Typical pay$51kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandVery highPersonal TrainerGet people stronger, one session at a time. No degree needed, but you have to sell yourself.Typical pay$47kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandVery high
Skilled trades
3Construction EstimatorWork out what a building will cost before anybody breaks ground, and put the company's money behind the number.Typical pay$79kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedUpholstererStrip a chair to its frame and rebuild it. A small trade where the good ones are never short of work.Typical pay$46kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimitedPet GroomerBathe, clip and style dogs and cats all day. No license anywhere in the country, and your hands do the talking.Typical pay$35kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandGood
Tech
18IT Project ManagerYou do not write the code. You make sure the right thing gets built, on time, by people who do not report to you.Typical pay$175kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandVery highMachine Learning EngineerBuild the systems that learn from data, and keep them running once real people use them.Typical pay$140kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery highDevOps EngineerBuild the pipes and servers other programmers ship on. Nobody starts here, everybody arrives here.Typical pay$136kTo qualify4 to 8 yrsDemandVery highGame DeveloperBuild the thing you grew up playing. Great work, hard industry, and a portfolio matters more than a diploma.Typical pay$136kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandModerateMobile App DeveloperBuild the software people carry in their pocket, ship it to an app store, then keep fixing it on devices you have never held.Typical pay$136kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandVery highSoftware DeveloperYou write the thing, then spend most of your time working out why it does not do what you meant.Typical pay$136kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highCloud EngineerBuild and run the servers, networks and storage that other people's apps live on, without ever touching a physical machine.Typical pay$134kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highCybersecurity AnalystWatch a network for attacks and shut them down. Certifications count as much as a degree here.Typical pay$129kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandVery highPenetration TesterYou break into computer systems on purpose, with written permission, and then explain exactly how you did it.Typical pay$129kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandVery highData AnalystTurn a company's messy data into answers people can act on. The most reachable job in the data field.Typical pay$120kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highData ScientistTurn messy company data into numbers a boss can act on, using code and statistics.Typical pay$120kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery highDatabase AdministratorKeep a company's data fast, backed up and locked down, so nobody ever notices it.Typical pay$105kTo qualify2 to 5 yrsDemandLimitedSoftware TesterYou try to break things before customers do, then prove exactly how you broke them.Typical pay$104kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandGoodUX DesignerDecide how an app or a website actually works. UX (user experience) design is well paid and nobody licenses it.Typical pay$104kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highBusiness AnalystWork out what a company actually needs, then write it down clearly enough to build.Typical pay$102kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery highSystems AdministratorKeep the servers, accounts and backups running so everyone else can do their job. Certifications count as much as a degree.Typical pay$99kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedWeb DeveloperBuild the websites and web apps people actually use. The tech job with the shortest distance between learning something and being paid for it.Typical pay$93kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandVery highIT Support TechnicianThe fastest way into tech without a degree, and the job most people in tech started in.Typical pay$62kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimited
Business and money
11Investment AdvisorYou manage other people's money and their nerves. Licenses first, then years of slowly earning trust.Typical pay$105kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandGoodMarket Research AnalystFind out what people actually buy and why, using surveys and data, then tell a company what to do about it.Typical pay$79kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandVery highMarketing SpecialistPlan and run the campaigns that get a product in front of people, then prove with numbers whether it worked.Typical pay$79kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highSocial Media ManagerYou run the accounts a company talks to the world through. Judged on numbers, not on vibes.Typical pay$79kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandGoodInsurance AdjusterDecide what a claim is worth and what the policy actually covers. No degree required in most states, a license in nearly all of them.Typical pay$78kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandLimitedMortgage BrokerTake somebody's income, debts and credit file, find a lender who will say yes, and get paid when the house closes.Typical pay$77kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimitedHuman Resources SpecialistHire people, pay them right and keep the company on the correct side of employment law.Typical pay$76kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandVery highRecruiterMatch people to jobs for a living. No license and no set degree, but your pay rises and falls with the hires you make.Typical pay$76kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandVery highReal Estate AppraiserYou put a defensible number on what a property is worth, and a lender bets money on your answer.Typical pay$68kTo qualify1 to 5 yrsDemandLimitedPayroll AdministratorYou make sure everybody gets paid the right amount, on time, with the right tax taken off. Get it wrong and the whole company notices.Typical pay$58kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimitedBookkeeperKeep a business's money records straight so the owner, the bank and the tax office all see the same numbers.Typical pay$51kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandModerate
Law and public safety
1Education
2College InstructorTeach the trade you already know at a community or technical college. Your work history is the qualification.Typical pay$64kTo qualify2 to 8 yrsDemandLimitedMusic TeacherTeach piano, guitar, voice or band. You can start with no license at all, or take a degree and teach in a public school.Typical pay$47kTo qualifyup to 5 yrsDemandModerate
Architecture and design
1Creative
9AnimatorYour reel gets you hired, not your diploma. Great pay in a small number of cities, and the work comes in waves.Typical pay$102kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedTechnical WriterExplain complicated products clearly enough that somebody can actually use them. Writing, but paid like tech.Typical pay$90kTo qualify2 to 4 yrsDemandLimitedEditorTake somebody else's draft and make it clear, correct and worth reading, then put your name nowhere near it.Typical pay$78kTo qualify4 to 7 yrsDemandLimitedCopywriterWrite the words that sell something. Judged on whether they work, not on whether they are pretty.Typical pay$77kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandModerateVisual ArtistMake the work, then find the people who will pay for it. Almost nobody does this without a second income at the start.Typical pay$75kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandLimitedComposerWrite the music other people perform, stream or put behind a scene. Most of it is paid per job, not per hour.Typical pay$74kTo qualify2 to 6 yrsDemandLimitedTranslator and InterpreterMove meaning between two languages in writing or out loud, in courtrooms, hospitals and books.Typical pay$60kTo qualify2 to 6 yrsDemandLimitedIllustratorDraw for a living: books, games, magazines, packaging, anything that needs a picture doing a job.Typical pay$55kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandLimitedCeramic ArtistMake pots, sculpture and tableware out of clay and sell them. Almost nobody does it on one income stream alone.Typical pay$46kTo qualifyup to 4 yrsDemandLimited